Thanks to the latest trends and products available, you’ll find plenty of DIY aesthetic products on the market that promise hair loss treatment methods in the comfort of your own home. This gives you the choice of either having it done by a professional in an aesthetic center or having it done by yourself. One of the latest DIY products available is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments, which you can have at home. You get your PRP from a professional provider and then use it for facial and hair treatments on your own.
So are these PRP treatments by non-doctors safe to do for hair loss treatments? While we strongly recommend getting a professional to do PRP treatments like PRP injections, it may be possible to benefit from DIY PRP treatments. So before purchasing your own PRP kit, here’s what you should know about doing this procedure on your own.
DIY PRP Treatments: Are They Safe?
PRP treatments are a relatively new treatment used to promote cell growth factors and tissue regeneration by using your platelet’s healing abilities. When it comes to hair growth, its healing process on your cells can stimulate healthy hair follicle regeneration, which can resume regular growth.
While treatments like injections are best done in the hands of a professional, some users claim to see improvement by using DIY PRP treatments. If you really want to try getting PRP treatments at home, you should be aware of both the benefits and risks, as well as the additional precautions you should take to prevent adverse reactions.
DIY Microneedling Kits with PRP
A fairly new product offered in different aesthetic centers and clinics, DIY Microneedling with PRP kits is one of the few ways you can safely use PRP on your own to improve your hair. Each kit consists of a microneedling device (which can be a derma roller, Microneedling Pen, derma stamp, hydra pen, and the like) with a short needle length, vials of your PRP, and a coolant to maintain the quality of your vials until you can use it or put it in a cool location like your fridge. Some kits may also come with additional inclusions to improve your microneedling session.
To get these kits, you’ll need to go to an aesthetic center that provides these products. They’ll extract a sample of your blood and process it in a centrifuge to isolate the PRP from other components in your blood like white blood cells. These are then placed into 2 mL vials and kept in cool storage for transportation. Once you arrive home, you can keep the vials in your fridge and then use them when you undergo microneedling. This can be done at least once a week with little to no need for recovery time.
During the microneedling procedure, you’ll run the microneedling device through your scalp to create tiny microchannels. These trigger your body’s natural healing response, which can help with keeping your scalp healthy and promoting healthy blood flow, which can increase the blood supply around your scalp to improve growth.
You can massage an entire vial around your scalp. The platelets that penetrate your scalp can, through cell repair, revive dormant hair follicles and move your natural hair cycle forward. Depending on the severity of your hair loss and the cause for it, the combination of microneedling’s hair stimulation and PRP’s cell regeneration can help you see improvements in terms of hair growth and hair density.
Risks of DIY PRP Treatments
The process of microneedling and using PRP treatments at home comes with several risks. First, there’s the risk of infection that can come from your environment, the tools you’re using, and your own scalp and skin. At a professional aesthetic center, you receive treatment from a professional that uses sterilized tools and conducts treatment in a sterilized room. Having a professional do your microneedling can also determine if you’re a suitable candidate for microneedling and PRP treatments.
It’s good to note that there are also the risks of improper microneedling techniques. Your DIY microneedling device shouldn’t have needles longer than 2 millimeters, as this is reserved for professional use. With longer needles, there’s a higher risk of bleeding, scalp damage, permanent scarring, hyperpigmentation, and injury to blood vessels. If used improperly, your treatment could also be more painful and less effective.
Then there’s also the freshness of your PRP vials. For best results, you should use your PRP within a couple of hours after extraction since your platelets are still living blood cells. When frozen, PRP can last for up to 8 weeks, but the concentration of platelets within the plasma is reduced. Improper handling of PRP can taint your samples and result in major side effects.
Safety Tips for DIY PRP Treatments for Hair Loss
If you really want to try DIY PRP treatments at home, you’ll need to take extra precautions, including:
- Store your unused PRP properly.
- Make sure your surroundings are clean when performing microneedling treatments.
- Sterilize your microneedling device before and after treatment. Don’t reuse disposable microneedling devices or needle cartridges.
- Avoid using microneedles longer than 2 millimeters. For hair regeneration and hair regrowth, 0.2mm to 0.5mm needles are long enough to stimulate the hair growth cycle.
- Wash your hair before treatment to remove any dirt and oil around the treatment area especially if you’re doing scalp microneedling.
- Avoid drinking alcohol or taking any blood thinner several days before microneedling, as these can affect side effects like bruising and affect your blood clot process.
- Read up on microneedling aftercare to know the dos and don’ts immediately after DIY treatment.
Why You Need a Professional PRP Provider
While some may find it convenient and cost-effective to have their PRP treatments done at home, having a professional provide PRP treatments offers more in terms of effectiveness and safety. Some of the key reasons to have your treatments done by a dermatologist or aesthetic provider include:
1) Safe PRP Treatments
Whether you’re getting microneedling with PRP or just PRP injections, an aesthetic provider will have you undergo an initial consultation to see if you’re a suitable candidate for PRP. While those with androgenic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness) may benefit from PRP, certain factors like your age, lifestyle habits, and the severity of your hair loss can affect the results of your hair restoration.
While PRP is autologous and relatively safe for most people, patients taking blood-thinning medication or those with a medical condition like platelet-poor plasma and skin disorders may be at risk. If you’re allowed to get PRP, they have the sterile tools and treatment area to provide safe treatment.
2) Effective Treatments Done by an Experienced Professional
Professionals that provide PRP services can provide effective treatments. Whether that’s applying PRP after microneedling or through injections, they can do it safely while still providing results. They know the best techniques to use to minimize pain and other side effects while also maximizing the results you could get from each session. A reliable provider can also recommend additional treatments or maintenance treatments to enhance the effects of your initial treatment.
3) PRP Injections Isn’t the Only Treatment for Hair Loss
PRP isn’t necessarily the best solution for hair thinning. Depending on the root cause of your hair loss, you may need other aesthetic treatments on top of PRP treatments, and only a professional can provide you with an effective treatment plan. For instance, if you’re experiencing hair loss because of androgenetic alopecia, platelet-rich plasma injections might work best when complemented with other hair growth treatments.
If you want to seek treatment for hair loss, visit a reliable aesthetic practice near you. From your initial consultation, an aesthetician can lay out every effective treatment option based on the cause of your hair loss and provide additional treatment plans like medications, laser therapy, and other natural hair growth stimulating treatments.
Browse FACE Med Store for Quality Hair Care Supplies
While it’s possible to perform PRP treatments at home, the best solution for hair growth is to have a professional manage your treatment. But if you want to experience DIY PRP for yourself, be sure to practice the right precautions to avoid adverse effects to your treatment.
For hair care supplies and other healthy and beauty equipment and products, visit FACE Med Store today. We serve both aesthetic businesses and everyday users that want quality beauty and medical products for their cosmetic procedures. The quality of equipment, supplies, and other products on our online store ensure you get what you need at competitive prices that can help you get the best deals, improve your operational costs, and provide your clients with satisfying results.
