Over the past decade, advancement in treatment for pain conditions has accelerated past what we once thought imaginable. Thanks to this advancement, we now have a relatively solid understanding of the treatments that work and the ones that are less than effective. We understand how some treatments have deleterious side effects that can lead to worse conditions, or those treatments are not nearly as effective as we had hoped. However, there is a more recent treatment for pain that we have come to understand to be one of the more safe and effective treatments available. Whether a patient suffers from osteoarthritis or an acute ACL tear, High Dose PRP, platelet rich plasma, appears to be one of the most effective treatments discovered and developed over the past decade.
In addition to platelet rich plasma being used to treat pain conditions, it also has more cosmetic purposes including skin and facial regeneration. The more we learn about platelet rich plasma as a treatment for these various ailments, the more we come to understand that its application may apply to more than we had initially anticipated. However, while this treatment does have a record of efficacy, some may remain skeptical and feel that a treatment that works for several different purposes is too good to be true. While a healthy level of skepticism is necessary to temper our excitement when seeking out any treatment, it is also necessary that we conduct responsible and thorough research behind platelet rich plasma– more specifically PRP as a treatment for hair loss.
Because platelet rich plasma and its application is a more recent treatment for several ailments and conditions like alopecia (hair loss), the research continues to develop but it is developing at a rapid pace. In a study conducted in the European Journal of Pharmacology, doctors Yuan and his associates explain that “[a]ttributed to hereditary factors, emotional stress and psychiatric disorders, alopecia is highly prevalent in current society, resulting in devastating physical and psychological sequelae [byproduct]. Considering the role of stem cells in the pathogenesis, alopecia can be divided into two types: nonscarring alopecia and scarring alopecia. In nonscarring alopecia, the progenitor cells are destructed, while the hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are preserved, which is why this kind of alopecia can be reversible. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) accounts for the majority of the nonscarring alopecia cases, affecting up to 80% of Caucasian men by the age of 80 and nearly 40% of Caucasian women by the age of 70” (2020). According to this study, we must qualify that their findings related to PRP as a treatment for alopecia only apply to nonscarring alopecia in which the hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are preserved. Luckily, as the study suggests, most cases of alopecia are nonscarring and are therefore candidates for this treatment.
With the preservation of hair follicle stem cells in mind and the goal being to regrowth of these hair follicles, Dr. Jason Emer explains the potential of PRP to regrow these follicles by concluding that, “[p]latelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous serum containing high concentrations of platelets and growth factors. PRP continues to evolve as an important treatment modality with many applications in dermatology, particularly in the areas of hair restoration, skin rejuvenation, acne scars, dermal augmentation, and striae distensae. Furthermore, combining PRP with laser therapies, microneedling, dermal fillers, and autologous fat grafting produces synergistic effects, leading to improved aesthetic results. Future studies should standardize PRP treatment protocols for specific indications. PRP holds considerable promise in dermatology with therapeutic applications continuing to expand” (2019). One of the studies specifically cited by Dr. Emer is another 2019 study evaluating the efficacy of platelet rich plasma as a treatment for alopecia.
In this study, Dr. Aditya K. Gupta and her associates with the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery found that, “platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is being used to encourage hair growth through the release of growth factors and cytokines . . . In androgenetic alopecia (AGA) patients, 3 monthly PRP injections (1 session administered every month for 3 months) exhibited greater efficacy over placebo as measured by change in total hair density (hair/cm2) over the treatment period (mean difference: 25.61, 95% CI: 4.45 to 46.77; P = .02). The studies included in the meta-analysis used a half-head design, which may have influenced the results because of the effects PRP can induce . . . In conclusion, to achieve an improvement in hair restoration in patients with mild AGA, 3 initial monthly PRP injections should be given” (2019). Whether patients utilize platelet rich plasma as a singular treatment for alopecia or a supplement to an existing treatment, they can count on the research that decisively concludes it is a safe and effective method for hair regrowth. But what exactly is platelet rich plasma?
In an evaluation of PRP conducted by the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, researchers explain that “[p]latelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a platelet concentrate extracted from autologous blood by centrifugation, which is a kind of bioactive substance” (Wang 2022). Patients might wonder how this works and whether it is safe– especially when hearing Dr. Wang refer to it as a “bioactive substance”. It is likely that many would be unwilling to apply a “bioactive substance” to treat their alopecia. However, as is always the case, further evaluation and a deeper understanding of platelet rich plasma will help patients understand its legitimacy as a treatment for alopecia. With the advancement of medical technology, Orthagenex is now able to assist the regrowth of hair follicle stem cells through high dose platelet rich plasma.
From autologous blood (a patient’s own blood), Orthagenex High Dose PRP is able to condense platelets in a highly concentrated form. When blood is taken from a patient and put in a centrifuge, it is spun around quickly to separate red blood cells from white blood cells as well as concentrate the number of platelets together. These concentrated platelets, once extracted and applied to alopecia affected areas, act as a supplemental regrowth that can be used to target balding areas. With Orthagenex High Dose PRP, patients with alopecia will have options and hope through high dose platelet rich plasma. Orthagenex High Dose PRP protocols offer the treatment, education, and follow-up that patients need to return to and maintain a renewed level of confidence in their appearance. Without the worry of invasive procedures or unpredictable medications that cause multiple unwanted side effects, patients can have hope and confidence in their ability to find how treatments like High Dose PRP, the most advanced platelet rich plasma in use today, work for them.
