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.
