A quick look at a common nail condition you've never heard of
If you've ever had a hangnail, you know how irritating they are. Hangnails can be painful and getting rid of them is an exercise in trying to avoid an infection.
PRP is blood plasma containing a concentration of platelets many times greater than occurs normally in blood. PRP is a autologousa, meaning that it comes from the patients own body. This is similar to the practice of having a patient donate his/her own blood before a surgical procedure, to be used in preference to blood from the hospital blood bank should a transfusion be needed. Another example is the removal and transplantation of a patient own skin for a plastic surgery procedure. Because PRP is autologous, it has no potential for causing a foreign-body immunologic reaction. PRP is immunologically neutral.
Who is the best candidate of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for Hair Restoration Therapy?
PRP Hair Restoration Therapy is suitable for both men and women. It is a state-of-the-art, non-surgical, totally natural; alternative medical procedure used for the treatment of hair loss or hair thinning. PRP has other medical uses as well including pain management
PRP in Hair Transplantation
The potential for using PRP to promote healing and hair growth after hair transplantation is centered in three functional applications:
- To preserve and enhance hair follicle viability during and after hair transplantation;
- To promote and enhance tissue repair and healing after hair transplantation; and,
- To reinvigorate dormant hair follicles and stimulate new hair growth.
How Does PRP Preserve & Enhance Hair Follicle Viability
- Between the time that hair follicles are removed from a donor area of the scalp and transplanted into a recipient area, they are subject to damage from several causes:
- Dehydration if the donor follicles are inadequately moistened between the times of removal and transplantation;
- Oxygen and nutrient starvation due to being removed from blood supply during the harvest-to-transplantation time period;
- Temperature and acid/alkaline changes in the follicle environment; and,
- Revascularization injury when the donor follicles are transplanted to the recipient site and must re-adapt to having a blood supply.
A common approach to maintaining donor hair follicle viability during the transition period is to keep them in a storage solution that provides a protective environment of appropriate temperature, chemical balance and nutrient supply. Recent research has indicated that addition of PRP to the storage solution improves follicle viability during and after transplantation, enhances post-transplantation tissue healing and promotes hair growth in transplanted follicles. An approach advocated by some investigators is to bathe the donor hair follicles in activated PRP just prior to transplantation.
What are Dr. Lawrence Jaeger Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for Hair Restoration Therapy Treatment Options?
After examining your particular situation and severity of hair loss, Dr. Lawrence Jaeger and our physicians at Advanced Dermatology Associates will suggest a treatment plan that will most effectively target your hair loss. To begin a dialogue with our team, contact us at one of our following locations.
How is PRP is Made?
Platelets for PRP are derived from a patients own blood:
- Blood is withdrawn from a patients arm by syringe, as it would be for any laboratory procedure.
- The tubes containing withdrawn blood are placed in a centrifuge and spun for a period of time.
- The centrifuging spins down the red and white blood cells and platelets and concentrates them at various levels in the tubes. Blood plasma that is rich in platelets is drawn off from the appropriate level. Plasma defined as platelet-rich plasma contains 4 to 8 times the number of platelets per cubic centimeter found in normal plasma. With a little additional preparation the PRP is ready for application.
