PRP therapy results in improvement in the growing phase of hair, reverses hair thinning thereby making hair denser, and reduces hair fall.
PRP therapy garners hair growth beyond the natural growth of hair
HIGHLIGHTS
- PRP therapy garners better hair growth in younger people
- Both men and women can get PRP therapy done
- PRP therapy can have some side effects
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a substance that is known to heal the skin on being injected. A component that helps in blood clotting, plasma contains proteins that garner growth of cells. It is through research and advancement in the field of science that has led to the production of PRP by isolating plasma from the blood and making it concentrated thereafter. PRP therapy has been considered to be an effective treatment for hair loss. A 2014 research states that PRP injections effectively treat androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness.
Also read: 6 Things You Should Know About Hair Transplants
Preparation of PRP
PRP is prepared from your blood by taking around 25 ml of blood in the PRP kit. This blood is then spun in a centrifuge machine which separates blood into its various constituents like platelet poor plasma on the top surface and red blood cells on the bottom, and platelets in the middle. This coating of platelets on top of layer of blood cells is known as buffy coat.
The process progresses further by concentrating them into faster spins. Calcium further activates these spins, which are later kept in syringes for the purpose of being injected into the skin.
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How is PRP therapy given?
PRP therapy usually takes around an hour and a half to be completed. Before injecting PRP syringes, a numbing cream is applied on the scalp to reduce any kind of discomfort or pain. This is followed by giving the patient a local anesthesia to prevent pain. By creating numerous pricks on the scalp, PRP is injected deep into the skin at the roots of the hair. The therapy is given once every month for around 6 months.
Is PRP therapy painful?
PRP is known to cause mild pain and discomfort which is usually bearable. But the tolerance of the pain may depend from person to person.
Also read: 7 Everyday Habits That Cause Hair Loss
How effective is PRP?
A PRP therapy will help in improving growth of existing hair. It will bring an improvement in the growing phase of hair, reverses hair thinning thereby making hair denser, and reduces hair fall.
According to Dr Kiran Lohia, before doing PRP, you first check for any kind of vitamin deficiency in the body. "Hair loss is a result of vitamin deficiency in the body. So before doing a PRP, you check for vitamin deficiency and 9 out of 10 people today are vitamin deficient. Once you are on vitamins, PRP treatment is very effective for both men and women. It results in almost 30 to 40 percent increase in hair growth after 3-4 sessions," she says.
Speaking of other factors on which PRP therapy is dependent on, she adds, "It also depends on how old you are. When you are older, you do not have the capability to regenerate that much hair growth."
How is PRP different than hair transplants?
"It all depends on how bad your hair fall is. If you have balding, then you probably need hair transplant. Hair transplants are done at an older age. But even hair transplants are also only 60% to 70% successful. PRP helps in improving results of hair growth," says Dr Kiran.
Also read: 5 Best Ayurvedic Remedies To Reverse Hair Loss
What are the potential side effects of PRP therapy?
Since involves injection of a substance into the skin, it has a few side effects as well. Nerve injuries, infections, damage of tissues of pain at the site of injection are some possible side effects of PRP therapy. However, since PRP is created from your own body, it reduces risks of possible allergic reactions from injection of other medications.
How much does PRP cost?
Dr Kiran informs that PRP can cost anywhere between Rs 15,000 to 30,000 in India. It depends on where you are getting it from.
(Dr Kiran Lohia is a Dermatologist and Medical Director at Lumiere Dermatology, Delhi)
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