{"id":13735,"date":"2020-03-05T13:27:23","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T21:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=13735"},"modified":"2023-10-17T16:18:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T23:18:53","slug":"prp-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/prp-terms","title":{"rendered":"PRP: 10 Terms That Define the Procedure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Walking into a cosmetic consultation can feel like entering a foreign country for the first time—you’re wholly unsure of your surroundings and don’t know a lick of the language. Which is why we’re launching <\/em>Beauty Speak<\/em><\/a>, where, every month, leading experts help us break down popular procedures into 10 key terms with easy-to-understand definitions. Consider it the Google Translate of aesthetics.<\/em><\/p>

Kim Kardashian<\/a>. Vampires<\/a>. HIV<\/a>. <\/p>

Word-association games are no friend to platelet-rich plasma (PRP)<\/a>, the in-office treatment that made blood a next-level beautifier. Still, despite the sometimes sensational buzz surrounding PRP<\/a>, aesthetics doctors routinely promote it as “liquid gold”—an all-natural, self-made solution for everything from lackluster skin to thinning hair and lagging libido.<\/p>

Interested in PRP?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>

In its every iteration, PRP therapy relies on plasma—the liquid portion of blood that carries red and white cells, platelets, and nutrients throughout the body. The fraction of plasma with an abundance of platelets is referred to, aptly so, as PRP. These platelets aren’t just blood-clotting agents but a rich source of reparative growth factors<\/a>. <\/p>

The earliest descriptions<\/a> of PRP come from hematology (no surprise), where doctors counted on it to transfuse patients with platelet-impoverished blood. It was later used in maxillofacial and orthopedic surgery, to quell inflammation and speed wound healing. Only within the last decade or so have dermatologists and plastic surgeons begun seriously exploring the myriad ways PRP may improve the health and appearance of our skin and hair.<\/p>

The small studies<\/a>, systematic reviews<\/a>, and case reports<\/a> that exist in the literature paint PRP as a promising treatment for certain types of hair loss<\/a>, post-procedure wound healing, select scars<\/a>, skin rejuvenation, and, most recently, sexual-health issues<\/a> across genders. Yet they almost always come with a caveat: more randomized, controlled studies are needed.<\/p>

With the PRP conversation evolving daily, we asked board-eligible Nashville plastic surgeon Dr. Amaka Nwubah<\/a> to update our lexicon with 10 terms that capture the procedure, hold the hype.<\/p>

Alopecia<\/h2>

The primary type of hair loss that PRP treats, androgenic alopecia<\/a> is hormonally driven and affects both men and women. “In males, this pattern of baldness is characterized by a receding hairline that forms an M shape; in women, thinning typically occurs along the part, on the crown, or in some cases, all over the head,” explains Dr. Nwubah. She’s also had success treating postpartum alopecia<\/a> with PRP, along with three types of stress alopecia when caught early—trauma-induced telogen effluvium<\/a>, trichotillomania<\/a> (aka hair-pulling disorder), and the autoimmune disease alopecia areata<\/a>. “By stimulating the stem cells around the hair follicle, accelerating tissue healing, and promoting new cellular growth, PRP causes new hairs to sprout and thickens existing strands,” she says. But it doesn’t work for total or advanced balding. “There must be mature hairs and functioning hair follicles in the area that the PRP can signal, to trigger dormant and baby follicles to blossom.”<\/p>

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Treatment Spotlight: PRP Hair and Scalp Fortification⁠ ⁠ Due to popular demand, we’ve expanded our SkinLabRx regenerative program to address the woefully underserve hair and scalp! Injections of growth-factor rich PRP (collected from your own blood) stimulate follicles to regenerate thinning and damaged hair and redirect the course of scalp aging. A multi-pronged approach, which includes a full evaluation and an at-home regimen of topicals and supplements, is the key to achieving optimal results.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #prp #hairgrowth #thinninghair #hairprp #prp #prphairrestoration #hairrestoration #skinlabrx #alopecia #thinhair #medspa #medicalspa #nyc #nycmedspa #beautysolutions #hairtips #pregnancy #postpartumhairloss #stress #stressmanagement #microneedling #microneedle #injection #regenerate #skinregeneration #plasticsurgery #surgeon #plasticsurgeon #nycmedicalspa #drhirmand<\/a><\/p>

A post shared by Dr. Haideh Hirmand<\/a> (@drhirmand) on