The platelet rich plasma itself is made up of two different elements which are very self-explanatory, platelets and plasma. Platelets are probably the one that you’ve heard about before and are a well known part of the blood. The plasma is just the liquid part of your blood, and the platelets are found within the plasma itself. Out of the two, it’s the platelets that play one of the most important roles in the bodies natural healing processes and they are well known for their clotting abilities, but it’s the growth factors which they contain that are the real healers. Growth factors are a form protein found within the body which are capable of triggering reproduction within the cells and can stimulate tissue regeneration and healing within a targeted or treated area.
As simply as it comes, platelet rich plasma is just blood that has a higher amount of platelets than normal. To create the platelet rich plasma to be used during treatment, a blood sample is taken from a patient and is placed into a centrifuge which rapidly spins the blood sample to separate the platelet rich plasma from the rest of the blood. Once the platelet rich plasma has been created, its simply just a case of injecting this into the targeted area.
How does platelet rich plasma therapy work for the hair?
The platelet rich plasma therapy itself actually started in the 1970’s as a way to aid the healing of injuries, and in the 50 years or so since it was first used it’s been continually developed into a treatment that can be used to rejuvenate the skin and provide a boost to the hair.
For the latter, it’s been observed and documented that the introduction of platelet rich plasma to the scalp can improve the health of the existing hair in the treatment area, improve the strength of the follicles, provide a boost to the diameter of the hair (which is what causes hair loss thanks to the hormone dihydrotestosterone) and can prevent any further loss from occurring, whilst inducing the renewed growth of hair in the surrounding areas that may be experiencing loss.
How long will it take for me to see my results?
It’s entirely possible that some form of improvements will be noticeable shortly after treatment, especially to the strength and health of the existing hair. It can take anywhere between 6 to 12 months to see results showing through, but some patients report results from around the 3 month mark onwards.
The big thing that needs to be done to ensure that the results don’t just fade away over time is to find the overall cause of the hair loss as if it is left undiagnosed or uncorrected, then all that’s going to happen is continued hair loss. Once the cause is diagnosed, then it will allow both the patient and the aesthetician to decide the best course of action to treat the hair loss and maintain the results.
To effectively maintain the results, it’s recommended to undergo follow up platelet rich plasma treatments as these will improve on the existing results whilst providing new results of their own.
What advantages does platelet rich plasma therapy have?
Well first of all, it’s very effective for the price that you’re paying for treatment. Nobody wants to be shelling out any amount of money for a treatment that’s not going to actually help them, right? Providing that you listen to the recommendation of the aesthetician and follow the correct aftercare routine, then you will see noticeable improvements to your hair.
Secondly, it’s a very safe treatment which is always a good thing to hear, especially knowing that the treatment involves the use of blood. Because your own blood is used to extract the platelet rich plasma, the risk or rejection or reaction is ruled out completely. Another major bonus is that it’s a non-surgical treatment that is minimally invasive, which rules out any surgical risks and complications.
And lastly, it gives you a major confidence boost once it’s complete. While hair loss affects a large number of the population, not everyone can understand exactly what it’s like to deal with both the physical and mental effects that it can have. Undergoing platelet rich plasma therapy can drastically change that by providing a boost to your scalp which goes hand in hand with a boost to your mental health, resulting in a happy and confident appearance that the people around you will pick up on.
So if hair loss is a concern for you, platelet rich plasma therapy is something that can be used to fight the visible signs of hair loss whilst helping to provide renewed growth, but it doesn’t mean that it is the only option that is available to you. Hair loss medication can be used to slow and even stop hair loss from happening, and if you’re already too far gone for platelet rich plasma treatments or medication then micropigmentation and hair transplant surgeries are things that can be performed to help restore your scalp and hair to their former glory.
To find out more about platelet rich plasma therapy for the hair any of the other treatments for hair loss that we are able to provide, get in touch with a member of our team today using live chat, our contact form or with a quick phonecall on 0800 772 0039 where a member of our team will be happy to discuss your options with you.