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.