Ashley R. Curtis, MD

Three months is generally too early in the course of any hair restoration treatment for a patient to see significant benefits, so there is most likely no reason for you to be concerned. One of the reasons why treating hair loss can be frustrating is that each individual hair follicle goes through a natural cycle of growth, shedding, and regrowth. However, this cycle takes years to complete and not all follicles are at the same stage at the same time. As a result, even when treatments are working on some follicles, they may not yet be working on others. For example, after a hair transplantation procedure I usually caution patients that it may take as long as a year before they see their final results.


Platelet rich plasma can be used to treat many different causes of hair loss, so without knowing your specific medical history or what other contributing factors might be involved it is difficult to determine whether your results are typical. However, keep in mind that the shedding (or telogen) phase generally takes two to four months, while the growth (or anagen) phase can last for two to six years. Hair follicles will shed old hairs before they start to grow new ones, so even though your shedding has significantly slowed it may take some time before any new growth is noticeable.

Many people do not realize that even healthy hair follicles go through regular periods of shedding and regrowth.  This is why it is not at all unusual to lose up anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs on a given day. Typically, patients who are experiencing hair loss have follicles that are shrinking, so each time that an individual hair regrows it comes back thinner, until eventually the follicle stops producing new hairs altogether.  Platelet rich plasma therapy works by encouraging the shrinking hair follicles to become healthier and larger, and by accelerating the transition of the hair follicle from the dormant (shedding) state back to an actively growing state. This could mean that patients may experience some shedding of old hairs, because new, thicker hairs are growing in to replace them.

Every case of hair loss is different and I have not had an opportunity to examine you in person. However, it is most likely too soon to determine whether your treatment has been effective.  It may take several months before growth from PRP is visible. You should not expect all shedding to stop completely, and if you have noticed that your shedding has been significantly reduced then that is most likely a positive sign.

The most common form of hair loss, called genetic pattern baldness, effectively causes the hair follicles to gradually shrink. Over time, they produce hair that is thinner and thinner until they eventually stop producing hair altogether. Platelet Rich Plasma can effectively treat this progression by stimulating the body’s natural healing factors, encouraging growth in the shrinking hair follicles and producing thicker and fuller hair growth. However, hair follicles that have already stopped producing hair entirely are much less likely to be affected by platelet rich plasma treatments. This means that, in some cases, PRP will maintain the hair you have but not produce any new growth.

If there are areas of your scalp where you would like to encourage new hair growth, it may be necessary to transplant healthy, growing hair follicles from other regions of your scalp, using either follicular unit grafting or follicular unit extraction techniques. I would also encourage you to continue your PRP treatment if your doctor so recommends. Hair loss is a progressive condition and ongoing treatment is necessary to keep it fully under control. We often recommend PRP treatments, as well as a variety of other supplementary hair restoration treatments, to patients who have undergone hair transplantation surgery.

Contrary to what many people might think, there are actually many different forms of hair loss and they can stem from a variety of different conditions. This is why some cases of hair loss might respond to certain natural remedies while others will not. If you are looking for ways to help keep your hair healthy naturally, make sure that you are getting enough protein in the form of lean meat (chicken, fish, or pork) or quinoa, soy, whole grains, or beans.  Additionally, important nutrients like iron, which helps cells carry oxygen vital to the hair follicles, and omega-3 fatty acids, which make up the natural oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated, are essential for healthy hair growth.

I will often recommend various nutritional shakes to my patients, usually to supplement prescription blended topical compounds and other non-surgical hair restoration treatments. There are also many different shampoos and conditioners that can help improve the overall health of your hair and make hair loss less noticeable. Finally, advanced treatment options like red light laser therapy and platelet rich plasma both use completely natural means to help reduce hair loss and potentially stimulate re-growth. Remember, however, that not every case of hair loss will respond to natural treatments the same way and sometimes it is simply not possible to restore growth to the hair line in men without performing a hair transplantation procedure. I would encourage you to talk with a doctor who has experience treating hair loss so that they can fully diagnose your condition and formulate a comprehensive hair loss treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your needs.

First, it is important to remember that you are not alone. Women’s hair loss is actually much more common than many people think, and research published by the American Hair Loss Council suggests that as many as one out of every four women can expect to experience some degree of hair loss over the course of their lives. Unfortunately, hair loss in women is not always well understood and can often be difficult to diagnose. Even though women are frequently affected by genetic pattern baldness, women’s hair loss may also be the result of any one of a number of different factors, ranging from hormonal changes caused by thyroid abnormalities, menopause, or birth control pills, to physical stress from surgery, illness, anemia, or rapid weight loss, to the side effects of certain common medications. Simply put, the complexities of women’s hair loss require distinct, specialized approaches to both diagnosis and treatment.


I would definitely recommend that you follow through with your plan to visit a board-certified dermatologist. Because hair loss can be the result of so many different conditions, it is important that you undergo thorough diagnostic testing by a doctor who has experience treating women’s hair loss. If there is an underlying issue that requires attention, you need to deal with that before any hair restoration treatment can really be effective.