PRP hair treatment has been in vogue for the last couple of few years and some people who have had a brush with hair loss might know a little bit about it. That being said, hair loss is and always will be a huge concern in both men and women. As a result, finding a hair loss treatment that works has become more of a trend nowadays.

Dr Ahsen Farooque - Hair Transplant Surgeon — Dr. Ahsen Farooque – Hair Transplant Surgeon

Hair Loss Treatment Options

With this popularity, there have been many hair loss treatments, with the most popular being hair transplant. This is followed by PRP hair treatment therapy, which might not be as popular as hair transplant, but still does the job.

Lately, a number of specialists have been combining different treatments to achieve the best results (see PRP with Microneedling and fractional laser). And according to Dr. Ahsen Farooque, a Board Certified Hair Transplant Surgeon in Abu Dhabi, PRP hair treatment and hair transplant play well together. This means having a hair loss treatment that can effectively treat hair thinning or a receding hairline.

PRP, which is short for Platelet Rich Plasma, has been around for decades. Dr. Ahsen notes that medical professionals use PRP to speed up the recovery rate of tissue after surgical procedures. “It was not until recently that PRP became a hair loss treatment.”

How PRP Hair Treatment Works

PRP, explains Dr. Ahsen, is a fluid present in our own blood. “This Platelet Rich Plasma takes more than 50 percent of our blood’s volume. In addition, it is filled with growth factors that stimulate stem cells.”

These growth factors that are found in the PRP are vital when it comes to PRP hair treatment. “They aid in the strengthening of androgenic miniaturized hair follicles, which as a result prompts them to produce new and healthy hair,” states the Doctor, adding that this gives way to robust growth of hair.

Combining PRP Therapy with Hair Transplant

Hair transplant, says Dr. Ahsen, is a hair restoration method where a certain area of the scalp that is facing hair loss or balding is replenished with new hair. “Hair transplant, especially Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is classified as a non-surgical or minimally invasive form of hair loss treatment. This requires, under local anesthesia, moving some of the follicles from the donor area, which is typically at the back of the head where the hair is genetically superior, to the front or crown, where one is facing hair loss.”

According to the Doctor, after the hair transplant procedure, the surrounding native hairs have to be treated, because they are still susceptible to hair thinning. “This is where the PRP hair treatment comes in.”

The PRP hair loss therapy usually starts two months after the hair transplant procedure, and continues once a month for the next six months. “For the PRP growth factor therapy, a blood sample is obtained from the patient. It is then processed through a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the red and white blood cells. A clinically prepared growth factor is then added to the PRP to further strengthen its hair growth properties. Finally, the mixture is injected to areas that are susceptible to hair thinning like the frontal hairline, temporal region, and the crown. Afterward, the surgeon ensures even distribution of the serum by gently massaging the scalp for a few minutes.”

Objective of PRP Hair Treatment

“The objective of having the PRP hair treatment is to prevent further thinning of the original hair that surrounds the transplanted hair. This completes the picture of hair restoration,” says Dr. Ahsen. He adds that the Platelet Rich Plasma basically stimulates a person’s own follicles to produce native stem cells, then finally produce healthy hair other than thin miniaturized follicles.

PRP hair loss treatment procedure can be a bit of uncomfortable. The feeling is always described as having pinpricks on the scalp. “This happens when the serum mixture is being injected into the scalp. But most patients find it bearable,” explains the Doctor. But if one has a low pain threshold, then topical anesthesia is used, which makes the process fairly painless. “Five to six sessions are required with a repeat of the same after 2 years for maintenance purposes.”

PRP hair treatment is done on both men and women. When it comes to hair thinning among women, in most cases the therapy is used on its own without the hair transplant. Women who have undergone this hair loss treatment include those with a receding hairline or prominent forehead as a result of hairstyles that lead to traction alopecia or female pattern baldness.