Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment is a method that uses a patient’s own blood cells to accelerate healing in a specific area. Platelet-rich plasma consists of the liquid portion of blood without cells called plasma and a type of blood cell with clotting abilities called platelets.
Platelets are observed to contain growth factors triggering call reproduction and tissue regeneration to kick start the healing process. A blood sample is taken from patients and then centrifuged to separate platelets suspended in plasma. The platelet-rich plasma solution is then injected into the target area. In some cases, the clinician uses ultrasound to guide the injection. The platelet-rich plasma injection is used to increase the concentration of a range of growth factors and proteins in specific areas to accelerate healing.
PRP treatment is useful for some types of hair loss that result from damage to hair follicles. A systematic review of research on PRP as a treatment for hair loss led by a team of researchers was published in the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in 2019. According to the reports conducted on 262 participants state that PRP injections reduced hair loss symptoms and induced the growth of dense hair.
Another study conducted in 2019 and featured in the journal Dermatologic Surgery said that PRP injections used as a treatment for hair loss have led to hair regrowth among the androgenic alopecia and alopecia areata patients.
Again research on clinical studies published in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology stated PRP injections to be a “promising” treatment for hair loss.
However, the researchers also reported that the clinics used different preparations and injection techniques to administer the PRP treatment for which the results can vary.
According to the doctors the PRP treatment doe not provide a complete cure to hair loss rather the person needs to receive several treatments over time. Doctors also aid that the interval between each PRP treatment will vary from person to person and it will depend on the doctor’s recommendation.
