For nearly 20 years, orthopedic doctors have used platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to treat people who suffered with joint injuries and other painful conditions, such as osteoarthritis or rotator cuff tears. Now the evolving therapy is showing great promise for hair restoration. If you’re struggling with hair loss, you’re not alone. Nearly 80 million American adults -- roughly 50 million men and 30 million women -- are losing their hair.
At Parkland Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, a popular dermatology clinic in Coral Springs, Florida, our founder Dr. Alexis Stephens reverses hair loss with groundbreaking PRP treatments. Here she answers questions about the procedure and what you can expect.
To understand PRP therapy, it’s important to take a minute to understand what hair follicles are and how hair grows. When you were born, you came equipped with all the hair follicles you will have in your lifetime, which is about 5 million total. A small percentage of those -- 100,000 -- are on your scalp.
Your hair follicles live on the nutrients they receive from your blood. PRP therapy amps up that nutrition by isolating your blood platelets and your blood’s regenerative growth factors, which are the components that strengthen your follicles and encourage them to grow more hair.
PRP therapy is an all-natural solution for hair loss because it uses blood from your own body. We conduct the treatment in three easy steps:
We collect blood from your vein in the same way you’ve experienced when you have lab work at your physician’s office.
We place the blood in a centrifuge machine that spins it vigorously. This separates your platelets from other components in your blood and so we can make the PRP serum. While the machine is making your hair-stimulating PRP, you can rest your eyes, read a book, or catch up on your emails.
We gently inject the newly formed serum into your scalp in the areas where you are thinning or receding.
It may sound painful, but we make sure your scalp is completely numb so you don’t feel the tiny needle pricks. The procedure is well-tolerated by our patients. You don’t even need any downtime after your appointment. It’s such a mild procedure that you can return to work, school, or your regular activities.
Most of our patients get optimal hair regrowth with about 4 or 5 treatments that we spread out. You’ll have one treatment every couple of months or so. When you come in for a consultation, we talk with you about your goals and health history, and together we craft a treatment plan so you’ll know exactly what to expect.
When you’re ready to get your hair growing again, turn to our team at Parkland Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. Call now or go ahead and book online.
