After doing my research for a year, I decided to give the PRP/Acell treatment a try. I’m in my early 50's and have been thinning for probably 20 years now. I've been taking hair vitamins, horsetail, D3, vitamin C, B complex and several others. I have also been using essential oils on my hair like peppermint and rosemary, castor oil and a few others. I have had some growth where I already have hair but the bald areas are tough to grow. I also use 5% Rogaine foam. I had a scalp biopsy last year to determine what type of Alopecia I had and Dr. Edwards explained to me the different type of treatments and the cost that was available. I started me on cortisone injections for about 6 or 7 months. My hair grew some around the edges so I decided to go a step further and try the PRP/Acell. This is my First treatment out of 3 and I will get them 2 months apart. I'm very optimistic and believe it will work to grow my hair. I will post pictures before and after when I start seeing a change so please remind me if you don’t hear back from me. The Nurse took my blood and spun it to separate the plasma. The Doctor came in and gave me numbing injections and the numbing injections on a scale of 1-10 and 10 being painful was a 7, the pain doesn't linger once it’s over and she moves on and injects the next spot and it’s a sting and that's it. She gave me about 12 injections for numbing all around the head. By the time she injected the last numbing injection my head was numb and she proceeded to inject the PRP/Acell. The whole process took about an hour and 15 min from me sitting in the chair giving up my blood, having it spun and the injections. The PRP Injections on a scale of 1 to 10 were a zero, there was no pain after numbing and no pain hours later when numbing wore off. No one could tell I had injections there was no swelling or pain afterwards and the scalp was a little tender and that's it, I went home and watched TV and later went out to dinner with friends. Today is the 4th day after the treatment and I feel fine. The doctor was very experienced and try's to specialize in no pain treatments, if she can figure out how to make the numbing injections painless then we will be on a roll for total pain free injections LOL. Some of the reviews that I read made me nervous because they were saying their forehead had swollen and someone said their eyes had swollen and that they had a lot of pain afterwards but I didn’t have any of that and I explained my concerns to the doctor and she told me she has never had anyone to complain of pain afterwards or a swollen forehead or eyes. After my injections I popped an extra strength Tylenol just in case. Now keep in mind everyone is different so we all have different reactions Updated on 12 Jul 2017: So far everything is going well, I see a little growth along the hairline but it could be the rogaine thats working. I am also taking a hair vitamin plus biotin. Updated on 26 Aug 2017: I had my second prp treatment with Acell today. I went in at 2pm and was done at 3pm. the pain was pretty awful and I am glad its over even though I was injected with the numbing I could still fill the pain in some areas. I have one more treatment which will be a total of three. I had the first treatment June 9th and my second one today August 25th. I am seeing new hair growth but its a slow process, the bald areas hasn't filled in yet but the areas where I had hair has grown some inches. After the treatment my head was numb for about 2 hours and when the numbing wore off I didn't feel any pain and I also took two Tylenols when I got home. I washed my hair the next day and slapped on a wig and went on about my day. I will give another update in 3 months. Updated on 1 Feb 2018: Its been 7 months since the First PRP treatment and my hair is growing slowly where I already had hair and the bald areas has peach fuzz, I have read that it takes 6 months to a year to start seeing remarkable results so I will report back in June 2018. I also have a regimen that includes essential oils that i rub on my scalp every other day and I use rogain foam 5% for women, and I am taking Amino acids, NAC, Biotin, Biosil, D3, Vit C, Magnesium Zinc and drinking plenty of water. At this point I wouldn't advise anyone to run out and get PRP, If I see a big difference in 5 months then i will post before and after pictures. Updated on 14 Feb 2019: had 3 session of PRP with Acell and my hair is much softer because it was dry and brittle but there was no growth. Please don't waste your valuable time or money. I was very patient and now its 2 years later and still have the same bald spots.
If you are experiencing shock loss the hair typically begins to grow back in 2-4 months in the new growth cycle.
The only FDA approved oral medication for hair loss is Propecia. This is a prescription drug that can obtained from a physician.
Many patients do their hair restoration in stages. If budget is not a concern, I encourage them to do the high end of the recommendation as although its not a tough procedure you may likely have better options to spend a day. In addition, your then pushing your total result out longer as it takes a year for the full result.
I know its nice to stay local for a procedure. However, I encourage patients to do their research a find the best fit for them, even it means they travel. Good luck.
Its normal to feel some pain in the donor area after the procedure. Most patients describe it as mild. If it doesn't improve, you should contact your physician.