PRP therapy, otherwise known as platelet rich plasma therapy, for the face and skin is something that has been around for years. Since starting out as a method of treatment for sports injuries in the 1960’s and 1970’s, research has led PRP therapy into the beauty industry with therapies for the face famously being performed on huge celebrities like Kim Kardashian to keep them looking young. But now, the treatment has become even more advanced and thanks to the way in which it actually works, it has been introduced as an additional treatment when having a hair restoration surgery performed.
Let’s start with the basics then and go over exactly what platelet rich plasma is. As you can probably tell by the name, it has a lot to do with your blood. PRP therapy utilises the platelets that are naturally found within your blood, though it’s a little more in depth than just using them alone.
The treatment starts with your surgeon removing a small amount of blood and preparing it inside a centrifuge to separate out the plasma from the rest of the blood. This plasma is what is absolutely vital as it contains what is known as “growth factors” which are naturally occurring proteins within the body. These “growth factors” are responsible for triggering the bodies natural reaction to heal and stimulating cell growth. Following a hair restoration treatment, whether it’s an FUE or FUT treatment, PRP therapy can be added on as an additional treatment to provide some additional benefits to your surgery.
After your treatment is done, the plasma is then injected into the scalp to promote healing in the transplant area and increase blood flow (which helps the scalp return back to a healthy state much quicker than it would via normal methods), as well as stimulating your newly transplanted hair follicles to grow thicker, stronger and healthier, in addition to greatly increasing their viability and survival rate.
Now every result is as individual as the client having the treatment done, but for the vast majority of patients, the boost and strength provided at a cellular level mean that PRP therapy is incredibly popular within our clients. Another reason that it is so popular is that there are very few risks and side effects involved with the treatment and can be carried out as an add-on, a follow-up or even a one-off.
Firstly, all the blood used is your own and taken earlier in your treatment so there are no transfusion risks that can be associated with the procedure. Secondly, when it comes to the potential side effects the main one is a possible temporary bruising where the blood was drawn or then re-injected into.
So what makes me a viable candidate for PRP therapy?
In short, as long as you have blood running through your veins you are a viable candidate for PRP therapy. It can be used following a surgery to enhance the recovery and growth of your new hair, all the way through to just being used as a one-off treatment to make your existing hair stronger and healthier.