Have you been considering the various options that are available to those living with the devastating affects of Alopecia? Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy, or PRP, as it has come to be known, is a new nonsurgical option for those suffering from a variety of Alopecia conditions. If you’ve been living with this condition and are ready to make a change, PRP may be the perfect solution for you.
New Non-Surgical Option for Alopecia & Hair Restoration
What Exactly is PRP?
Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy, more commonly referred to as PRP, is a nonsurgical option that has been studied and shown to achieve results in a shorter time frame than many of the alternative options.
The science behind PRP therapy is that it helps to “elicit regenerative pathways”, effectively resulting in increased hair growth. Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy works through growth factors and cytokines that are secreted which encourage hair follicles to enter into the active growth phase. PRP therapy then prolongs this phase, also known as the anagen phase, by pushing cells to multiply and develop new blood vessels through protein pathways that are vital to multiple cell processes.
This process may sound confusing, so to put it in more straight forward terms, PRP therapy gives hair growth cells what they need to grow hair and continue growing hair.
Who Can PRP Help?
Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy has shown promising results for people living with various forms of Alopecia. Specifically, Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA), Alopecia Areata (AA), and Cicatricial Alopecia (CA) and with minimal side effects reported after therapy. Case study candidates have reported improvements in hair count, thickness of hair, and additional microscopic evaluations have been noted with those having AGA specifically.
PRP therapy for Alopecia Areata (AA) patients is a potential option due to the various clinical trials that have been performed. The random clinical trials that have been done to this point have shown that PRP therapy has produced results that are superior to both intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injections and minoxidil topical ointment, which are the prior most used solutions for AA.
Patients with Cicatricial Alopecia (CA) have not had as many random clinical trials performed as AA patients have, therefore the success rate cannot be definitively determined at this point. However, case series do exist that hav been successful in patients with alopecia scarring.
PRP with Surgical Hair Restoration
Lastly, there has been evidence showing that combining Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy with surgical hair restoration techniques can result in further increased hair growth. After surgical hair restoration has been performed, PRP therapy has been effective in promoting tissue repair, minimizing scarring and promoting new hair growth.
While PRP therapy is still a new solution for those that have a form of alopecia, it definitely shouldn’t be counted out as a viable option. Given the case studies performed, it is safe to say the Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy is something that is here to stay and will hopefully help hundreds who deal with this condition on a daily basis.
Source: Jeffrey A. Rapaport, Sarah G. Versteeg, and Aditya K. Gupta