Is PRP Stem Cells snake oil?

[Mrsmith2]

Hi all

I was pressured at the last minute to purchase PRP Stem Cell treatment during my hair transplant.  Luckily I negotiated a big discount so didn't pay their asking price.  Is it complete snake oil to get more money out of customers or is there some potential benefit to it with some supporting evidence.

I did research this myself before purchase and it did seem that there was some evidence to support it.  Maybe it will increase the likelihood of graft survival?  I have sebehorric dermatitis and the salesman said that because of this he wants to give my grafts the best chance of survival hence why he strongly recommends it.

This website seems to suggest there is evidence to support it may work

https://www.dovepress.com/platelet-rich-plasma-and-its-use-in-hair-regrowth-a-review-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-DDDT

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Below is a description of what they provided:-

Restoring hair to be stronger by using stem cells from your own blood.

PRP StamCell or PRP (Platelet Concentration) is a platelet concentration 3-4 times higher than platelets in the bloodstream. The platelet concentration is suitable for treatment. There should be approximately 1,000,000 platelets per microliter.

PRP is obtained by centrifuging the blood using a centrifuge.

PRP consists of various substances. that helps blood clotting Help build and promote the formation of blood vessels. Stimulates the growth and division of skin cells, bones, collagen, helping the wound heal faster.

Benefits of PRP in Hair Loss
As for the treatment of hair loss, thinning hair, the doctor has already used PRP. Can slow down the symptoms of thinning hair and help me come back stronger.
PRP improves the results of hair transplantation. The rate of hair growth is greater. and also help thin hair Thicker and stronger as well.
PRP process
Take about 20-30 ml of blood from the arm with the addition of anticoagulant. and then centrifuged in a centrifuge.
Remove the PRP portion and inject it back into the scalp. by applying an anesthetic together with pre-treatment anesthetic injection
treatment effect
Results will be seen after 3-4 months by following the treatment by a video trichogram and photographs.
Treatment results vary depending on the condition of thinning hair before the procedure.
Do it every 1 month. It is recommended to repeat 3-5 times.
Can be used in conjunction with other treatments such as hair follicle stimulation laser, Triple H Program or the use of small needles to poke hair vitamins into the scalp. including taking medications and vitamins to nourish the hair roots to increase efficiency

[StillAlive]

It's debatable whether a single shot of PRP before your HT may improve/speed up healing, but longterm, I have seen zero cases where someone showed any measurable results after PRP treatments.

I'd steer clear if I were you.

[Mrsmith2]

Thanks for your reply.   Unfortunately I was put on the spot and when they offered a "big 60% discount" I agreed to it so it's too late was.   Was just interested in others opinions of it.

As least I didn't overpay for it.   I paid $187 which seems a low price as here in Thailand it's usually at least double that I think.

I just hope they actually did it.   I get nervous when paying for something when there is no proof other than their word that it's actually been done.   The hair transplant industry is shady I don't trust any of them lol.

 

[Mrsmith2]

They said they soaked my grafts in it does that sound normal to you?

[StillAlive]

?!

Well, I got a single PRP injection before my HT -included in the price, no extra cost- and it was administered by the doctor by injection BEFORE he started opening the channels during the first stage of the procedure. It's the first time I hear of soaking the grafts in PRP. When they extract grafts, they usually store them in a hypothermosol solution so that they remain hydrated and alive for the implantation stage. 

If you just got ripped off for 200$, don't feel too bad, add it to the cost of doing business but definitely don't go around booking 'follow-up PRP treatments'. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by StillAlive

[mavigo]

Personally, I would never do it. 

[shiba1985]

Real prp is not snake oil. It works but just like finasteride your response may vary. 
There are two reasons for people calling it snake oil. First off there are a lot of low quality prp kits on the market. 2nd the response is variable. 
 

some surgeons do soak the grafts in prp. Not many but some do. They think it’s beneficial for the grafts. There are no good studies on this though. 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

MrSmith,

Platelet rich plasma or PRP can assist with healing and optimizing the growth environment for your hair transplant. But at the end of the day, taking care of your hair transplant and following your doctor’s postoperative instructions is sufficient. In other words, you don’t need PRP to facilitate optimal growth.

Also, PRP is marginally effective in treating hair loss if at all.  Truthfully, it’s effectiveness varies from person to person.

Moreover, PRP is just another tool that can potentially help in conjunction with other treatments.  It’s not meant to be a standalone treatment but should be considered an adjunct.  

I think the above is the best way to look at it. I would not refer to it as snake oil which is simply a generic term for something that doesn’t have any effectiveness for anything.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

[Mike10]

12 hours ago, StillAlive said:

?!

Well, I got a single PRP injection before my HT -included in the price, no extra cost- and it was administered by the doctor by injection BEFORE he started opening the channels during the first stage of the procedure. It's the first time I hear of soaking the grafts in PRP. When they extract grafts, they usually store them in a hypothermosol solution so that they remain hydrated and alive for the implantation stage. 

If you just got ripped off for 200$, don't feel too bad, add it to the cost of doing business but definitely don't go around booking 'follow-up PRP treatments'. 

I have been on PRP for 5 years with good effect. I do not take any medication

[HappyMan2021]

PRP is snake oil in many use-cases. 

I got PRP injections for tennis elbow and it didn't do anything. 

PRP is well-known because many athletes get it done as an experimental therapy. But even for athletes I have my doubts that it does anything meaningful. 

[StillAlive]

11 hours ago, Mike10 said:

I have been on PRP for 5 years with good effect. I do not take any medication

Out of sheer curiosity, do you happen to have any before/after pictures? Not trying to knock you, but genuinely interested in seeing a real world example of PRP providing benefits without any other treatment. 

[Mrsmith434]

Thanks all for your replies.

They said that they soak the grafts in PRP and also inject PRP into my scalp.   I've heard of a few other clinics doing the PRP soak but not many.   The thing that bothers me is there is no proof that they actually do it.   Could just be a tactic to get extra money.  They sent me a photo of the PRP scalp injection but I only have their word that they did the PRP soak.

I have sebehorric dermatitis and they used this as an excuse to hard sell the PRP soak to "give the grafts the best chances"

@still alive yeah it suck that it could be money down the drain I certainly won't book any follow up treatments.   It's annoying because I got a good deal then screwed it up with last minute "pressure" selling when I was vulnerable.

At least I didn't fall for their crazy expensive vitamins and shampoo they were almost 20% of the cost of the whole procedure and I was told I had to buy them but I stood my ground and said no.   Crazy.

 

 

[Mrsmith434]

10 minutes ago, StillAlive said:

Out of sheer curiosity, do you happen to have any before/after pictures? Not trying to knock you, but genuinely interested in seeing a real world example of PRP providing benefits without any other treatment. 

Yes I'd like to see this too if you don't mind

[Mrsmith434]

The other odd thing is I asked for documentation of the PRP process and they said they don't have any documents to give me.   That seems weird.  You have no documents at all that describes the procedure.

[Mrsmith434]

Here is an interesting scientific stance that I'd like to share with you

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7339188/

[Mike10]

The clinic has the before and after pics. I do not have any regrowth if that is what you guys are looking for. It is rare to find a high quality provider of PRP so if the clinic can't show you anything I would walk away from it. 

[shiba1985]

3 hours ago, Mrsmith434 said:

The other odd thing is I asked for documentation of the PRP process and they said they don't have any documents to give me.   That seems weird.  You have no documents at all that describes the procedure.

If you can’t trust the clinic to do the right thing you should have walked away. A large portion of the surgery relies on the patient trusting the doc and them doing what they said they did. 
 

I think it’s probably ur mind just being paranoid. They did ever they said they would. Most clinics wouldn’t have “prp” documentation. 

[Mrsmith434]

1 hour ago, shiba1985 said:

If you can’t trust the clinic to do the right thing you should have walked away. A large portion of the surgery relies on the patient trusting the doc and them doing what they said they did. 
 

I think it’s probably ur mind just being paranoid. They did ever they said they would. Most clinics wouldn’t have “prp” documentation. 

It's the fact they were so happy to offer me a 60% discount when I asked and the fact that for PRP they seemed so much cheaper than everyone else.

The hair transplant itself wasn't cheap tho especially when compared to turkey.

I'm of the mindset of never blindly trust anyone.

Imagine if when you took your car to the mechanic you have no way to prove if they did the work or not.   That would leave you open to risk.

Although yes maybe I am a bit paranoid.   Better to be too paranoid than too trusting in my view.

 

[shiba1985]

Well all valid questions u should have thought about before the hair transplant not after lol. 
if u didn’t feel comfortable you should have bounced. 

[gillenator]

On 10/21/2022 at 1:31 AM, StillAlive said:

It's debatable whether a single shot of PRP before your HT may improve/speed up healing, but longterm, I have seen zero cases where someone showed any measurable results after PRP treatments.

I'd steer clear if I were you.

I totally agree.