PRP in Hair Transplantation
PRP treatment is used for its potential to promote hair growth after hair transplantation is centered in three functional stages:
To preserve and enhance hair follicle vitality during and after hair transplant
To promote and enhance tissue repair and healing after hair transplant
To stimulate dormant hair follicles and promote new hair growth.
To Preserve and Enhance Hair Follicle Viability
Between the time that hair follicles are removed from a donor area of the scalp and transplanted into a recipient area, they are subject to damage from several causes:
Dehydration if the donor follicles are inadequately moistened between the times of removal and hair transplant
Oxygen and nutrient starvation due to being removed from blood supply during the harvest-to-transplantation time period
Temperature and enviromental changes in the follicle environment
Re-vascularization injury when the donor follicles are transplanted to the recipient site and must re-adapt to having a blood supply.
A common approach to maintaining your donor hair during the transition period is to keep them in an environment that provides a protective, appropriate temperature, chemical balance and nutrient supply.
Research supports that treatment via PRP improves follicle viability during and after hair transplant, enhances post-transplant tissue healing and promotes hair growth in transplanted hair follicles.
It is reported that PRP promotes hair growth from follicles by the action of platelet growth factors on hair follicle stem cells. The platelet growth factors induce follicle stem cells to shift from a dormant state to an active state that starts the process of hair stimulation and production.
Is PRP treatment safe?
PRP is completely neutral treatment and poses no danger of allergic, hypersensitivity or foreign-body reactions.
Sterile technique is used at every stage of PRP preparation and application. Sterile technique is especially important if a patient has an underlying medical condition that predisposes to infection.
Some medical conditions may be a contraindication to use of PRP. Many of these are not absolute contraindications because the conditions vary from patient to patient. It is wise to raise the question with a physician hair restoration specialist if and when the use of PRP is discussed.
How long after hair transplant surgery should you wait before receiving PRP?
Here at Dynamic Regenerative Medicine we have helped many hair transplant patients to plan the inclusion of PRP into their hair transplant surgery preparations. Because of this experience, we achieve exceptional results with patients who follow the below PRP treatment time-lines:
- 1st PRP Treatment – Ideally 4 weeks before the hair transplant surgery
- 2nd PRP Treatment – Ideally 1 weeks before the hair transplant surgery
- 3rd PRP Treatment – On the Day of the Hair Transplant Surgery – at the end of the day.
- 4th PRP Treatment – 2-4 days after the Hair Transplant Surgery
- Then Monthly for each month after receiving the Hair Transplant Surgery to 4-6 months
Why PRP treatment following Hair Transplant?
PRP Treatments are used to promote and accelerate the healing time after receiving a hair transplant procedure and to promote early stages stimulation of the hair follicles. It can also assist in preventing scar tissue formation, minimise shock loss of hair & accelerate the growth rate of the transplanted hair follicles.
Minoxidil or PRP?
Minoxidil is a drug that increases the supply of blood to the area due to increased diameter of the blood vessels. PRP is a more powerful treatment than Minoxidil because PRP promotes circulation and blood supply to the area AND it increases the volume and number of platelets in the area, therefore speeding up the recovery time of a hair transplant FASTER than Minoxidil. Like taking the good stuff out of the blood and injecting it directly into the area of need!
Please get in touch for further information.
01564 330773