How Does Platelet-Rich Plasma Help Hair Growth?
The first step to treating hair loss is discovering that there are ways to treat and restore hair. The second step is to find out just how many treatments there are.
Ever since the capabilities of minoxidil for hair regrowth, there has been considerable research in the field of trichology to find even more potential treatments, ones that work where minoxidil does not, ones that last longer and ones with consistent results.
One of the most fascinating of these is platelet-rich plasma, a hair growth treatment that uses the body’s own blood to help rejuvenate the scalp.
The PRP process, also known as “vampire” hair growth treatment, involves drawing a certain amount of blood in the arm, which is then placed in a centrifuge to separate the different parts of it.
The platelet-rich plasma layer is collected and then injected directly into spots where hair loss has already occurred. Generally, there are three monthly sessions alongside maintenance to ensure that the results stay strong.
The importance of the platelet-rich aspect of the plasma is that platelets are the part of the blood that assists in healing wounds and regrowing tissue. If you cut yourself, it is the platelets that start the process of healing and stop the wound from continuously bleeding.
This is the logic behind the vampire facelift, where the PRP compound is injected into the face, stimulating skin regrowth, often alongside a more conventional filler such as hyaluronic acid.
On the scalp, the concept is that if platelets are injected into the bottom of the hair follicle, they stimulate the production of cells associated with regrowth known as dermal papilla cells, although given the newness of the treatment the mechanics of how it works are still being explored.
At present, the research that exists to demonstrate its effectiveness focuses on androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness in men and women, with telogen effluvium, alopecia areata and scalp scarring being interesting points of research.
