Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), the use of a person’s blood platelets, has been used in many areas of medicine including orthopedics, ophthalmology, and cardiology to improve wound healing and tissue repair.
PRP can be used to enhance hair growth as a stand-alone treatment (1), in combination with medical therapy (1, 2), or to improve the recovery and results of hair transplant surgery (3, 10).
PRP has been studied in pattern baldness (4), alopecia areata (5, 6, 11), and scarring alopecia (lichen planopilaris (7, 8) and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (8)) Although PRP does not work in all cases, many people experience positive results.
During the procedure, a small sample of blood is taken. This sample is processed in an FDA-cleared device to separate the platelets from other components of the blood.
The platelets are activated and concentrated up to seven times. These platelets contain a potent cocktail of growth factors, cytokines, and other proteins and are injected into thinning areas (9). Microneedling of the skin may also be performed prior to or after PRP injection (5)
One to three treatments may be required over the course of a year. Treatment may need to be repeated depending on the individual’s response to therapy, hair loss condition and goals.