Hair thinning in women which affects nearly 40 million Indian women is
											mainly due to
											heredity and can
											start any time after puberty. However, we also know that female pattern
											hair loss can be
											strongly
											influenced by age, nutrition,
											stress, surgery, medications, illness, social/lifestyle factors, hair
											care and more. As
											hair follicles
											weaken and stop producing hair, hair loss occurs.
										
									 
									
										
										
											In men we know that hair loss follows a very specific, progressive
											pattern that is
											passed on through
											heredity and is triggered by hormone–specifically dihydrotestosterone or
											DHT. An
											estimated 60 million
											Indian men are suffering with
											male pattern hair loss. As hair follicles miniaturize and weaken,
											coverage of the scalp
											diminishes
											leaving thinning or balding areas.
										
									 
									
										
										
											The first step for anyone with a hair or scalp problem is to visit a
											full-time,
											credentialed hair
											restoration physician with experience and expertise in accurate
											diagnosis, successful
											treatment and
											long-term follow-up required in the
											medical management of hair loss patients. A medical hair loss "work up"
											starts with a
											detailed medical
											history, including family history, history of medical illness, poor
											nutrition, current
											medications, hair
											care regimen, recent
											surgeries and a detailed history of the hair loss situation. A scalp
											biopsy, blood work
											or other testing
											(like a HairDX genetic test) may be performed if indicated by the
											history and physical
											symptoms.
											Physical exam would include
											evaluation of the scalp for signs and symptoms of hair loss and any
											concurrent problems,
											such as
											inflammation. Master HairCheck with German technology Trichoscan is used
											to measure Hair
											growth (Anagen
											Phase), falling (telogen Phase)
											and vellus (weak) hairs density in the relatively permanent areas of the
											scalp compared
											to the
											non-permanent or at-risk areas. Video dermoscopy with a Hair Cam device
											is used to
											determine if there is
											decreased numbers of follicles in
											the affected areas, a decreased caliber of follicles in the affected
											areas, or a
											combination of both.
										
									 
									
										
										
											PRP treatment for hair loss is non-invasive hair regrowth treatment. A
											small amount of
											blood is obtained
											from your body from which platelet-rich plasma is isolated using
											centrifugation
											technology.
											
											PRP thus obtained has special growth factors and cytokines responsible
											for stimulating
											hair growth and
											strength. It can also be combined with Extracellular Matrix such as
											ACell or BioD for
											healthy and shiny
											hair.
											The surgeon injects PRP into the affected area of the scalp delivering
											platelet-derived
											growth factors
											into the skin. This process invigorates lifeless hair follicles and
											boosts hair growth
											significantly.
											The entire procedure lasts
											for an hour or so.
										
									 
									
										
										
											At VCare, we focus on two types of hair loss patients when it comes to
											PRP treatments:
											patients with
											areas of "weak quality" hair growth on the scalp, where functioning hair
											follicles can
											still be
											observed, and patients with small
											areas of alopecia areata. In our experience, these are the patients who
											appear to have
											the greatest
											success with PRP hair regrowth treatments.
										
									 
									
										
										
											Typically, we can measure improvements in Hair Mass Index using Hair
											Check months before
											the results are
											visible to the naked eye. Increases in Hair Mass Index using the Hair
											Check device
											predict how much
											visual improvement the
											patient is likely to see in the months to come. It takes six to twelve
											months to judge
											the results of
											PRP "visually" in the mirror or with standardized photos. Measurements
											are taken every
											three months, so
											the plateau phase of
											improvement can be tracked. When Hair Mass Index starts to decline, the
											patient's next
											PRP is planned.
											With the exception of alopecia areata, the average hereditary hair loss
											patient can
											expect to need PRP
											with ECM on an annual basis.
										
									 
									
										
										
											Hair Mass Index, HMI or Hair Score is the unit of measure obtained from
											the Hair Check
											tool. It is a
											numerical representation of the cross sectional area of a bundle of hair
											that grows from
											a 2cm x 2cm
											area of scalp. Consider for a
											moment the thickness of a ponytail of hair. This thickness is a product
											of the amount of
											hair fibers
											within the bundle as well as the thickness of each individual hair
											fiber. Therefore,
											Hair Mass Index or
											HMI is a highly accurate and
											sensitive measurement of the amount and quality of hair growing from the
											scalp in any
											given area.
											Doctors and others can learn how to accurately perform HMI measurements
											with Hair Check
											through the Hair
											Coach training and
											certification program.
										
									 
									
										
										
											PRP is a comfortable, in-office, non-surgical procedure that takes about
											an hour
											start-to-finish, and
											most of that time is spent in the preparation phase… meaning you, the
											patient, is just
											relaxing! Most
											patients notice a brief period
											of inflammation during which their scalp remains somewhat pink and numb
											for a few hours.
											Swelling is
											rare (about 15% of the time) and if it occurs is noticeable in the
											forehead or around
											the eye area on
											the next day. Any swelling
											takes about a day or two to resolve. Hair growth improvements can
											typically be measured
											in about three
											months, but it takes six to twelve months to visually "see" the
											difference in photos and
											in the mirror.
										
									 
									
										
										
											According to published reports, "plain" PRP (without ECM) tends to
											improve hair caliber
											and hair growth
											for about four to six weeks, requiring multiple repeated treatments as
											often as every
											other month. When
											using combination with
											clinical treatments like BioCell, Follitreat therapy, the effects of PRP
											have been
											reported to be
											stronger and last longer. In our hands, at VCare, we have noticed that
											Hair Mass Index
											(aka HairScore)
											measurements performed with Hair
											Check cross sectional hair bundle trichometry can improve and plateau
											for up to two
											years* when PRP is
											combined with Cliinical treatments Biocell/Follitreat." On average,
											however, most
											patients will require
											their repeat PRP treatment
											after an average of one year in order to maintain the hair growth
											effects.
										
									 
									
										
										
											There is no activity restriction after a PRP treatment. Patients may
											shower/shampoo/condition their hair
											normally just several hours after the treatment and resume normal daily
											and athletic
											activities. As
											mentioned previously, some
											brief mild inflammation noticeable as redness/pinkness and numbness of
											the scalp may be
											present for
											several hours. No harsh chemical coloring or perming treatments should
											be performed for
											at least 72
											hours. Use of topical hair growth
											treatments like hair growth serum (stem cells) or similar can resume the
											next day. Laser
											therapy
											treatments can also be resumed the next day.
										
									 
									
										
										
											People with poor hair growth and weak hair are ideal candidates for PRP
											treatment for
											hair loss. PRP can
											also be beneficial for those suffering from alopecia areata.
										
									 
									
										
										
											It generally takes 6–9 months to see visible results after a PRP hair
											loss treatment.