Platelet-rich plasma therapy is one of the most celebrated treatments for hair loss because of its radical ways of growing hair, even for patients with androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern hair loss). It involves injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma into the scalp to provide the hair with a boost of nutrients and promote hair growth. While it’s said to be safe as a minimally invasive procedure, many patients still wonder if it causes other major side effects.
So what side effects can patients expect from their PRP injections? Because PRP injections are harvested from your blood sample, it has little to no risks of allergic reaction. But you can expect some mild side effects, like pain and bleeding at the injection site, allergic reactions from other products, and scarring, which typically resolve on their own. Meanwhile, you may also experience dizziness,nausea, and blood vessel injury (nerve injury), but they’re pretty rare and almost only happens with an inexperienced injector.
Side Effects You May Experience From Your PRP Treatment for Hair Growth
Serious adverse effects from PRP treatment for hair regrowth are rare and may only happen with an unlicensed and inexperienced injector. That’s why patients need to seek a reliable aesthetic clinic for their injections for pattern hair loss or any other types of hair loss.
The side effects of platelet-rich plasma therapy are pain and bleeding at the injection site, allergic reactions from other products, infection during the healing process, scarring, dizziness and nausea, and blood vessel injury. Nerve injury may also be a risk, but they rarely happen.
1) Pain and Bleeding at the Injection Side
Patients with relatively sensitive skin may expect pain and bleeding at the injection site. The minor punctures on your PRP-treated hair skin caused the bleeding, while the pain is due to the concentration of platelets integrating into your hair follicle. This medical treatment speeds up the healing of your hair follicles and allows it to trigger active hair growth by producing an acute inflammation.
Some patients also feel squeamish about the pain during and after the procedure. A medical professional uses fine needles when injecting platelet concentrations – this minimizes the discomfort patients feel. Most patients report little to no pain during the treatment. But to ease any anxiety and discomfort, doctors may also apply the appropriate numbing cream to the area.
2) Allergic Reactions From Other Products
We’ve established that PRP injections for hair growth use the patient’s own concentrations of platelets to trigger the hair growth cycle and improve the hair density, resulting in hair thickness. However, patients may still have risks of allergic reaction not from the PRP but other products used during the procedure, like the anesthesia and even the needle from the syringe.
While these cases don’t progress into severe complications, they can cause inconvenience. Because of this, a thorough screening of the patient’s medical history is crucial during initial consultations to avoid this incident. This assures that the patient is an ideal candidate for the procedure while fully informed about their allergies.
3) Infection During Healing Process
PRP injections for hair treatment have proven their clinical efficacy to treat several types of hair loss, but it’s not without side effects. Patients have the risk of having an infection at the injection sites, especially if they aren’t being careful during the healing process — that’s why patients aren’t allowed to undergo other hair treatments and apply harsh chemicals post-treatment.
PRP therapy leaves tiny wounds on your scalp due to the injections. These open wounds are still susceptible to infection from the dirt in your home. To avoid this, clinics hold their patients for a few minutes for observation. Patients experiencing this must contact their doctor immediately because this can develop into a more serious condition with more extensive treatments. It can also affect the results of your PRP injections.
4) Scar Tissue
Patients who’ve received injections of platelet-rich plasma for their hair loss may also expect scar tissue as one of the side effects. This is caused by the tiny wounds from the injection site that have been infected and worsened. Patients must consult their doctor about the proper way to address the scarring at the injected site.
5) Dizziness and Nausea
Dizziness and nausea are some of the side effects of PRP for hair treatment, but they happen rarely. Every patient has different pain tolerance — the dizziness and nausea may be caused by the pain from the treatment. The patient may also have a history of migraine, which may be triggered by the injections.
6) Injury to the Blood Vessels
Patients may notice bleeding during injections on their scalps with pattern hair loss treatment. This happens because blood vessels around hair follicles may be punctured during the administration. Injured blood vessels rarely progress into complications, but it’s still best to contact your doctor.
7) Injury to the Nerves
PRP injections for hair loss may have risks of nerve injury. This only happens rarely, usually at the hands of an inexperienced and unlicensed injector. When seeking this treatment, patients must ensure to choose a trusted clinic.
Why You Experience Side Effects
PRP is an effective treatment option for patients with hair loss that involves multiple treatment cycles. Patients experience side effects because the platelet-rich plasma still integrates into the scalp and induces acute inflammation. The side effects are also caused by the tiny punctures from the injections.
Side effects from your PRP treatment rarely happen — when they do happen, they’re usually mild. They should not be a cause of concern because most procedures come with side effects. If you’re still apprehensive about PRP therapy, it’s best to research the ways to have a safer and more successful procedure. Seek a trusted clinic that ensures patient satisfaction and safety.
How PRP for Hair Treatment Works
Aside from treating patients with hair loss, platelet-rich plasma therapy is also used to treat several medical conditions. This versatile treatment involves injections of growth factors to speed up the body’s healing process as it boosts cell growth and stem cells.
PRP contains plasma, the protein-filled liquid portion of the blood and platelets, the cells responsible for the body’s regeneration because of their tissue and wound healing properties. These are harvested from the blood by separating the plasma and platelets from white blood cells and other cells using a centrifuge.
The efficacy of injection of PRP in addressing male and female pattern baldness and progressive hair loss has been discovered in clinical trials. It has improved the hair counts compared to the baseline values, boosting terminal hair density.
The growth factors injected into your scalp speed up the regeneration of dermal papilla cells, hair follicular bulge cells, epidermis basal cells, and other cells. This activates the hair cycle and allows the hair follicle to grow anagen hairs again. Microscopic evaluation reveals an increase in epidermis thickness and an enhances hair follicle size
The cell proliferation also boosts the angiogenic potential of the hair follicles, improving blood flow. This allows the hair follicles to receive more oxygen and nutrients from the body that support hair growth.
How to Avoid Serious Side Effects from PRP for Hair Loss
Side effects from PRP injections are usually mild, but they happen rarely. Patients can still follow several steps to assuring a treatment with reduced risks for serious side effects. They can seek a reliable clinic, consult their doctor, ensure they’re an ideal candidate, and follow aftercare practices.
1) Choose A Reliable Clinic
PRP requires thorough preparation and administration. Patients should also receive proper aftercare to ensure the positive effects of their treatment. Because of this, it’s important to seek a reliable clinic with board-certified medical professionals.
2) Consult Your Doctor
Consult your doctor to become more informed about the procedure. They will come up with the right treatment plan based on your medical condition and aesthetic goals. They may even recommend a more suitable treatment for your hair loss.
3) Ensure You’re An Ideal Candidate
While PRP treatment is a versatile procedure that’s available to most patients, it still has some restrictions. Some patients with a medical history of autoimmune diseases and other conditions are not eligible to undergo this procedure. This procedure also wouldn’t produce positive effects for some types of baldness.
4) Follow Aftercare Practices
Following aftercare practices is just as important as the procedure to ensure its success–it allows you to recover without having to go through serious side effects. Here are some post-treatment protocols to remember:
- Avoid warm temperature
- Avoid blood-thinning medications
- Avoid strenuous activities like high-intensity exercises
- Avoid hair treatments
Consult your doctor about other protocols for taking care of your hair and scalp post-treatment. They may also prescribe at-home treatments, such as herbal shampoos, serums, or medications, such as oral finasteride.
Choose High-Quality Medical Supplies at FACE Med Store
Side effects from PRP injections involve pain and bleeding at the injection site, infection, allergic reactions from other products, dizziness and nausea, scarring, and blood vessel injury. There are also rare cases of nerve injury. Patients mustn’t worry about these side effects as long as they’re consulting a reliable doctor and following the aftercare.
The right medical supplies are also key to having a successful PRP treatment with minimal risks and side effects. FACE Med Store is one of the trusted providers of a high-quality medical spa. Visit our catalog and check out promotions and items at competitive prices or get in touch with us today to know about our updated stock list.
Read More: Will You Receive Lidocaine During PRP Hair Treatment?
