PRP is an acronym of platelet-rich plasma which is as depicted by its name is plasma with almost high concentration of platelets as compared to normal concentration. From past few years, use of PRP in orthopedic surgeries and other surgeries have been widely used. Similarly, the use of PRP for hair loss has is also used. PRP hair loss treatment in Delhi is one of the common procedures underwent by patients suffering from hair loss.
The PRP is rich in growth factors which are responsible for increasing the healing ability of the area in which they are injected. Also, these growth factors are responsible stimulating the stem cells to start neovascularisation, i.e, formation of new blood vessels. PRP is widely used for patients with hair loss and for patients after hair transplant. It improves the growth of hair grafts as well as enhance the healing process after the hair transplant procedure. To perform PRP treatment for hair loss, 30-40 cc of venous blood is drawn from the patient and further sent it to for centrifugation with centrifugal machine where the platelet rich plasma is obtained after 2 cycles of centrifugation. This platelet rich plasma is then injected into the scalp of the patient for favorable results. The normal platelet count of the blood usually ranges from 1.5 to 2 lacs per millilitre; however, the concentration of PRP is at least 5-times more than normal concentration.
Generally, PRP hair loss treatment is used to control the hair fall and increase the density and thickness of hairs. Furthermore, PRP therapy is also used after a hair transplant as it increases the rate of hair regrowth process and decreases the healing period. PRP is generally used to control the miniaturization and thinning of hairs that causes the hair loss problem; however, it cannot be considered as an alternative option for the hair transplant surgery. The hair transplant is only a final solution to restore natural hairs with all the natural characters and aesthetic beauty.The platelet-rich plasma or the PRP therapy for hair loss and after hair transplant has an important role in increasing the hair regrowth process as well as increase the rate of healing.
The PRP therapy is a 3 steps process in which blood is drawn from the patients’ own body, especially from the arm, which further sent to the spinning process via the centrifuge machine, and then injected into the scalp by the operator. The 3 step process of PRP includes the extraction, concentration, and the injection followed by the auto-analysis to check the concentration level of the plasma protein. The platelet-rich plasma that obtains after the proper concentration under the précised RPM gives the feasible quality of the plasma protein that induces the healing as well as the growth factor
1st Step: Extraction of blood:
Firstly, the fresh venous blood is drawn from the patient’s own body, preferably from the arm, which is further put into the centrifuge machine in order to concentrate the blood plasma. Generally, 30-40 cc of the blood is drawn from the body that has a normal platelet count of around 1.5 lakhs- 3 lakhs, which is needed to be concentrated to at least 5-times. The first centrifugation cycle separates blood fluid into plasma and red blood cells; the plasma is then subjected to rapidly spinning process where it is separated into platelets rich plasma and platelets poor plasma.
2nd Step: Concentration of Plasma:
The concentration step of the plasma is performed in the centrifuge machine that helps in separating the plasma from blood cells and then to separate platelet rich plasma from platelet poor plasma. There are two steps of centrifugation process, i.e., low-speed centrifugation and high-speed centrifugation.
Generally, the clinics only follow only one step of the centrifugation with high-speed spin in order to obtain the concentrated plasma that is not efficient to obtain the needed concentration results in failure of PRP therapy.
At Medispa Hair Transplant Center, Dr Suneet Soni advises to perform the PRP treatment in Delhi and Jaipur by following both the two steps, i.e., low-speed spin as well as the high-speed spin in order to concentrate the blood plasma up to the needed quality.
After about 10 minutes in the centrifugation machine at low rpm, the blood will have separated into the following 3 layers:
The initial spinning or centrifugation, which is performed by using a standard centrifuge machine at Medispa Hair clinic helps in separating the blood into plasma and red blood cells. After the completion of the cycle, the operator collects the plasma and uses it for second step.
This is the final step of the PRP therapy in which concentrated platelets are injected into the hair loss areas or where improvement is needed by using the syringe. The platelets are injected strategically in order to improve the healing process as well as encouraging the growth factor.
At Medispa Hair Transplant Centre, the concentration of platelets in the PRP is checked beforehand by using the AutoAnalyzer. The AutoAnalyzer is an automated analyser using a flow technique called continuous flow analysis (CFA).
Platelets contains the growth factors that sends signals to your body tissue and helps in regenerating process. The PRP session induces the growth process by stimulating the body cells and tissues. The growth factor and stem cells work together to reverse the hair loss and miniaturization, and acts as a strong option for controlling future hair loss. After a hair transplant procedure, the PRP therapy not only helps in increasing the healing rate of wounds but also encourages the hair regrowth process. Furthermore, the thickness of the hair shafts increase significantly with PRP sessions.
PRP therapy for hair loss is needed at regular intervals to keep its effects continuous. Generally, PRP therapy requires three treatments 6-8 weeks apart. The follow-up session of PRP is required every 4-6 months. Nowadays, most of the hair transplant Clinics commercially propagate that the PRP is an alternate to hair transplant procedure, but it is NOT right as it can only control the hair loss and improve the thickness of hair to some extent. It is good for those candidates who are simply affected by the Norwood grade I or II baldness or suffering from the hair thinning problem, which is often seen among youngsters! But, the repeated sessions are required at a regular interval of 2-3 months to maintain the results; otherwise, the effect will be reversed.
There hasn’t been enough proof whether PRP is effective. It is also a question that under what condition and for whom it’s most result-oriented.
Do’s | Don’ts |
It stimulates Growth factor | It doesn’t regenerate new hair |
It induces expedite healing | It is not an alternative of hair restoration |
A temporary solution of hair fall | It is not a solution to baldness |
It improves the thickness of hair | It is not a scientific process or documented yet |
It needs multiple sessions to control hair fall | Just a single session is not enough to induce the outcomes |
It works well where there is existing thinning hair | It doesn’t work in all cases of hair loss, except NW-I, II |
To check whether you are a good candidate for PRP treatment or not, you should visit your hair transplant doctor. It is advisable to consult with your hair loss doctor if you start experiencing the signs of hair fall or loss with gradual hair thinning. The patients who experience an initial stage of baldness or have the sign of Norwood grade-I or II baldness are a good candidate for receiving the PRP treatment/therapy. However, it is mandatory to go through the primary consultation if you are experiencing any sign or symptoms of pattern hair loss. Since the hair transplant procedure is not recommended so early; the surgeon recommends the PRP session to control the future hair loss or thinning of hair.
Moreover, the patients who receive the hair transplant surgery are also considered as good candidates for receiving the PRP therapy as it induces the regrowth process as well as helps in improving the wound healing.
When the patient is affected by a higher NW class of baldness that is more than grade III, the only permanent solution recommended by the surgeon, is the Hair Transplant surgery!
Generally, the cost of PRP in India and Delhi ranges from Rs. 10,000-12,000. The PRP treatment generally consists of 3 treatments in a period of 6-8 weeks intervals included with follow up or maintenance every 4-6 months. The cost of PRP treatment in India is quite cheaper as compared to foreign nations. The price of PRP treatment at foreign nations usually ranges from $500- $2000.The foreign nationals can get the PRP treatment in Delhi at about 4 times lesser cost and that too in best hair transplant centers.
The cost of PRP treatment depends on a number of factors including:
It is mandatory to prepare the PRP solution with great care and concern in order to obtain the required concentrated form of the platelets rich plasma. Generally, the clinics perform only single centrifuge step to obtain the concentrated platelets, but it causes failure of treatment as it requires desired concentration of platelets to make its effect noticeable. Therefore, it is required to be performed in two steps to extract PRP from the blood sample.
We at Medispa strictly follow the two step process of centrifugation in order to obtain the most feasible concentration to achieve the desired outcome of the PRP treatment.
Apart from this, it is also important to check the concentration level of platelets before injecting them into the areas where it is needed to improve the growth process or wound healing. Very few clinics do this causes failure of PRP treatment.
But, at Medispa we strictly check the concentration level of obtained platelets before the treatment by the use of AutoAnalyzer machine and thus always achieve the success in the PRP treatment.
After receiving the PRP injection, it should be made sure that the patient is not experiencing experience the irritation, pain, or bleeding related to the injection site. The side effects may occur due to the wrong way of performing the PRP therapy. The patient can resume their routine work almost immediately after having the PRP injection. But it is advisable to rest for few hours after the treatment.
In order to avoid the PRP hair transplant side effects, you need to consult with your hair loss doctor before considering the PRP hair transplant. The PRP hair restoration helps in making the hair transplant procedure a bio-effective and thus helps in obtaining the best natural outcomes of the surgery.
How do you know if you are a good candidate for PRP?
It is advised to consult with your hair loss doctor to know the status of your hair loss and the requirement for the PRP treatment.
How many PRP sessions are required?
The requirement of the PRP session is based on your need. Generally, the doctor advises several PRP sessions at a certain time interval. It is recommended to repeat the PRP session followed by the maintenance treatment 3-5 times per year.
Is the PRP for Hair Transplant session Time-consuming?
Not at all, it is just a few hours treatment as the patient resumes their routine work just immediately after having the PRP therapy.
Is PRP a painful treatment?
No, the procedure is performed under local anesthesia, thus it is almost painless. There may be some sensitivity and thus the surgeon uses the effective anaesthetic solution to reduce the pain involved in the injection.
What is the Recovery time?
There is no such downtime or recovery period associated with the PRP treatment. You can resume your daily routine work just immediately after the PRP or platelet-rich plasma treatment as it just completed less than an hour and do not require any recovery time. It is advised to avoid using harsh chemicals or dyes for at least 2 days.
Is PRP an alternative to Hair Transplant Surgery?
No, not at all! It only controls the hair fall problem and can be required to control the future hair loss with respect to extending the time of total baldness. Yet, the baldness appears over time and only the hair transplant surgery is an ultimate and final solution to the problem. On the other hand, the PRP treatment makes the hair transplant surgery a bio-stimulated by encouraging the hair growth factor and stem cells. Therefore, PRP is recommended along with the hair transplant surgery to make the procedure a bio-effective. The PRP hair transplant obviously helps in achieving the expected goal of hair transplant surgery.
Hair transplant surgery aims to achieve a result that is as natural as possible. In order to do this, however, we need more than the most up to date techniques.