PRP: Your Surgery-Free Help for Thinning Hair

For an estimated 80 million men and women, hair loss is a source of frustration and embarrassment.

Losing between 50-100 hairs each day is normal. But hair loss that’s visible, showing as excessive thinning or bald spots, is an unfortunate part of aging that’s predetermined by your genes.

The good news is, hair pieces, flocking sprays, and invasive surgery are no longer your only solution. At Brickell Cosmetic Center in Miami, Florida, we offer a regenerative medicine treatment called platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP. This breakthrough procedure uses natural healing properties found in your own blood.

Why me?

There’s a popular myth that the maternal branch of your family tree is responsible for hair loss, medically known as androgenetic alopecia. However, this common condition actually occurs as a result of inherited genes from both parents. Androgenetic alopecia interferes with new hair growth at the root.

Your skin is covered with hair follicles, and each one goes through four stages of growth:

• Anagen (growth)
• Catagen (transition)
• Telogen (rest)
• Exogen (shedding)

During the growth stage, your hair follicle produces an entire shaft of hair nourished by blood vessels in your skin. Male or female-pattern baldness causes your hair follicles to weaken. So each time it enters the anagen phase, your hair follicle shrinks, and the strand of hair produced becomes shorter and finer. Over time, the follicle stops growing hair altogether.

Though hair loss is typically thought of as a male issue, 40% of women are affected too. For women, the condition usually results in an overall thinning of hair, versus thinning at the crown or along the hairline that is most common among men.

Triggering regrowth

At Brickell Cosmetic Center, our clients have enjoyed amazing results in the reversal of hair loss with all-natural, PRP, which relies on the powerful growth agents in your blood to stimulate regeneration.

First, a small amount of your blood is drawn. The blood is then placed in a machine called a centrifuge where it is spun to create a substance that is concentrated vital growth factors.

Once introduced to the area via injection, the PRP regenerates dermal papilla cells in your scalp tissue. These unique cells regulate hair growth and development in your follicles. PRP not only activates new hair growth, but it also stimulates blood vessel growth in your skin, supporting strong and healthy hair.

Little pain, lots of gain

The procedure takes about an hour from start to finish. The first step is to apply a topical anesthetic to your scalp to keep you comfortable throughout your injections.

Afterward, you may experience some pinkness or redness in the treatment area, which fades quickly. There’s no downtime. You can usually start showering and washing your hair within a few hours, but we recommend against using harsh chemicals or hair treatments like perms and color for several days.

The number of PRP treatments required differs from person to person. Most people undergo a series of treatments over a few months to continue stimulating your hair follicles and ensure optimum results.

To learn more about PRP for thinning hair and whether you are a candidate; please call us at Brickell Cosmetic Center or schedule an appointment online.