The Power of PRP

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are gaining popularity for an increasing number of conditions — from sports injuries to hair loss. PRP treatments use your own blood cells to:

• Accelerate post-surgical healing.
• Treat a range of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions including tendons, ligament, muscle and joint injuries.
• Aid in treating male pattern baldness — both in preventing hair loss and promoting new hair growth.
• Stimulate hair growth after hair transplants.
• Rejuvenate skin when used as part of an aesthetic treatment.

The Process

1. Creating platelet-rich plasma is a three-step process.
2. We draw a small blood sample from your arm.
3. The sample is placed in a centrifuge that separates your blood into layers, one of which contains a high concentration of platelets.

This concentrated platelet-rich plasma is injected or applied, where needed.

PRP for Hair Loss

PRP treatment for hair loss is thought to help promote and maintain hair growth. The theory is that platelets, injected deep into the scalp to reach the bottom of the hair follicle, may stimulate a specialized population of cells named dermal papilla cells, which play a critical role in hair growth. When it comes to hair loss, most of the research to date has focused on using PRP to treat hormone-related baldness (medically known as androgenetic alopecia). Anyone can suffer from this form of hair loss.

• In men, hair loss typically occurs on the top and front of the head.
• In women, thinning occurs on the top and crown of the head and often begins with the center hair part growing wider.

More research is needed. The medical community does not have enough evidence to make conclusions about the effectiveness of PRP for other types of hair loss, such as stress-related, alopecia areata, or forms of scarring hair loss.

Treatment

After an assessment to see if you’re a good candidate for PRP therapy, we recommend four to six treatments spaced 4 – 6 weeks apart. After that, you’ll want to set up an annual retreatment schedule.

PRP and Aesthetic Treatments

Patients want to look younger and refreshed. That’s why aesthetic treatment are ever more popular. And, when we add PRP to some of your favorites nonsurgical treatments, you might even see faster and better results. Patients are discovering that PRP has the ability to:

• Reduce wrinkles
• Plump up sagging skin
• Get rid of deep creases
• Improve complexion
• Rejuvenate the under-eye area — hollowness, dark pigment, crepey skin
• Diminish acne scars

Microneedling with PRP

Adding PRP to microneedling is one of the most popular treatment add-ons. Doing so improves healing time and decreases the redness and swelling after your microneedling treatment. PRP with standard microneedling boosts the benefits of microneedling and is more effective at diminishing acne scars on your face.

You’ll want to have three or more treatments spaced out by at least a month apart for the best results. Full effects appear within a few weeks to two months and can last up to 18 months.

PRP with Dermal Fillers

PRP can be combined with hyaluronic acid dermal fillers to boost your results.

Since fillers provide your skin with restored fullness in areas that have lost volume over time, adding PRP helps sustain those results. It jump-starts your body’s natural regenerative processes. PRP also treats skin issues that fillers alone can’t, such as fine lines, acne, and uneven texture. You’ll see immediate results, which can last as much as 9 – 18 months.

Explore what PRP can do for you

Interested in learning about procedures we offer where you can add PRP? Please contact our experienced patient coordinators to schedule your confidential consultation. Contact us or send us an email at [email protected]. ________ Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and the Illinois Society of Plastic Surgery. A highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, Dr. Iteld has received awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®, and is a Key Opinion Leader with Allergan Aesthetics.