Full, thick hair has long been associated with youth and vitality.
Unfortunately, many men and women struggle with thinning hair and receding
hairlines as they age. Finding effective treatments can be frustrating,
expensive, and leave patients feeling dissatisfied with their options.
What Causes Hair Loss?
Hair loss can occur along a broad spectrum from mild thinning to total
baldness. Hair loss is classified into the following categories, depending on
the cause:
-
Drug side effect - blood thinners, amphetamines, lithium,
beta-blockers, and chemotherapy drugs are just a few of the medications that
may cause hair loss
-
Symptom of a medical illness - lupus, thyroid dysfunction,
hormone imbalance, and nutritional deficiencies can all cause the hair to
fall out
-
Telogen effluvium - occurs after a major physical stressor
such as serious illness, surgery, or infection
- Tinea capitis - fungal infection of the scalp
-
Alopecia areata - an autoimmune disease that causes the
hair to fall out in patches
-
Traumatic alopecia - results from overly harsh hairdressing
techniques or from trichotillomania
-
Androgenic alopecia - also known as male-pattern baldness
(or female-pattern baldness), this results from a combination of genetic and
hormonal factors1
Treatments for Hair Loss
Treatment for hair loss ultimately depends on the cause. While most types of
hair loss improve over time or with specific treatment aimed at the
cause, androgenic alopecia can be much more difficult to
reverse.
Standard treatment options for androgenic alopecia include:
-
Drugs including topical minoxidil, oral finasteride and
dutasteride for men; and estrogen, spironolactone, and finasteride for women
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Surgery including hair transplants or scalp-reduction2
Assuming your patient is not ready to undergo expensive and invasive surgery
to treat his or her hair loss, drugs typically become the default treatment.
However, this approach can have the following
serious drawbacks for your patient:
-
Finasteride can cause diminished sex drive and sexual function, and an
increased risk of prostate cancer.
-
Minoxidil can cause scalp irritation and unwanted hair growth on the face
and hands.
- Patients must keep taking the drug or any regrown hair will fall out.
-
It can be dangerous to take these drugs for patients who are pregnant or who
have certain medical conditions, such as heart disease.3
As a doctor, the last thing you want is your patients trading one problem for
another, potentially bigger, problem.
Due to the limited number of safe, effective therapies for androgenic
alopecia, platelet-rich plasma has become a viable alternative treatment
option.4
Platelet-Rich Plasma to Treat Hair Loss
Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is showing great promise as an
effective treatment for hair restoration. Rather than altering hormone levels
or physically transplanting healthier hair, PRP uses the body's own
natural healing process to stimulate hair regeneration.
But how does it work? PRP stimulates the body's innate
healing cascade. When we experience an injury, our body responds by delivering
a rush of platelet cells. When these platelets are activated, they release
several types of growth factors, proteins, and cytokines that play a
fundamental role in cell regeneration and tissue healing.
But
PRP takes the natural healing response one step further
by separating platelets from other blood components and concentrating them.
This specially prepared platelet-rich plasma contains 5 to 10 times the
concentration of platelets found in whole blood. The concentrated PRP is then
delivered into and around the balding and thinning areas of the scalp via
injection, stimulating and significantly strengthening the body's healing
response.5
The growth factors in the platelets act on stem cells located in the hair
follicles. This stimulates the growth of new hair follicles and causes
neovascularization.6
Since PRP is an autologous therapy, using the patient's own blood product,
there is no risk of cross reactivity, disease transmission, or immune
reaction.
When injected into thinning and balding areas of the scalp, the growth factors
in PRP can encourage thicker, healthier, and fuller hair growth. Studies have
shown that PRP can:
- Increase the proliferation of dermal papilla (hair-generating) cells
-
Increase the survival, differentiation, and proliferation of hair follicle
cells
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Increase the length of the hair's anagen phase.7
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Increase hair density in patients with androgenic alopecia (baldness).8
Complex baldness may require monthly PRP injections for a duration of four to
six months. Annual maintenance therapy may be required for maximum
effectiveness.9
THE PRP PROCESS
To create a platelet-rich plasma preparation, the following
steps are performed:
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A small sample of blood is drawn from the patient and injected into the Dr.
PRP blood tube.
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The platelets are then separated from the other blood components and their
concentration is increased using the Dr. PRP centrifuge.
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The resulting platelet-rich plasma is then injected into and around the
affected areas of the patient's scalp.
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The concentrated growth factors contained in the plasma trigger a mild
inflammatory response which effectively jump starts the body's own
natural healing response.
The entire process takes approximately one hour, including preparation and
recovery time. For a complete demonstration of each step of the process, view
our instructional video.
DR. PRP
The Dr. PRP is an FDA-registered medical device designed to quickly and
efficiently prepare patients' blood for PRP therapy.
Our patented design creates high-concentration and high-quality platelet-rich
plasma that can be used to stimulate the healing process. This results in
tissue regeneration at the injured site, effectively accelerating normal
healing processes.
REACH OUT TO LEARN MORE
BENEFITS OF DR. PRP
SAFETY
- Completely closed, sterile system.
- Outside air is blocked with a double safety cap.
-
Since the processing is completed within the closed system, there is no risk
of the PRP becoming contaminated.
EASY TO USE
- Each kit comes pre-packaged.
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The clear chambers ensure that you can see all the components of the blood
sample.
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The buffy coat layer is easily seen in the neck of the device, allowing you
to precisely separate the components into the type of PRP you wish to
produce.
- You can even eliminate red blood cells from your final PRP product.
QUICK AND CONVENIENT
- The closed system allows for more treatments in less time.
- Customize your final PRP composition for use in different situations.
-
The PRP can and should be administered as soon as you prepare it with our
kit - no advanced preparation is needed.
HIGH CONCENTRATION
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One kit holds 20 cc of fluid (3 cc of anti-coagulant + 17 cc of whole blood)
and produces 4 cc of highly concentrated PRP.
-
The platelet recovery percentage of Dr. PRP is higher than the minimum
recovery percentage of other similar products from our competitors.
CONSISTENT RESULTS
-
Platelets require red and white blood cells to survive long-term. Unlike gel
separators that capture the platelets within the gel, our kit allows you to
accurately create consistently efficient PRP at the concentrations you want.
QUALITY
-
Our kit can recover 90% of platelets from a blood sample to produce the
highest quality PRP.
FDA REGISTERED
-
The kit is registered by the US-FDA for regenerative use by healthcare
providers in medical spas, treatment facilities, and labs.
- The FDA 510K is pending approval.
PATENTED DESIGN
-
According to the ISO 13485, our kit is made with a thorough gamma-ray
sterilization system.
-
Made only with biocompatibility-certification completed raw materials.
TRAINING & SUPPORT
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One-on-one, in-service training is provided via GoToTraining, FaceTime, or
Skype.
-
User Manual with photos and descriptions detail how to use your new product,
as well as information on PRP and test results.
-
Enroll in our course where you can learn cosmetic applications of PRP,
including the PRP Facial and PRP Facelift.
MARKETING SYSTEM
-
Order marketing materials and educational brochures for your patients. These
brochures explain various applications of PRP, such as sports medicine and
hair regeneration.
-
Add your contact information and location to our
Directory of PRP Providers .
To view and order Dr. PRP kits and centrifuges, visit our
online store.
For questions and to discuss our products in more detail, contact us today at
844-377-7787 (DR- PRP-US).
References
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https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/hair-loss-a-to-z
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https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/hair-loss-a-to-z
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20372932
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Stevens, J, and S Khetarpal. “Platelet-rich plasma for androgenetic
alopecia: A review of the literature and proposed treatment
protocol.”
International journal of women's dermatology vol. 5,1 46-51.
21 Sep. 2018, doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2018.08.004
-
https://www.aaomed.org/Platelet-Rich-Plasma-Injections-for-Pain
-
Stevens, J, and S Khetarpal. “Platelet-rich plasma for androgenetic
alopecia: A review of the literature and proposed treatment
protocol.”
International journal of women's dermatology vol. 5,1 46-51.
21 Sep. 2018, doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2018.08.004
-
Alves, Rubina, and Ramon Grimalt. “A Review of Platelet-Rich Plasma:
History, Biology, Mechanism of Action, and Classification.”
Skin appendage disorders vol. 4,1 (2018): 18-24.
doi:10.1159/000477353
-
Ince, Bilsev et al. “Comparison of the Efficacy of Homologous and
Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for Treating Androgenic
Alopecia.” Aesthetic plastic surgery vol. 42,1 (2018):
297-303. doi:10.1007/s00266-017-1004-y
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https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/plateletrich-plasma-prp-treatment