H.L. Greenberg, MD

In my clinic we start treating with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) every month for 4 months then every 6 months.  PRP is popular and has been used for years, but there are multiple PRP systems in place and you want to make sure that the PRP used on you is from a company with a proven track record of extracting the PRP and leaving the Red Cells and White Cells out of the PRP injected into your scalp.  Other options- hair helmet, supplements, vitamins, hair growth shampoos, and FDA Approved Rogaine- see a board certified dermatologist to make sure that there is no underlying medical reason for hair loss.  Good luck.

Smoking is not a healthy behavior, but I am unaware of its effect on platelets or PRP treatments.  Some physicians have patients stop smoking prior to surgery.

Hair loss needs to be evaluated for a medical cause initially. Once medical issues such as thyroid, anemia, nutritional deficiency or other autoimmune disease have been ruled out, the more common causes such as male pattern loss can be entertained.  Propecia/finasteride is an oral FDA approved treatment for hair loss, as is Rogaine for men.  PRP is FDA cleared for hair loss, but would not be my 1st option in most hair loss cases.  In general PRP aka platelet rich plasma consists of a series of 4 injection sessions spaced 1 month apart followed by every 6 month treatments.  Make sure the PRP tubes used are cleared for the purpose of reinfection and that you are getting good PRP without RBC's or WBC's. Good luck!

I'm a big fan of utilizing multiple mechanisms of action to treat hair loss- beginning with searching for an underlying cause: thyroid, anemia, kidney disease, nutritional deficiency and then treating with hair growth shampoos, minoxidil, supplements, laser and PRP.  Good luck!

We use the Eclipse system in my practice to regrow hair using your own platelet rich plasma.  There are a number of systems that are available- ideally, whichever system is used to obtain your PRP separates out the platelet rich plasma from the red cells and the white cells which will not help in terms of the growth factors utilized by PRP to stimulate hair growth.  Find out the system being used and consider switching to a different system if no results.

PRP is not FDA approved for hair loss, but it is FDA cleared.  In my practice I have noticed about a 20-40% improvement with 4 treatments spaced 1 month apart.  Other FDA approved treatments include propecia and rogaine.  In my experience some patients take more time to improve then others, and it doesn't work for everyone.  The PRP system you used may not be ideal; find out which system was used to get the PRP- we are currently using the Eclipse system.  Good luck.

Anyone can do any procedure, but can the person doing the procedure handle any possible complication from that procedure?  Risks of filler injection include blindness, vascular necrosis, and injury.  Whereas botox injections can cause unwanted paralysis, eyelid drooping and double vision.  Additionally, if these procedures are not done with the proper technique, infection and granuloma formation are also risks.  The core 4- Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, ENT, and Facial Plastics may be your best option when it comes to Botox and filler injection as it is part of our training during an intense residency program.  Do your own research and ask a lot of questions.  Even the best surgeons will have complications- there are no guarantees in medicine, including cosmetic surgery.

This looks like a standard shave biopsy wound, which appears to be granulating in and healing appropriately.  The only issue I see is an adhesive allergy where the band aid has caused a reaction to the tissue.  There also appears to be a little redness around the edge of the wound itself.  If it starts to streak, ooze or look worse, you may want to call your doctor to look at it.  Although many other providers suggest neosporin, I never use it because people can have allergies to neomycin or bacitracin; typically I’ll just use Vaseline to clean wounds or Bactroban if there is an infected area.  Biopsies of nevi require more depth to them to get under the nevi cells.  The area once biopsied requires some, “hyfercation” to stop the bleeding.  Looks like you were in good hands.

Laser Hair Removal is a great treatment for reducing unwanted hair and shrinking the size of those hairs.  Additionally, there may be a reduction in the number of ingrown hairs after an initial series of treatments.  Anytime you change the way in which you remove hair- waxing, epilating, shaving, using an electric razor or layering, you will get a reaction.  We have 2 lasers for hair removal in my office a Yag laser for darker skin types and an Alexandrite laser for lighter skin types.  Make sure the right laser is chosen for your skin type.  Black heads need to be extracted, lasers probably won't get rid of them.  Hyperpigmentation may fade in lighter skin types with an Alexandrite laser as a side effect of the treatment, but most likely another therapy- bleaching cream or Q switched Yag may be necessary to remove the unwanted discoloration.

I reviewed your photos, and noticed not much, if any swelling at all in the lower lip, was that injected?  If both lips were swollen by filler being injected in both at the same visit, it would appear less obvious than if just one lip was swollen.  A common request from my patients is that they want for their upper and lower lips to be the same size, or they want to fill only their upper lip.  It's important to fill both in order to obtain some symmetry and balance with the enhancement.  Having a larger lower lip is more natural, and a little filler there would help.  As for the swelling, it should go down over the next 1-2 weeks- your physician should be able to guide you through and hopefully, the swelling will resolve without having to dissolve the product.  Options are many, but include ice, steroids, arnica, bromelain and ultimately hyaluronidase to dissolve the product.  Don't give up yet, it may still yield a great result.