I'm shedding after PRP. Should I get my next treatment, or should I delay until shedding resolves? 3 wks post op.

Question

I'm 29YF. 3 weeks ago I had pure PRP with microneedling. The machine used was an Eclipse. Lidocaine was injected as anesthesia. A week after, my hair started shedding all different lengths, bulb attached. 3-4x usual amount. I called the doctor's office and asked if it was the lidocaine. They said it was probably the microneedling and that I should come in as planned (6 weeks from first appt). A) does this shed sound normal? B) when might it resolve, and C) should I keep going with PRP?

Glenn Charles, DO · Answer

It is not uncommon to experience some shedding the first few weeks after a PRP treatment. There is not a proven protocol on PRP treatment intervals.I have heard as often at as every month to only twice a year. The shedding should only last 2-3 weeks. Having a second PRP treatment 6 weeks after the first treatment in not unreasonable PRP clearly works for some patients and not for others .I generally tell patients if you do not see any results after 3 treatments then it might not be worth continuing.

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Thank you for question. You are 29-years-old, and had PRP applied to your scalp with microneedling using lidocaine. After about a week, you 3-4 times the normal hair shedding. The doctor said it was likely the microneedling. You are asking if the shed is normal, when it might resolve, and if you should keep using PRP.
I can certainly give you some guidance about this. I’m a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Fellowship-trained Oculoplastic Surgeon. I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I’ve been performing hair transplants since I started my practice. I’m also the founder of TrichoStem Hair Regeneration Centers, based on a system we developed that uses extracellular matrix and PRP for non-surgical treatment of pattern hair loss for men and women since 2011. We have patients from around the world who come to see us for this treatment.
Microneedling can cause trauma to the scalp, resulting in hair shedding. Normally, microneedling to the scalp is not deep enough to damage hair follicles, but you should discuss this with your doctor as I’m not aware of the details and protocol of your treatment. Microneedling itself is meant as a controlled injury, with the body reacting with a wound healing response. Although microneedling does produce collagen as a wound healing response, collagen is not factor for renewed hair growth. For the scalp to respond with a renewed hair growth cycle due to microneedling is up for debate, but success with this approach is inconsistent at best.
Although I have used microneedling with PRP to treat issues like acne scars, and wrinkles as they do benefit from collagen stimulation, most doctors who apply PRP alone for hair loss use an injection treatment. PRP is proven to stimulate hair growth. However, in my experience, I find that PRP only stimulates short-term hair growth, which will take several treatments to achieve, and more treatments to sustain. With PRP alone to treat hair loss, it’s difficult to get an answer from doctors for how many treatments they will need, and how long they will need treatment.
I have been doing hair loss injections since 2011, and have pioneered hair loss injection treatments with our Hair Regeneration system. PRP is not the main ingredient, but rather the activator of the main ingredient extracellular matrix by ACell. With this treatment, we can get more predictable results than PRP alone, with far less treatments. For female pattern hair loss patients, over 99% see thicker hair and more hair density. For most patients, only one treatment is needed, which can last 3-5 years, often beyond. Some patients with advanced hair loss may get a second treatment at 15-24 months. Each treatment is customized based on a person’s age, age of onset of hair loss, degree of hair loss, and other hair loss medications or treatment used. 
There is more than one treatment or protocol available for female pattern hair loss. It is important to establish what your chosen doctor’s experience is, what results you expect to see, how many treatments it will take to achieve results, and how long the results will last. Look into other treatment protocols before considering microneedling and PRP as the only option. I hope you found this information helpful. Thank you for your question.

I'm shedding after PRP. Should I get my next treatment, or should I delay until shedding resolves? 3 wks post op.

Answers (2)

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I'm shedding after PRP. Should I get my next treatment, or should I delay until shedding resolves? 3 wks post op.

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about PRP for Hair Loss

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.