Scalp psoriasis is a common skin condition caused by excess skin cells rapidly growing and forming red and scaly excessive bits of skin. While it affects almost 7.5 million Americans each year, mild cases of scalp psoriasis can be treated with topical treatments. With this, many people falsely correlate their scalp psoriasis with the main cause of their type of hair loss when it could largely be due to the excessive picking, scratching, and the irritating chemicals used in a treatment regimen to treat scalp psoriasis. If you have scalp psoriasis and also experience hair loss, you might have heard of platelet-rich injections (PRP) that could possibly boost hair growth. While it’s a viable option to treat hair loss while having scalp psoriasis, there are some questions about its impact on the medical condition.
So can PRP injections negatively affect scalp psoriasis? The short answer is no. PRP injections for hair loss treatments won’t likely cause any adverse reactions or problems to your scalp psoriasis. The platelet-rich plasma used in the treatment of unwanted hair loss should be able to promote hair growth and health without causing any flare-ups or complications during and after the procedure.
Scalp Psoriasis Problems Due to PRP Injections?
Platelet-rich plasma therapy is very unlikely to cause any problems to your scalp’s condition and may actually help people with scalp psoriasis. Platelet-rich plasma is an effective treatment when it comes to addressing androgenetic alopecia. But with the rich plasma’s healing factors being injected into the scalp, it may actually help soothe some of the symptoms you experience from scalp psoriasis in the process.
While not created to treat psoriasis on the scalp, PRP injections do provide growth factors and healing components that can help regenerate the healthy skin cells in your scalp and reduce inflammation, redness, and appearance of flaky skin. Overall, PRP therapy is a safe procedure to get at a professional hair loss clinic if you want to treat androgenetic alopecia or other forms of hair loss while caring for your scalp psoriasis at the same time.
PRP Injections as a Treatment Plan for Hair Loss and Scalp Psoriasis
Whether it be hereditary hair loss or a temporary hair loss condition experienced due to psoriasis, many types of hair loss can be treated by PRP injections effectively. While temporary hair loss due to psoriasis can be treated with medicated shampoos and other topical products, hair loss due to genetic or pattern baldness may require PRP therapy to provide the results you’re looking for.
The good thing about PRP injections is that they may offer a two in one solution. While PRP is designed to treat the hair follicles and promote hair growth, PRP therapy also affects and possibly heals the areas on your scalp, making it a viable treatment for the scalp psoriasis as well.
While a promising procedure, it’s important to run through it and its possible side effects with your healthcare provider to ensure that it’s safe for you. Here are the common steps were taken during a PRP therapy session:
1) Consultation With Your Doctor
PRP therapy is a safe treatment for hair loss patients and shouldn’t cause any complications. However, if you have severe scalp psoriasis, your doctor may need a more thorough record of your medical history and a scalp examination before proceeding with the treatment. At most, small alterations to the solution may have to be done, but other than that, there should be no reason to decline having PRP injections.
2) Blood Draw and Sampling
PPR therapy used platelet-rich plasma derived from the individual’s own blood. To create the PRP solution, each PRP therapy session will begin with a blood draw. Like any other blood draw, it should take not more than 10 minutes and cause virtually no pain. Depending on the treatment area on your scalp, your doctor may need more or less blood for the procedure. Usually no more than 60 mL of blood will be taken for the entire procedure.
3) Separation of Blood Fluid from Plasma
Once your blood has been drawn, the blood fluid and components in the sample will need to be separated so that the platelet-rich plasma can be isolated and extracted. To do this, your doctor will place the blood sample in a centrifuge machine that agitates the sample and separates components by density. The process should take around 10 minutes and give you the isolated platelet-rich plasma to be injected into your scalp.
4) Injecting the PRP Solution
With the prepared solution on standby, your doctor will sanitize and numb your scalp before injecting the solution. With the anesthetic, you should feel little to no discomfort while the injection is being administered, although this depends on your doctor’s skill and technique. Depending on the size of the treatment area, it may take multiple shots to complete the treatment.
5) Multiple Session and After-Care
While you may expect results right after your first PRP treatment, You will need around 3 to 4 rounds of PRP therapy sessions to fully benefit from the treatment which can be scheduled 4 to 6 weeks apart depending on your availability.
After each session, it would be best to avoid applying any product to your scalp within the first 6 hours and avoid placing excessive heat in the area. This is to ensure proper recovery and prevent possible side effects from occurring. Before leaving, please discuss your aftercare procedure with your doctor.
Other Ways Prevent Hair Loss with Scalp Psoriasis
While PRP therapy is a great treatment for hair loss, some people may prefer a different solution to their hair loss concerns when dealing with scalp psoriasis. Here are some things you can do to prevent hair loss.
1) Brush your hair gently
People with scalp psoriasis need to physically remove the skin build-up in their scalp with a brush. However, doing this frequently can cause hair breakage and hair loss. To prevent hair loss gently brush your scalp to remove skin build but without damaging your hair shaft in the process.
2) Alternate medicated shampoo with hair loss shampoo
While medicated shampoo is essential in treating scalp psoriasis it can be over stripping causing a sensitive scalp and prevent healthy hair growth. By alternating your medicated shampoo with your hair loss shampoo, you should be able to reap the benefits from both treatments without overwhelming your scalp with chemicals in one go.
3) Don’t use a hairdryer
Though you may want to style your hair with a hairdryer, the heat damages your hair and aggravates your psoriasis in turn. Blow drying also dries up the scalp, which can start a psoriasis flare-up and damage your hair follicles as well. If possible, let natural air dry your hair.
Get PEP Factor for Hair Growth At FACE Med Store
Having scalp psoriasis makes it harder to find a safe and effective hair loss treatment without aggravating your condition. Like PRP therapy, the PEP Factor line offers a topical option for people wanting to address their hair loss and stimulate scalp health at the same time. PEP Factor is a topical treatment that uses basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), copper peptide, and light therapy to visibly improve the appearance of hair within as little as 2 to 4 weeks.
Get top-of-the-line medical supplies only from FACE Med Store, including the in-demand PEP Factor for thick and healthy hair. To purchase the PEP Factor product line, register at the FACE Med Store website or contact us for our stock list.
Give your patients Pep Factor from FACE Med Store, and provide them with a unique alternative for promoting their skin and scalp health.
