How does PRP work?

[JeffC45]

I don't mean whether it is effective or what is happening physiologically that may make it work, I mean how is it administered? Can someone walk me through the process of what a PRP "session" looks like?

 

Is blood withdrawn from the scalp with a syringe, treated with PRP, then reinjected back into the scalp with a syringe? Where on the scalp is the blood withdrawn? How long does the process take? How frequently does it need to be administered? How invasive is it?

[Dutchie]

Do a youtube search for the words PRP and HAIR and that explains everything.

 

Example:

[ontop]

It only works if you have a very large bank account to tap into every 12/14 mths.

save your money & buy a few cans of rogain or even better propicia if you can handle it.

 

Sorry to be so blunt but yet to see anything good long term anyways from this money making machine.

[Louisjams]

IMHO, the evidence showing that PRP really does anything meaningful is slim to none. Save your money.

[starscream]

From wikipedia page about PRP:

 

PRP was first developed in the 1970s and first used in Italy in 1987 in an open heart surgery procedure.[

 

and also:

 

As of 2016, no large-scale randomized controlled trials have confirmed the promise of PRP in basic science and preclinical trials to treat musculoskeletal injuries (including tendinitis, nerve injuries), help in bone grafting or androgenic hair loss.

 

This means, 46 years passed and no real scientific backing has been established. BS sensor tingling.

[leindub]

I would strongly advice people against PRP.

 

It is a temporary measure with the risk of very bad shedding, some on another hairsite saying they never regrew back the shed.

 

Towards the end of May I was five and a half months into my hair transplant, everything going really well and my doctor gave me PRP.

I start shedding within a week, and shed up to 12 weeks and shed a considerable amount of hair.

I'm now at an anxious wait hoping the hair grows back. As of now I feel my transplant is ruined. I think I may have suffered either shockloss from trauma or perhaps it was just regular shedding from a new treatment.

 

In my opinion it is not worth it. You may get a temporary improvement risking shockloss or shedding, and an anxious wait hoping the shed grows back. Even if my hair grows back, I will never do PRP again. Not worth the anxiety.

Edited September 3, 2016 by leindub

[Dutchie]

I would strongly advice people against PRP.

 

It is a temporary measure with the risk of very bad shedding, some on another hairsite saying they never regrew back the shed.

 

Towards the end of May I was five and a half months into my hair transplant, everything going really well and my doctor gave me PRP.

I start shedding within a week, and shed up to 12 weeks and shed a considerable amount of hair.

I'm now at an anxious wait hoping the hair grows back. As of now I feel my transplant is ruined. I think I may have suffered either shockloss from trauma or perhaps it was just regular shedding from a new treatment.

 

In my opinion it is not worth it. You may get a temporary improvement risking shockloss or shedding, and an anxious wait hoping the shed grows back. Even if my hair grows back, I will never do PRP again. Not worth the anxiety

Couple of questions please:

 

1. How long after your transplant did you get the PRP??

2. Where on your scalp did you receive PRP (crown, midscalp, front scalp or everywhere)??

3. How many months/years did you get your HT?

4. Has any shock loss hair grown back yet??

[Dutchie]

From wikipedia page about PRP:

 

 

 

and also:

 

 

 

This means, 46 years passed and no real scientific backing has been established. BS sensor tingling

To be fair, PRP wasnt really being used mainstream until 2011 or so. At least not for hairloss

[StaggerLee123]

It's nonsense. Don't buy a laser helmet either!

[leindub]

Couple of questions please:

 

1. How long after your transplant did you get the PRP??

2. Where on your scalp did you receive PRP (crown, midscalp, front scalp or everywhere)??

3. How many months/years did you get your HT?

4. Has any shock loss hair grown back yet??

 

I had my hair transplant done on the 5th December 2015.

I've documented it here on a separate thread.

Five and a half months later I returned to the clinic to have an old FUT scar repaired using FUE into it.

My doctor gave me a complimentary PRP treatment for front/mid scalp.

That was done on May 21st this year.

On June 5th when I took my six month photo, I noticed it was worse than my five month photos.

I continued to shed for about 12 weeks, I feel I am finally over the worst of the shedding.

 

I am now three and a half months post PRP. But a hair cycle is three to four months, so I am currently in a waiting game hoping the shedded hair grows back. And because I shed for upto 12 weeks, it will be months before I know if I make a fully recovery.

 

Biggest regret getting that PRP in May, I wish it was never offered to me. The way I see it is, you risk having your hair look crap for a few months to make it temporarily look better for a few months. That just makes no sense to me.

Couple that with the anxiety hoping the shed grows back.

 

Tomorrow I will be nine months into my hair transplant and my mid scalp looked better at six months in.

It should be the opposite way round.

 

 

I would add, I believe I experienced shock loss from the trauma.

As I had PRP done on Dec 4th

Hair surgery done on Dec 5th

Experienced no shock loss to my knowledge in the subsequent months or none that was visibly noticeable to me.

 

Five months later, PRP again. My theory is trauma to my scalp three times in a short period of time caused shockloss.

There is a very respected poster on here by the name of Gillenter who saw my photos and said in his view I got an acute shedding of native and transplanted hair.

Edited September 4, 2016 by leindub

[Dutchie]

^^^ wow, thanks for posting that info Leindub (I think you meant gillenator btw).

 

Now I'm really not sure I wanna have PRP done myself.

 

Can I ask which clinic/doctor did you PRP??

[wylie]

IMHO, the evidence showing that PRP really does anything meaningful is slim to none. Save your money.

 

It's a marketing gimmick, and the only reason you don't see doctors on here exposing it is because so many of their fellow surgeons are busy using it.

[leindub]

^^^ wow, thanks for posting that info Leindub (I think you meant gillenator btw).

 

Now I'm really not sure I wanna have PRP done myself.

 

Can I ask which clinic/doctor did you PRP??

 

Yes, I meant Gillenator.

 

 

The clinic that performed my transplant did the PRP again. My transplant journey is documented on this site and I had nothing but praise for the surgeon and clinic.

 

Also, when I returned for my scar repair, the PRP treatment was done complimentary with no charge so I am reluctant to criticise too much.

 

Obviously I am hoping my shedded hair regrows back.

One issue I do have with the clinic is, it was a clinic ouside my country and considerably cheaper to what I would pay in Ireland. So when I returned five months post surgery I did consider getting a few hundred extra grafts as a top up, talked to my surgeon about it but ultimately I decided against it, I did not want to risk shockloss for an extra two or three hundred grafts after dodging shockloss five months previous.

Explained this rational to my surgeon, so I just had scar repair done that day.

The following day after my scar repair, I got PRP, not knowing it could cause shedding, and lo and behold, I ended up getting shedding/shockloss. I am annoyed about that.

 

I just hope I recover. The surgeon is a really nice man, his team are great, and for now it's a waiting game for me, so don't really want to knock the doctor.

 

I will add, even if I recover, I will never get PRP again.

We all know a hair transplant risks shockloss and sometimes it can be permanent, but the risk involves getting permanent improvement, PRP is temporary improvement. Imo, not worth the risk for a temporary gain.

Edited September 4, 2016 by leindub

[leindub]

First picture five months post surgery and two weeks before PRP. I was very happy with my progress from my hair transplant to date.

Second picture seven months post surgery. Roughly six weeks post PRP.

Third picture eight and a half months post surgery. Roughly 12 weeks post PRP.

 

 

Continuous regression when I should be seeing improvement month on month post surgery. PRP has destroyed my hair, in my opinion.

And my hair is worse than the pictures tell, especially near frontal mid scalp, it has thinned out so much.

[Crockett]

I get PRP and ACELL done once a year. They use the angel system.

It's my understanding you need prp injections once for the first 3 months then you can go yearly. I have not done this because I can't afford it.

If PRP is worthless or a scam why does the ISHRS continue to give grants to study PRP? IMO it's because it works. However there is no standard protocol. I do find it difficult to know Greco has received grants to study prp but his process is proprietary to his business. If I'm wrong can someone please correct me.

Best of luck everyone!

[Dutchie]

First picture five months post surgery and two weeks before PRP. I was very happy with my progress from my hair transplant to date.

Second picture seven months post surgery. Roughly six weeks post PRP.

Third picture eight and a half months post surgery. Roughly 12 weeks post PRP.

 

 

Continuous regression when I should be seeing improvement month on month post surgery. PRP has destroyed my hair, in my opinion.

And my hair is worse than the pictures tell, especially near frontal mid scalp, it has thinned out so much

Your hair actually looks like its all coming back in that 3rd pic.

I wouldnt sweat it, bro