Hair loss and baldness can be a significant source of concern for people and yet, with around 39% of men in the UK losing hair as they age, it’s very common concern. For almost 25 years, PRP injections have been used in treatments for various aesthetic conditions and are an increasingly popular form of therapy used to stimulate hair growth after a transplant or for inherited male pattern baldness.
- Hair loss and baldness is common concern with around 39% of UK men losing hair as they age.
- PRP injections have been used in aesthetic treatments for almost 25 years.
- PRP therapy for hair loss may stimulate cells that play an important role in hair growth and regrowth.
For almost 25 years PRP therapy has been used in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and skin conditions, and for some people it’s thought to be a promising treatment for hair loss.
Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP is derived from the patient’s own blood. Blood consists mainly of red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets, all of which carry out different functions and one of the platelets’ functions is to promote cell regeneration and growth.
PRP therapy involves transplanting centrifuged plasma cells from the patient’s body and injecting them into the dermis of the skin. Because the platelet rich plasma has so many more plasma cells by volume than non-centrifuged blood, it is though that the high concentration of plasma cells can help with tissue growth and regrowth, and wound healing.
So, the PRP is injected into targeted areas of the face or body to help to rejuvenate them.
PRP for hair loss or post hair transplant involves injecting the platelet rich plasma cells deep into the parts of the scalp that are being targeted so that it reaches the base of the hair follicle and stimulates hair growth – first by generating hair growth then helping to maintain it by boosting the hair shaft thickness and enhancing its blood supply.
Each course of treatment usually starts with three sessions of about 30 minutes taken a few weeks apart, and the effects can generally be seen after a few weeks. Then, less frequent but regular maintenance sessions can help nurture the new hair growth.
Although PRP injections for hair loss can be quite an intense process, and some measure of discomfort is to be expected, treatment has been shown to help with successful hair transplants and to reduce hair loss.
And although male balding and hair thinning is perfectly common and well-known, it’s also the case that women can lose hair and may benefit from PRP therapy too.
A fully qualified aesthetic practitioner should always carry out a consultation with individual clients to make sure they are suitable for PRP and then decide on a customised course of treatment.
Although a relatively straightforward, natural treatment that can make a huge difference to people with unwanted hair loss, a medically qualified advanced aesthetic practitioner will always put the needs and safety of the client first.