Trying out a new treatment for hair loss can be met with great anxiety and hesitations from patients, and despite being one of the most recommended and popular treatments for hair loss, platelet-rich plasma treatment for hair loss also receives the same doubts. Patients have mixed expectations about how it will grow their hair, its side effects, and the possible hair shedding – some might fear that the procedure will worsen their progressive hair loss.
So what should you expect after your platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair loss? Patients can expect the procedure to be an effective treatment for hair regrowth as revealed by clinical studies. However, it doesn’t happen overnight – your hair follicles, collagen production, and hair cycle reactivation may need more time to work. Patients may also expect hair shedding and other side effects post-treatment, but this shouldn’t be a cause of major concern.
What Happens After Your PRP Hair Loss
Platelet-rich plasma treatment is a form of regenerative medicine that involves injections of growth factors to speed up the natural healing process in targeted areas. It consists of the plasma, the protein in the blood cells acting as its medium, and the platelets, the blood cell responsible for wound healing and regeneration.
Aside from cosmetic procedures, it’s also used for treating several medical conditions and rehabilitation. As a hair regrowth treatment, patients rely on it to treat different types of hair loss, like androgenic alopecia or male or female pattern hair loss.
Since it involves boosting your hair follicles with concentrations of platelets, how it grows your hair may not be as simple. That’s why patients must know what to expect concerning their side effects, stages, and how hair finally grows. They must learn more about what it does to their scalps to expect when the results will show and how long it stays.
Possible Side Effects
PRP hair treatment uses your own blood sample to harvest plasma with a concentration of platelets from your blood cells, so the risks of allergic reactions are slim. In fact, patients may rest assured that major side effects are pretty rare and only happen at the hands of an inexperienced practitioner.
Here are some side effects that patients can expect:
- pain, swelling, and bleeding at the injection site
- allergic reactions from other products (e.g. anesthesia, the needle from the syringe, etc)
- infection during the healing process
- dizziness and nausea
- scar tissue
- injury to blood vessels
These side effects are usually mild and will resolve on their own within 3 to 4 weeks. If symptoms persist, contact your doctor immediately.
You experience side effects because the procedure produces an acute inflammation to speed up the natural healing process of the follicles. While doctors make the treatment less painful by using tiny-gauged needles, the injections still cause tiny open wounds that allow you to experience side effects and become susceptible to certain risks.
Hair Shedding
Most patients usually become frightened upon experiencing hair shedding after their PRP hair growth therapy. But this shouldn’t be a cause of their worries because hair shedding is usually normal—this means that the procedure is working. You’ll also be experiencing this even with topical treatments and oral medication for hair growth.
This is because the concentration of growth factors boosts the healing process of the hair follicles, reactivating hair growth. Hair loss is caused by many triggers, but most, if not all, attack or weaken the hair follicles. This causes it to be stuck in the resting phase (telogen phase) until the hair falls out without new hair growing. In some cases, the hair follicles shrink until they can no longer grow hair.
By injecting growth factors and triggering hair follicles to enter the growth phase (anagen phase), new thicker, and healthier hair pushes out the thin and unhealthy hair, causing hair shedding.
There are rare instances that PRP treatment for hair restoration does exacerbate hair loss, which happens because of an underlying type of hereditary hair loss. The good thing is that this case is pretty rare. Choosing a reliable service provider who can screen your candidacy thoroughly will help prevent this adverse reaction.
Hair Growth
Patients may experience hair shedding and become anxious by the stage of the treatment. But many become reassured when they visit their doctor and see via hair mass index (HMI) that their scalp has actually grown more hair than before their treatment.
The PRP treatment for hair loss stimulates hair growth because the concentrations of growth factors boost cell growth and collagen production. It also improves blood flow by opening up the blood vessels surrounding hair follicles, allowing more oxygen and nutrients.
When Will Results Show
Patients with hair loss should also have realistic expectations with PRP therapy for hair restoration because results don’t happen overnight. The platelet-derived growth factors need time to integrate into your scalp and do their work.
The treatment’s full results might take around 3 to 6 months from the initial injections, but patients can notice improvements in hair health after 2 weeks post-treatment. These improvements include changes in hair thickness, growth of new hair, and better hair texture.
How Long Until Results Last
Platelet-rich plasma therapy offers promising effects from deep within. Its results may be long-lasting, but it’s not permanent. The treatment only provides a boost of nutrients and doesn’t really address the root cause of your hair loss. The results will last for about 12 to 18 months – some patients report the effects lasting up to 2 years.
How Many Treatments You Need
PRP treatment as a hair loss solution will need multiple injections and maintenance shots to retain its effects. Patients undergoing the therapy will receive 3 initial injections, given at a 5 to 6 months interval. After this, they’ll only need maintenance shots twice a year or once every 6 months.
Shop Beauty and Medical Supplies for PRP Treatments at FACE Med Store
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EL Exosomes Package -
EL Exosomes
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Exosome Therapy
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Butterfly Needle – 23G 3/4 in. x 12 in. with sliding safety shield- Box of 100
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Butterfly Needle – 25G 3/4 in. x 12 in. with sliding safety shield- Box of 100
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Butterfly Needle – 21G 3/4 in. x 12 in. with sliding safety shield- Box of 100
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Blood Draw Needle Holder (Vacutainer) – Bag of 100
Patients undergoing platelet-rich plasma injections for hair loss may expect several mild side effects after their procedure. Hair shedding is also an expected reaction after the treatment as part of the process of hair growth because it reactivates the hair follicles to enter the growth phase. The results from their platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair loss aren’t permanent, so they’ll need to take maintenance shots after their initial injections.
It’s important to discuss with your doctor what you can expect after the procedure to relieve post-treatment anxiety. Choose a reliable aesthetic clinic that can offer you the exceptional services you need. As for practices offering PRP treatments, investing in the best beauty and medical supplies is also necessary for producing the best results. FACE Med Store offers premium supplies at reasonable prices. Browse through our catalog online or contact us to check our updated stock list.
