ACell + PRP Hair Restoration Therapy addresses the diffusion of hair thinning resulting from androgenic alopecia. This is great news for those of us who don’t have a full head of hair. Some of us have fine hair, maybe a receding hair-line or thinning crown that gradually gets worse over time. So, what if you’ve tried everything? Always eaten right and maintained good health? Good news, there is no need to throw in the towel. We understand what lack of hair can do to someone’s self-esteem, as lack of hair makes us lose our youthful appearance.
Let me break this down for you:
This injection is made up of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) taken from the patients’ own blood and an extracellular matrix powder that is extracted from the bladder of pigs (ACell). This treatment causes miniaturized hair follicles to become healthier and larger, producing more dense hair growth.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
Platelets normally work to induce the healing process in our injuries, and if we lack blood flow, it can stop the optimal and natural healing in our bodies. Because of the high concentration levels in the platelets, PRP is filled with healing properties that will boost proper healing in the body. During the process of concentrating the platelets, they become worth six times their normal blood value.
The blood will be drawn from the patient to use on the subject personally. The platelets are injected into the scalp, which will stimulate hair follicles to begin and active growth phase. Although an injection to the scalp might sound scary, it’s not as bad as you may think and the process usually takes less than 30 minutes. We use a topical numbing cream and cryotherapy to make it more tolerable.
In aesthetic procedures, it speeds up the process and provides a fresh appearance. Patients treated with PRP experience up to 42% increased hair growth. With this in mind, if we are experiencing hair loss, PRP injections can restore our scalp, density and revive our hair!
–ACell
ACell’s MatriStem® technology is a naturally occurring, non-crosslinked, completely resorbable, acellular material. It is derived from the bladders of pigs. It is best to think of this product as a scaffolding technology. It triggers new blood vessel formation and recruits various cell types to the site of injection. During the healing process, the scaffold is degraded and resorbed, leaving new tissue in its place.
ACell is mixed with the patient’s PRP and is injected into the scalp. Our bodies then respond in a healing manner, which has the effect of regeneration of hair by stimulating the scalp. This is because the healing response that our body has, naturally attracts and increase in blood-flow and also adult stem cells. After years of clinical observation, we can conclude that this also brings about an improvement in the quality of the hair that is generated and its’ longevity.
It is important to note that this product is filtered by stripping out all cells and muscle tissue in order to obtain prevention to allergic reactions in humans.
This treatment is ideal for both men and women. It does not mean that every patient will have the same results or in the same amount of time, it varies with each individual.
Figure 1: Six months post PRP injection. 2 treatments in total.
What To Expect After The Procedure:
After the procedure, you may resume normal activities. It is advised to return home afterwards since it is not recommended to wash your hair until the evening. There may possibly be some scalp tenderness for a few days. It is important to note that effective PRP treatment depends on the severity of the problem individually. This is how it all comes together to restore hair growth.
Typical recommendations for treatment is 2 treatments of PRP+ACell in a 6-month period then re-assess. Typically a maintenance schedule of 1-2 times per year is recommended. We may also recommend further, adjunct therapy to help stimulate hair growth that can be done at home.