This is a continuation of our look into published studies on what is effective for hair loss. One of the most promising treatments is PRP.
What is PRP for Hair Growth?
PRP is protein-rich plasma. Biohackr Health uses PRP in our hair treatment. We take your blood, spin it in a centrifuge, and take the layer of plasma — which is from your own body — and as the name indicates, rich in protein. This is collected. We know this PRP is rich in growth factors, which play critical roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, and other functions. You may have heard of the growth factors: IGF, TGF beta 1 and 2, EGF, IGF.
PRP is thought to stimulate hair growth by a few ways, and has known benefits:
- Promotes new blood vessel growth
- Extends the anagen phase of hair through growth factor mediated ways
- Subdermal administration shows activation of growth factors within 10 minutes and release of growth factors within one hour and the synthesis continues for 7 days
- Because it is your own body tissue, there is no allergy or immune reaction against it
- It has been studied
- It has been found to be safe and cost effective
- It requires short intervals of treatment (not like taking a daily medication of applying daily serum)
It is not thought to address the hormonal-related issues which lead to hair loss, so this does not negate use of more traditional therapies like minoxidil and finasteride.
What Do Studies on PRP Reveal?
- PRP vs .placebo studies: hair count and hair density showed significant improvement. It was well-tolerated and more effective against hair loss.
- PRP is also effective against alopecia areata (not the most common type of alopecia)
- PRP-induced hair regrowth and reduced the amount of vellus (those fine wispy hairs) and dystrophic hairs with complete remission in 60% of patients
Combination treatments are also being evaluated, as PRP with stem cells is a promising treatment of alopecia through the positive impact of PRP on homing.
- Combined: Patients were assigned PRP only or a mixture with SVF. Treatments were done twice over a one month timeframe and then evaluated at 6 months after treatment. They found mean hair density increased by 21.5% in the PRP vs. 51% in the SVF-PRP. There was a reduction in the pull test. There were significant improvements by MD and patient assessment scores.
- Another study showed PRP combination with a single dose, which showed significant increases in hair density at 6 and 12 weeks after treatment. They also recommended synergetic use of PRP with other conventional therapies like minoxidil, spironolactone, and finasteride.
We believe in these studies. There are 323 published journal studies on PRP and hair. This is real science. Most of the studies are within the last five years. Many are smaller studies. But there is something real here. And for those of you struggling with hair loss, PRP is particularly attractive because it is another pathway to address hair loss, it is effective, and it is not a daily treatment.
Please read up on how Biohackr Health can help.
Treatments for Hair Loss
- We use PRP with microneedling for added benefit.
- Combine this with other treatments:
- Minoxidil
- Hair growth supplement
- Microneedling
- Exosomes
