Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is one of the hair growth treatments we offer at Reef Hair. Research shows that platelets have significant ability to promote healing and regeneration in several medical settings including joints, tendons, skin, and hair.
What is PRP Therapy?
PRP therapy involves blood from the patient taken through a small butterfly needle. This blood is placed into a centrifuge. After spinning down the blood, the concentrate bottom layer contains platelets – as well as the growth factors.
These super rich and powerful growth factors from the platelets are injected into the dermal layer of the scalp using a small needle. The procedure can be done very safely in an office setting.
While treatment may be a bit uncomfortable, we numb the scalp to improve the venerability of the procedure. Post-care procedures for PRP are minimal – just some local swelling of the skin and redness. This generally resolves in 24 to 48 hours at the most.
How Does PRP Therapy Work?
When platelets are activated, several growth factors are released. The most important growth factors include:
- Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
- Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)
- Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
- Epidermal growth factor (EGF)
- Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)
In several hair restoration studies, Platelet-rich plasma has been shown to promote faster hair growth post-transplant. When injected in the scalp, these growth factors can prolong the length of the anagen phase of hair cycle. It has also been shown that mixture of PRP with calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, or thrombin can increase the effectiveness of PRP treatments.
Some centers also use PRP treatments in conjunction with microneedling. This method that been shown to be an effective way of super-powering the strength of PRP.
