Is it OK to do only PRP, and not use Minoxidil?

Great question! PRP is great for thinning hair. PRP uses growth factors in your own blood to stimulate the scalp to restore hair growth, increase thickness of hair, and improve the strength of hair. Treatment works best in areas of hair that are thinning, compared to areas of complete hair loss. We recommend getting three treatments 4-6 weeks apart, and then maintenance therapy would be once or twice a year. It is not necessary to combine treatment with minoxidil, but some patients benefit from combination therapy. It would be in your best interest to go to an expert injector in your area, so they can get a full history and help you get on the right path to hair loss recovery. Good luck!In Good Health,Ellen Mahony, MD. 

Thank you for your question.
I would start out with a consultation with a doctor that understands hair loss. It's very important to make sure we understand the degree of your hair loss and causes etc... Once we identify what is going on, we can make recommendations on the appropriate treatment.
Do you live close to Cincinnati? If not, feel free to send me photos and I will be more than happy to give you my opinion.

Yes, it is okay to have PRP treatments without also using minoxidil. However, the medicines work differently, so it is best to use them both to get the maximum benefit. It is a good idea to start one at a time to see which one (or both) is actually working – this takes at least 6 months.

A lot of my patients use PRP alone. I would assume your father had male pattern balding given the irreversibility of the hair loss. I recommend PRP injections monthly for 4-6 months and maintenance of 2 sessions per year. using minoxidil in addition may give synergistic results. 

Using PRP only for hair loss will not be harmful. It is just unpredictable if it will truly prevent further hair loss for you if your experiencing genetic hair loss ( Andrgenetic Alopecia). Also not sure how it could be concluded that all your fathers hair loss was due to jaundice.

The short answer is Yes. You can do only the PRP hair treatments. Minoxidil's mechanism of action is not fully understood but we do know it allows for increased blood flow to the hair follicles. Unfortunately minoxidil needs to be used indefinitely since once it is stopped the benefits go away. If you have large areas of hair loss minoxidil is not as effective. This is where PRP comes in as a great tool to improve hair loss. PRP treatments allow for improved blood vessel growth in the scalp that lasts longer. Minoxidil use at the same time or after PRP treatments can be supportive of improved hair growth. AS with most things that I recommend, it is very important you look at the root cause of your hair loss including metabolic issues, androgenic hair loss, hormone issues, micronutrient issues, antioxidant levels in the skin, certain medication issues, all of which can inhibit hair growth and diminish the effects of any treatments you are doing. Seek a knowledgeable functional medicine physician who knows how to evaluate and manage these things from the perspective of your hair loss.

Hair loss is a medical condition. Exclude other causes, then confirm androgenic alopecia. PRP is adjunctive management, and has to be ongoing, same with medical treatments. Your dermatologist will guide you regarding minoxidil, DHT modulators etc... all the best, Dr Davin S. Lim