PRP (PLATELET RICH PLASMA) & ACELL BIO ENHANCEMENT THERAPY
Shapiro Medical Group offers a Bio-Enhancement therapy that consists of injecting a mixture of PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) & A-Cell BioMatrix powder into the scalp. This therapy can be used during surgery to improve the growth of follicular unit grafts or as a standalone non-surgical treatment to thicken areas of miniaturized, thinning hair.
It can also be used in the donor area after FUE to stimulate the regrowth of donor hair, thereby increasing donor supply. ACell + PRP treatment has been shown to have great success in qualified patients. The data suggest that PRP works better with ACell than alone.
PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasm)
PRP is a biologically active substance derived from the patient’s own blood that promotes healing and growth. Blood is made up of plasma & three types of blood cells:
- Red blood cells which carry oxygen
- White blood cells which help fight infections
- Platelets which are responsible for clotting, scab formation and wound healing.
PRP is simply blood that has been specially processed to remove most of the red and white blood cells, leaving behind a concentrated, platelet-rich plasma solution containing between five to ten times the normal concentration of platelets. In other words, platelet-rich plasma PRP is plasma that has a very high concentration of platelets.
PRP therapy has been used successfully to promote healing and growth in sports injuries, orthopedic surgery, dental surgery, and dermatologic surgery for many years. Recently, PRP has been introduced into the field of hair transplant surgery with the hope of improving surgical results and stimulating hair growth. PRP has earned its reputation for successful hair regrowth in many patients globally as a hair loss treatment.
No one knows the exact mechanism of how PRP stimulates hair growth. We do know that platelets play a critical role in the healing response of all tissue by releasing various growth factors. Some of the growth factors are postulated to work by encouraging new blood vessel formation, amplifying the natural wound healing process, and stimulating stem cell activity.
Specifically, with respect to hair growth, it has been suggested that PRP may protect the papilla (root) of the hair from cell death and prolong the anagen or (active growth phase) of a hair follicle. Like many medical therapies used to treat hair loss, PRP treatments seem to work best by stimulating thin “miniaturized” hairs to become thicker “terminal” hairs.
ACell Extra Cellular Matrix
ACell is an extracellular matrix derived from biological material that contains a network of collagen, proteins, and growth factors. It, like PRP, has been proven to be helpful in wound healing in other areas of medicine. It contains growth factors and is known to recruit progenitor stem cells which are widely believed to help with tissue regeneration. It has been used in hair transplants for the last 7-10 years to help increase graft growth, improve donor scar healing, and promote the regrowth of transected hairs
Therapeutic Uses of PRP/ ACell Therapy
- PRP/ACell as a Stand Alone Therapy for Thinning Hair: This therapy can be useful in patients with thinning hair who, for one reason or another, are not a good candidate for or are not ready for surgery. They may simply have early mild thinning that does not justify surgery. It is also appropriate for patients that may not tolerate or want to use other medical treatments like Propecia or Rogaine. If Propecia or Rogaine are being used, PRP/ACell can be added to improve results further. It has been an especially helpful addition for men and women experiencing hair loss but have fewer surgical and medical options available.
- PRP/ACell as an Adjunct During Surgical Transplant Procedures: There are many ways that PRP/ACell is believed to be potentially beneficial during surgery:
- PRP/ACell improves the healing of both the donor and recipient areas. This could mean less redness, less swelling, less shock loss, & less scarring in the treatment area. Therefore, with PRP and ACell, side effects are minimized.
- PRP/ACell improves survival rates for follicular unit grafts in the recipient area. It may improve the survival rate of the newly transplanted grafts and stimulate growth in any surrounding miniaturized native hairs that are still present in the recipient area. This can lead to a fuller, thicker result.
- For FUE, PRP/Acell may result in some regrowth of transected hairs in the donor area. It has been theorized that PRP/ACell treatments may help stimulate the regrowth of any transected hairs, or residual stem cells, thereby improving the number of hairs one might get with FUE in the future.
