PRP is an acronym for platelet-rich plasma, an increasingly popular treatment that can address a wide array of medical and cosmetic concerns. This innovative treatment uses growth factors harvested from your own blood to repair and rejuvenate your body. PRP therapy can promote hair growth, speed healing after an injury or surgery, boost collagen production, improve skin elasticity and much more. 

As a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Ryan Krch focuses on treating his patients holistically, taking into account their mental well-being as well as their physical symptoms. He is also dedicated to providing the most effective, cutting-edge treatments. Dr. Ryan began using PRP therapy more than 15 years ago to restore healthy cartilage and ligaments for sports medicine patients. Now, he offers PRP for various concerns, including orthopedics, skin rejuvenation and hair restoration. Dr. Ryan often uses PRP in combination with NeoGraft to further enhance the results of this hair restoration procedure. 

In this blog, we’ll take a look at the following:

• How NeoGraft treats hair loss
• How PRP can aid in hair restoration (and why Dr. Ryan is offering a free PRP session for his NeoGraft patients)
• Research and clinical trials on the efficacy of PRP for hair growth 
• Google’s stance on advertising PRP treatments

NeoGraft® and PRP: a Powerful Combination for Treating Hair Loss

More than 80% of men and nearly 50% of women in the United States will experience hair loss (androgenic alopecia) in their lifetimes. Aging and hormonal changes can cause hair follicles to shrink, resulting in thinner, finer strands of hair over time. Genetics also plays a vital role in hair loss; if your parents or other close relatives are affected, you are more likely to experience it also. 

As a hair restoration expert, Dr. Ryan uses the latest and most advanced procedures to address hair thinning, balding and other types of hair loss. At Krch AESTHETIC MEDICINE, Dr. Ryan offers NeoGraft hair restoration, a state-of-the-art procedure that regrows thicker, fuller hair. With the addition of PRP to your NeoGraft treatment, your recovery time can be decreased and your potential for new hair growth can be increased.

How Does NeoGraft® Work for Hair Restoration?

NeoGraft is an advanced, FDA-approved hair transplant device for treating hair loss. It uses semi-automated follicular unit extraction (FUE) to move individual hair follicles from areas with dense hair growth to thinning or balding areas. 

Compared to other hair restoration techniques, NeoGraft offers the following benefits: 

• Better results
• Permanent hair restoration
• Faster treatment time
• Lower cost
• Fewer risks 
• Faster recovery
• Virtually no scarring

How Does PRP Help With Hair Restoration?

Dr. Ryan uses platelet-rich plasma before and after the NeoGraft procedure to increase the percentage of hair follicles that survive transplantation. PRP therapy involves a simple blood draw, similar to when you get blood taken for labs at your primary care physician’s office. Your blood is spun in a centrifuge to isolate the platelets and growth factors, which are then carefully injected into your target areas of hair loss. 

The injected platelets act as stem cells that divide into specialized cells and help grow new hair follicles. They also improve your blood supply in the treatment area and activate growth factors that can promote thicker individual hair growth. 

The benefits of adding PRP to your NeoGraft hair restoration treatment include:

• Increased viability of the transplanted hair follicles (more follicles survive after transplantation)
• Reduced recovery time
• Faster growth of new hair

Because of these significant benefits, Dr. Ryan is offering a complimentary PRP treatment for any patient undergoing NeoGraft with him.

Does PRP Really Work for Hair Loss? 

PRP injections are considered a highly effective treatment for hair loss. Numerous doctors and plastic surgeons worldwide use this therapy with consistent results. Various small PRP studies and meta-analyses of these studies also support PRP injections as a treatment for androgenic alopecia. These show the use of PRP alone for hair growth, and Dr. Ryan combines the power of PRP with NeoGraft for highly successful hair restoration. 

Krch AESTHETIC MEDICINE’s Results With PRP and NeoGraft®

At Krch AESTHETIC MEDICINE, our patients who combine PRP with NeoGraft experience exceptional hair restoration results. The industry standard for hair transplant results is a survival rate of 85% of the transferred hairs. When our NeoGraft patients choose to add PRP therapy, we typically see almost 100% viability (survival rate) of the transplanted hair follicles in the new area. 

Clinical Trials and Studies on PRP Hair Restoration 

PRP therapy has been used since the 1980s for wound healing after surgery. Shortly after, its benefits in sports medicine were realized, and it became widely used to treat injuries. It wasn’t until 2006 that PRP was used for hair restoration. Since then, a number of small clinical trials and studies have shown the effectiveness of PRP therapy for hair restoration with an excellent safety profile and no significant side effects. 

2014

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery administered PRP injections to the scalp in 11 male patients with androgenic alopecia. The injections were repeated every two weeks for a total of four treatments. The results showed a reduction in hair loss (hair count increased from an average of 71 follicular hair units to 93 follicular units), with an improvement in hair volume and coverage.

2015

In a 2015 clinical study published in the Asian Journal of Transfusion Science, eight male and two female patients underwent PRP injections in their areas of hair loss every two to three weeks over the course of three months. After this period, all patients had clinical improvements in hair count, thickness and strength. 

2015

Another 2015 study published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine found that 20 patients treated with three monthly PRP sessions had improvement in the average number of hair follicles and an increase in hair density. This randomized, evaluator-blinded, placebo-controlled study supports PRP injections as a beneficial treatment option for hair loss. 

2019

In a 2019 clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 20 men and 10 women with hair loss underwent two monthly PRP treatment sessions. Their results showed higher hair density and a higher ratio of thick, coarse hair to thin, “peach fuzz.” 

2020

In a randomized, placebo-controlled 2020 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 25 male patients with androgenic alopecia were treated with PRP. Results showed a significant increase in hair density. 

FDA Approval Is a Sticky Subject 

As you can see, the data from the above studies and trials support the efficacy of PRP therapy for treating hair loss. However, because it is a relatively new therapy, there’s limited clinical evidence to prove PRP as a definitive hair restoration treatment in the medical community. Before it can be FDA approved, more extensive and conclusive studies are needed to further demonstrate its effectiveness for treating hair loss and determine what variables, if any, might influence patient results.

Because PRP is a substance from your blood rather than a drug, it is also a special case when it comes to FDA regulations. The device used to harvest and prepare PRP is regulated rather than the actual PRP, and the FDA has “cleared” devices that produce PRP for use as a sticky substance for orthopedic (musculoskeletal) indications. 

Since it is cleared by the FDA, doctors can legally use PRP therapy if they determine it as an ideal treatment for their patient. However, FDA clearance is different from approval, which has prompted Google to take extra precautions regarding advertising this regenerative therapy.

Google’s Stance on the Promotion of PRP Therapy

In September 2019, Google released an updated Healthcare and medicines policy with information about advertising for speculative and experimental medical treatments. This policy does not allow the promotion of cell or gene therapies in Google Ads, including platelet-rich plasma, stem cell therapy and other forms of regenerative medicine. The exception to this rule is for ads that simply inform or educate readers about these therapies, but this type of content is rarely seen in paid ads.

Because of this, it can be difficult for the public to find information and educate themselves about how effective this treatment really is. There are many scholarly articles and research publications available about platelet-rich plasma on Google, but they are often full of medical jargon or present data in complicated ways that can be difficult for people without a medical background to understand fully.

Google updated their policy to restrict promotional advertisements for PRP out of an abundance of caution to protect public interest, but PRP has been used safely and effectively for decades with clinical results. Many doctors use this revolutionary therapy with thousands of satisfied patients, but these restrictions make PRP Google’s forbidden “P word.” 

Find Out How NeoGraft® and PRP in Phoenix Can Give You a Fuller, Thicker Head of Hair 

NeoGraft can benefit you if you’d like to achieve fuller, healthier-looking hair. If you choose to undergo the NeoGraft hair transplant procedure with Dr. Ryan, you can receive a complimentary PRP treatment to further enhance your hair restoration results. 

At Krch AESTHETIC MEDICINE, we focus on improving your well-being and overall quality of life, and we’re here for you on every step of your journey. We work with hair stylists who can help you decide on the best cut and style for your new hair, and we provide options for protecting your hair from thinning and balding in the long term. 

Call (480) 493-5833 to schedule your free NeoGraft and PRP consultation with Dr. Ryan today!