The cosmetic industry comprises many procedures, treatments, and techniques designed to help people look their best. Hair restoration is a popular procedure that allows those who suffer from hair loss or thinning to regain a fuller and healthier head of hair.
Two of the most common approaches used in hair restoration are Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and Hair Transplantation. This blog post takes an in-depth look at both procedures while comparing them, helping you make an informed decision best fitting your needs.
Platelet-rich Plasma Hair Treatment
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy involves taking a patient’s blood cells from a sample. The platelets are then separated with specialized equipment and spun down until they reach a high concentration level. This is typically three times higher than normal concentrations in a typical patient’s blood sample.
This concentrated PRP solution is then re-injected into areas where hair growth is desired. The PRP stimulates natural hair growth by increasing blood supply to your hair follicles, thus increasing hair thickness and growth.
How Does PRP Hair Restoration Treatment Work?
When injected back into the scalp area, the highly concentrated levels of platelets activate dormant stem cells within our body. This promotes increased healing responses resulting in improved skin texture and greater thickness and density to existing hair follicles leading to a thicker and fuller head of hair. Additionally, collagen production increases as well, thus improving overall volume & appearance.
PRP Hair Treatment Procedure
This is a three-step hair treatment procedure that is scheduled to take place in 4 to 6 sessions.
- During the first session, your doctor draws blood from the veins and places it in a centrifuge.
- The centrifuge then separates it into different fluids. These include red blood cells, PRP, and platelet-poor plasma.
- The PRP is then sucked into a separate syringe and injected into the patient’s scalp to stimulate hair growth.
Technological advancements have led to the discovery of GFC (Growth Fator Concentrate Therapy), an advanced form of PRP procedure, which is 30% more effective than PRP.
Benefits of PRP
The PRP method provides several advantages compared to traditional surgical interventions like FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) or FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant). These benefits include:
- The safest hair treatment procedure
- Little recovery time
- Unlike hair transplant procedures, where it must be extracted from your head, you can draw blood from multiple locations.
- Stimulate hair growth
- Helps strengthen Inactive hair follicles
Cons of PRP
When the PRP is injected in the wrong manner, it may end up causing headaches or infection in the scalp area.
Although you will notice hair restoration within a few sessions, you need maintenance treatment to maintain the results.
How Long Does it Take to See Results with PRP?
If you get PRP treatment, the procedure takes no less than 2 hours, and you will need approximately three sessions scheduled four weeks apart. And you will also be required to attend follow-up maintenance treatment for 4 to 6 months.
It will take about 2 to 4 months to notice measurable hair growth. The best sign that the PRP hair therapy is working is noticing less hair falling into the sink on your washday. And within six months to a year, you will see a difference in hair volume.
Cost of PRP Hair Treatment
The cost for the three platelet-rich plasma (PRP ) sessions ranges from $1,500 to $3,500. This includes the extraction procedure plus the administration of injections itself. Any additional injection goes for $400.
You must consult your doctor before booking any appointments, as prices are likely dependent. If you are in Toronto, Canada, The Toronto Hair Transplant Clinic’s PRP hair loss treatment offers premium hair treatment services, and their doctors are top tier, so make an appointment today.
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Conditions that Call for PRP Hair Treatment
- Androgenic alopecia
- Baldness
However, you are not ideal for PRP hair treatment if you have a low blood count, are a heavy smoker, have an alcohol abuse history, and are under blood thinning medication.
Risks and Side Effects of PRP Hair Therapy
Although it’s the safest hair treatment procedure, the patient may experience the following side effects.
- Itching
- Mild pain in the injection area
- Swelling
- Headache
- Tenderness on your scalp
- Bleeding at the injection area
What is Hair Transplantation?
Hair transplantation is an advanced cosmetic surgery technique that uses parts of the patient’s scalp hair follicles to replace missing/thinning hairs in other locations on the head.
During a hair transplant, healthy hair follicles are harvested from donor sites and transplanted to recipient sites where balding has occurred or is desired. This type of surgery aims to create a natural-looking fullness in areas on the scalp that may have thinned over time due to genetic factors, medical conditions, or other reasons.
Hair Transplantation Procedure
The two main methods for performing hair transplant surgeries are Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT).
● Follicular Unit Extraction
The individual hairs are extracted from a donor site on the scalp with a small punch tool and then re-implanted into tiny incisions made at another location on the body, such as the eyebrows or face. No stitches or staples are needed afterward since these little pockmarks close up quickly after being sutured.
● Follicular Unit
Unlike in FUE, where hair is extracted, with FUT, a section of your scalp skin is removed to extract the hair follicles. And these follicular units are then transplanted onto the treatment site. The process takes about 10 hours, and the stitches are removed after ten days.
Benefits of Hair Transplant
- The results are easily noticeable and can last a lifetime.
- Multiple donor areas
- Higher success rate compared to PRP
- No scaring
- Hair care is easy after healing
Cons of Hair Transplant
- Insurance companies do not cover cosmetic procedures, meaning you’ll have to pay out of pocket.
- The newly transplanted hair may experience shock loss.
How Long Does it Take to See Results with a Hair Transplant?
The hair transplantation results will become visible within six months after the surgery. Depending on the complexity of the procedure, some patients may experience fuller and thicker hair in as little as three months, while others may not begin to see any changes until at least twelve months post-surgery.
Cost of Hair Transplantation
The cost for a single session of hair transplantation depends on the amount of hair to be transplanted and the surgeon’s experience. The cost can range anywhere from $4,000-$15,000. However, you will get the exact figure after your consultation.
Conditions that Call for Hair Transplantation
- Patchy hair loss
- Scarring hair loss
- Thinning hair
- Loss of hair in your beard, mustache, or eyebrows
- Pattern hair loss
- Hair loss due to chemotherapy
What are the Side Effects of Hair Transplantation?
Although there is not much to fret about, hair transplant patients may experience the following side effects.
- Infection
- Itching
- Bleeding and bruising
- The treated area may be numb
- In the first few months, your hair may look unnatural
What are the Similarities Between PRP and Hair Transplant?
Both procedures can be used to achieve similar goals, restoring the appearance of a person’s scalp and giving it enhanced fullness.
Both techniques involve some degree of pain management, as injections are required for PRP therapy, and incisions are necessary during hair transplantation.
Both treatments require follow-up visits with a doctor or specialist to monitor progress and evaluate potential side effects.
What are the Differences Between PRP and Hair Transplant?
The main difference between the two treatments is that with hair transplantation, the patient needs to undergo surgery to harvest donor follicles from one part of their body before transferring them to other areas. This procedure is not required when undergoing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment, as only small amounts of blood need to be extracted, treated, and re-injected into the patient’s scalp.
Results from a hair transplant can last a lifetime, while with PRP, the patients must undergo maintenance treatment to maintain the results.
PRP hair therapy is much cheaper than the hair transplant method.
PRP vs. Hair Transplant: Which is Better?
The procedure of choice depends on your desired outcome, whether restoring your hair’s former glory or replacing balding/thinning areas with natural-looking fullness.
Generally speaking, hair transplants tend to provide longer-lasting and more comprehensive coverage for those dealing with larger patches of baldness due surgical nature involved. And it’s much more expensive.
On the other hand, PRP treatments are much cheaper but take longer to realize desired outcomes, making it the ideal option for people who cannot afford to spend too much.
Who is the Ideal Candidate for Hair Treatment?
When it comes to PRP hair therapy, the best candidate is a person who is in the initial stages of hair loss. It’s also ideal for persons with androgenic alopecia, as it can help increase hair volume and density. And if you are not willing to go under the knife, then PRP is your best hair treatment option.
FUE and FUT hair transplantation procedures are ideal for people with significant hair loss who want optimal fullness. Hair transplantation is best for balding people, especially men who have hair loss on their crowns.
Is it Possible to Combine PRP and Hair Transplantation?
Combining both techniques could result in even better outcomes than when done separately. Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy greatly stimulates existing follicles, making them thicker and fuller. On the other hand, a hair transplant is perfect for redistributing healthy strands elsewhere, creating more natural-looking fullness around affected regions.
Final Thoughts
Hair treatment procedures are perfect for enhancing your dwindling confidence due to hair loss or baldness. Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) and Hair Transplantation offer excellent solutions for people suffering from hair loss, baldness, alopecia, and patchy hair patterns.
The procedure of choice depends on individual needs. However, PRP is best suited for people with alopecia or in their initial stages of hair loss. At the same time, Hair transplantation is ideal for people with significant hair loss.
