Is it normal to not be numbed at all before receiving PRP injections in the scalp?

Hi.  We routinely offer topical numbing cream and/or local anesthetic injections to patients and have not seen any interference with the hair growth.  There are other techniques that provide comfort that do not include a cream or injection, so before your next treatment, ask your plastic surgeon what else they can offer.  Being more comfortable, a more thorough treatment will be possible.

We do not numb the area, injections in the scalp are rarely painful at all if done with proper technique.  Best, Dr. Emer.

In my opinion, using a topical anesthetic prior to injecting with PRP is optional. Approximately 20 to 25% of our patients decide to  have a topical anesthetic. We like to use a Zimmer chiller prior to injection. Patients are usually comfortable with this technique. There is great variation in the amount of pain with PRP injection. The difference is based upon the level of injection and technique used. Find a PRP expert. GOOD LUCK.

Thank you for your question! It depends on whether your provider is able to provide the anesthetic for your procedure.  We offer either ice or a Zimmer cooler prior to the procedure to reduce blood flow to your scalp temporarily to reduce inflammation, which causes pain.  We also offer regional anesthesia to block specific nerves that provide sensation to the scalp.  Pain varies from one person to the other, so we tailor our anesthetic to each individual patient and have found success with pain control with both techniques.  We have not experienced any decrease in effectiveness of our PRP treatments with the use of the anesthetic options we offer, which makes sense as far as how cryotherapy and local anesthetic work in relation to how PRP works.  Pain doesn’t necessarily mean increase in effectiveness.  Best!  –Dr. Bobby

Platet-Rich-Plasma treatments, also known as PRP. This procedure is done by drawing the patient’s blood, then centrifuging it to retrieve the patient’s own growth factors. We then inject the high concentrated growth factors directly into where we see the hair loss or volume reduction. To distract our patients we use our Zimmer Cryo, which cools the epidermis before injection by simply blowing -30 degree air. Mild tenderness can be expected post treatment but most patients can resume normal activity the following day.