PRP Therapy – Platelet Rich Plasma

Although blood is mainly a liquid (called plasma), it also contains small solid components (red cells, white cells, and platelets.) The platelets are best known for their importance in clotting blood. However, platelets also contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors which are very important in the healing of injuries.

PRP is plasma with many more platelets than what is typically found in blood. The concentration of platelets — and, thereby, the concentration of growth factors — can be 5 to 10 times greater (or richer) than usual.

To develop a PRP preparation, blood must first be drawn from your body. The platelets are separated from other blood cells and their concentration is increased during a process called Centrifugation. Then the increased concentration of platelets is combined with the remaining blood. The area with decreased density of hair is injected with the PRP preparation.

Although it is not exactly clear how PRP works, but laboratory studies have shown that the increased concentration of growth factors in PRP can potentially speed up the growth of hairs.