Hair Transplant vs. PRP Hair Restoration: What’s Better?

Many people frustrated with thinning or balding hair will try whatever methods possible to regrow or increase the thickness of their hair.  However, several cheap over the counter creams and shampoos cannot give you the results you’re looking to achieve.  The good news is that there are procedures that can give that head of hair you’ve been wanting.  Hair transplants and PRP hair restoration are two of the most popular hair restoration procedures available.  We took a deep dive into both methods to give you a full overview so that you can decide which would work best for you and your needs.

What Is A Hair Transplant?

A hair transplant, short for hair transplantation, is a surgical technique that actually removes hair follicles from one part of the body where hair is growing and transplanting those follicles to an area that is balding or bald.  Hair transplants are an outpatient surgery, meaning you won’t need to spend the night in the hospital.  Typically, and depending on how large the area is, a hair transplant surgery will take anywhere from 4-8 hours.  This procedure usually involves the surgeon injecting a numbing agent to  the balding area and then removing a strip of skin from there and creates several small skin grafts using that skin.  These grafts are then placed in the balding area in order to replace the follicles that aren’t growing hair in that area.  Most patients describe tenderness of the treated area following the procedure, and you will most likely be given antibiotics and pain medication to take in the days after your hair transplant.

What Is PRP Hair Restoration?

PRP hair restoration specifically stands for platelet-rich plasma restoration, which is a method used by doctors to accelerate healing in certain areas of the body.  This type of treatment is more commonly used with patients that experience illnesses or issues where the hair follicle slows down but doesn’t die completely, such as conditions like alopecia.  Platelet-rich plasma restoration uses platelets in your blood that promote healing in all situations, therefore PRP often promotes growth in areas where growth has slowed down.

Is Hair Transplant or PRP Hair Restoration Better?

It is impossible to direct each individual patient toward which option is better for them, so instead we invite you to decide for yourself.   As a person with thinning or balding hair, you know which specific procedure is more tailored toward your needs.  If you know that the areas affected have been bald for some time, then hair transplant is probably more what you are needing to see new hair growth.  On the other hand, if you are suffering from a condition where your hair is just simply slowing down in growth or needs to amplify growth for some reason, then PRP hair restoration may be a better  choice for you.  We invite all patients to consult with us regarding their hair growth goals and desires to ensure that we are able to recommend the best hair procedure for them.

Options for getting thicker hair

Hair growth can greatly decrease due to many circumstances and factors, which produces thinning and hair loss. When hair follicles temporarily stop growing and start to shed, it’s ordinarily because they’ve been presented to particular stressors. As hair becomes thinner over time, it’s owing to the follicles producing finer hairs over sequential cycles. The diameter of hair then grows thinner and the growth cycle grows shorter. Here are four methods top hair-restoration specialists are using with patients fight the problem.

Home devices

At-home light treatment caps give low-level laser therapy (LLLT) by using light at particular wavelengths to increase blood circulation in the scalp.

Who It’s Meant For: Those seeking a progressive solution

Who It’s Not Meant For: Pregnant women and patients with such conditions as epilepsy, thyroid gland disorders, diabetes or cancer.

What to Expect: LLLT brings extra oxygen and nutrients to the head area to support it at the follicular level, encouraging new hair growth and thicker hair. Handheld devices can be done at home, but it is always desirable to undergo light therapy under the guidance of a hair-restoration specialist.

The Au Naturale Way

The demand for using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to manage hair loss is mostly due to the protocol’s minimally invasive method of making use of the patient’s own growth factors and body nutrients.

Who It’s Meant For: Anyone experiencing androgenetic alopecia for less than 3 to 5 years,

Who It’s Not Meant For: Patientswith underlying medical causes of hair loss such as involving autoimmune disease, iron deficiency, anemia or a hormonal abnormality. Additionally, people who have a scalp disorder such as scarring alopecia.

What You Can Expect: PRP involves drawing 11 or 22 milliliters of blood, whirling down the plasma in a specialized centrifuge, removing the PRP, and then injecting it inside the subdermal areas of the scalp. “I combine this treatment with an oral supplement, Nutrafol, and a proprietary topical and low-energy laser treatment,” says Dr. Shamban. After the treatment, Dr. Rapaport suggests patients “go home and take a warm shower, shampoo and caress the scalp, and avoid using chemicals, coloring or hair fibers for 24–48 hours after.” While some published results seem promising, there can be variability in method and result. According to Dr. Ziering, “I blend PRP with Acell, with my clientele, and when performed every 12 to 18 months, PRP decreases shedding, stabilizes hair loss and encourages overall hair condition and strength.”

Use of RX or OTC

Hair-loss medicines work to hinder the hormones that cause hair miniaturization.

Who They’re Meant For: A doctor will suggest whether prescription birth control pills, for post-menopausal women, finasteride (aka Propecia), is sufficient. Topical minoxidil (found in Rogaine) up to 5 percent has been approved for OTC treatment for women.

Who They’re Not Meant For: Finasteride isn’t approved for women who haven’t gone through menopause; topical minoxidil can produce scalp inflammation.

What to Expect during the first few weeks: Additional shedding may happen as hair switches from an inert to active state. Best results can be observed by 12 months. “I always advise patients to continue using Rogaine and Propecia, even following a hair transplant, because it will simply further supply the other native hairs with nourishment that may have a proclivity to thin and miniaturize,” says facial plastic surgeon Natalie Attenello, MD.

A Modern-Day Transplant

Hair-restoration surgery is the only sound option to manage hair loss. Whereas other treatments operate to slow hair loss, surgery helps place hair wherever there isn’t. “Surgery should be the final resort if all other efforts to manage the progression of hair loss have been tried,” says Dr. Ziering. “It’s also necessary to note that nonsurgical methods can be coupled with surgical protocols for a further integrated approach to managing hair loss.”

Who It’s For: Those with hair loss attributed to genetic/hormonal issues, or from scarring or surgery

Who It’s Not For: Those with severe keloid scarring or scarring alopecia

Procedure Duration: Around eight hours, which varies by procedure

Time of recovery: About a week

What to Expect: The donor site (behind the scalp) is anesthetized and a piece of hair holding the follicles is extracted, which are then collected under a microscope and the hairs are separated into follicular units, or groups of one, two or three; or the donor site can be shaved and follicles extracted one by one. The regions where the units will be grafted are also anesthetized and the hair is laid.

Post-Surgery Expectations: A little discomfort and swelling may happen, but wanes after a few days. Scabbing at the transplant site is normal. “The first few days post-op, I suggest using ice, massaging regularly and sleeping at a 45-degree angle as a precaution against forehead edema,” says Dr. Ziering. “Also, no sun exposure for at least 3 months to avoid the risk of hyperpigmentation.” Some growth can be observed at 3 months; further growth will be apparent in 6 to 9. “The grafted hairs quickly become ‘rooted’ into the scalp, and following a short rest period of several months, they begin to grow for the rest of your life,” states Dr. Attenello.

The Hair Growth Life-Cycle

Stage 1: Hair Starts Growing
Recognized as the anagen phase, this is while cells in the root divide and generate new hair at the root of the follicle, which drives the previous strand out. Hair grows near to the scalp and lengthens down as it proceeds to grow.

Stage 2: Hair Gets a Break
The catagen phase is when hair starts to transition following maximum growth capacity and takes a break. At this stage, it’s still connected to the root, although it finishes growing and prepares to fall out and replenish itself.

Stage 3: Hair at Rest
Designated the telogen phase, this is when hair is resting, and then finally it is discharged and falls out. Ultimately, the follicle remains inactive for 3 months and the entire cycle starts again.

Desirable Lashes and Eyebrows

It just takes one cursory look at Instagram to observe that long lashes and thick brows are a couple of the most desirable features on the face. However just as the hair on our scalp start to thin, so too can our lashes and eyebrows.

Eyebrows

Whether the reason for thinning brows is years of plucking, waxing, tweezing or the like, or they’re just thinning out on their own, there are answers. To forever improve sparse eyebrows or bald spots because of a medical condition, medication or the natural process of aging, an eyebrow procedure may be the best choice. During the operation, the doctor will use local anesthesia to extract donor hair from the back of the scalp before transplanting to the eyebrows. Once the region has fully healed, it will be almost impossible to notice the scar.

Expectations: Post-surgery, the region may be sensitive or swelled. For the first few days, scabbing or crusting may happen near the hair follicle in the brow line. Stitches at the donor site will be removed after 1 week.

Duration of procedure: Around 2 hours

Time of discovery: 3 to 7 days

Eyelashes

Aging can make eyelashes grow weak and inclined to breakage, causing them to seem short, thin or scattered. An eyelash transplantation can forever restore the hair. Eyelash restoration surgery can enhance lashes and restart a healthy growth cycle, but it can’t get lashes to be thicker or fuller like mascaras and fake eyelashes. It’s more for restoring what’s lost.

Expectations: The surgery, which may only be performed on the higher lashes, uses tiny grafts of donor hair from the head. OVer the first several day post-surgery, the areas may crust, swell or grow pink. It can take 2 months for hair to start growing and one year to observe the ultimate outcome.

Time of procedure: 2 to 4 hours

Time of recovery: 3 to 7 days