Your bad lifestyle habits may not be helping your hair loss, but sometimes no matter what you do, your hair still falls too much. There is a possibility that the cause might be genetic, in which case topical and oral aids might not be too beneficial. In recent years, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has taken ground on helping out with hair loss, primarily hereditary hair loss - something that affects millions of people. You’re not alone, of course, but that doesn’t help with the stress that it may be causing you. Let’s talk about PRP and how it can help you with your hair loss:

As of March 2019, the FDA has only approved PRP for orthopedic healing, and if used to treat hair and skin, it’s being done ‘off label.’ (https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-beauty/what-platelet-rich-plasma-therapy-prp-hair-loss/) This means that although the drug or, in this case, treatment has been approved, it has not yet been approved for your specific diagnosis. This can be done if your physician thinks that this can really help you, and cause no undesired side effects - especially if all other treatments have been tried.

When you are undergoing a PRP session, blood will be taken from your arm, usually and will be spun to extract the plasma. This is a substance that is found in your blood and has platelets that help in the promotion of hair growth. The plasma is then injected into the scalp focusing on areas with grave hair loss - patients will undergo about 15-20 injections per session according to experts.

Injections do sound painful, but there aren’t any worrisome side effects besides soreness on the injection site. People who have had and continue to have PRP sessions have expressed that they feel pressure during the injection, but that’s about it. Not to mention, the session usually takes about half an hour, although doctors say that regular sessions may be required depending on the severity of the hair loss being treated.

Now, it’s not like you’ll wake up in a day with a long luscious mane, PRP takes time to show results and doctors will recommend the duration and pace at which it should occur - usually sessions per month for three months as a start-off. The duration and pace that your doctor will recommend will depend on the hair loss that was initially present, your age, hormones, genetic tendencies, and how you respond to the treatment.

So what are the causes that PRP can help with? It isn’t gender-biased, so here they are- balding men women suffering from menopause-related hair thinning, and people that have been losing hair for the past five years. It is not suggested that people with certain health conditions opt for PRP, these include people that have lupus, thyroid disorders, have bleeding, or clotting disorders, skin cancer, scalp infection, have hepatitis, or are on blood thinners.

This may seem like a lot to take, but PRP could be an option for you to treat your hair loss. Speak with a dermatologist to see if you can reap the benefits of this treatment that’s now becoming the talk-of-the-town because of how it’s helped other people just like you.