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What is PRP Therapy?

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PRP therapy, also known as platelet rich plasma therapy, is an increasingly popular technique for hair restoration. To give some context, a platelet is a cell particle without a nucleus, lacking DNA, and is responsible for proper blood clotting. What most people don’t know, though, is that platelets also contain a significant amount of healing factors and growth proteins. These characteristics, then, make it very effective in treatment for hair loss. This plasma, of course, can only be obtained by extracting it from a patient’s blood.

During a PRP treatment, patients have their blood drawn & stored in small vials. These are then brought to a separate room where they’re placed in a machine & rapidly spun in different directions. This multi-spin technique is a special touch by Dr. Yazdan & Modena Hair Institute, and it means that there’s a near-total extraction of PRP in the end, which is almost unheard of otherwise.

To fully understand PRP therapy, it’s also vital to understand two things: stem cells & ACell.

Let’s start with the former. As far as stem cells go, there are two types: embryonic and adult. The former are extracted from, well, embryos, and have many potential applications in medicine, but in this context we’ll focus on the latter. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found throughout the body after development; they multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells, and regenerate damaged tissues in turn. This combination of platelets and stem cells creates a hair growth serum that can quickly promote strong, stable hair growth. As for the other version of this procedure, the additional factor that comes into play is a product known as ACell, which is made out of multiple carbohydrates, collagens, proteins, and other components that facilitate a regenerative process. It, like stem cells, is mixed in with the PRP to enhance efficacy.

While this procedure tends to be considered an option for people who need an alternative to a hair transplant, PRP can also be used in combination with FUE or FUT hair transplant surgery procedures. During an FUE procedure, the PRP is harvested and injected primarily in the donor and recipient zone.  In FUT/Strip procedures, the PRP is injected in the donor scar as well as the recipient area. We have noticed that patients who undergo PRP with their surgery tend to see decreased graft shedding after the procedure, along with faster healing, improved strip scar outcome, and quicker visible results.

The procedure starts with the doctor drawing 100ml of blood, similar to a regular blood draw at the lab. The blood is then put inside of a centrifuge in Dr. Yazdan’s proprietary method which includes multiple spins at different RPM’s to separate the platelet rich plasma from the platelet poor plasma and red blood cells. The PRP is then harvested and injected with a microneedle by Dr. Yazdan in the areas where a patient is experiencing hair loss. The process generally takes about 45 minutes, and there is usually no downtime after having a PRP procedure; many patients are even able to have it done during their lunch break. Patients can sometimes experience some soreness in the scalp for up to 24 hours, which is normal, and resolves by itself.

A patient of Dr. Yazdan undergoing PRP therapy.

Dr. Yazdan, here at Modena Hair Institute, is one of the few doctors who actually performs the injections and PRP procedure himself, while other clinics will irresponsibly let technicians and assistants carry it out. Technicians may be cheaper and helpful to the doctors who don’t feel like doing their own procedures, but the fact of the matter is that they haven’t undergone the years of education and vigorous training that a board certified physician has. This inexperience can increase the risk of poor results, even including loss of hair after the procedure. It’s imperative to search for a licensed physician, such as Dr. Yazdan, who specializes in hair restoration and hair loss, bringing the experience to help you achieve your desired results.

If you are interested in learning more about PRP procedures, you can find Dr. Yazdan at one of our offices located in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, and Las Vegas.

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The Truth About Female Hair Loss (& How It Can Be Treated with PRP Therapy)

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A little known treatment, PRP therapy has revolutionized the way hair restoration specialists approach female hair loss. If you’re like many other people out there, you probably tend to associate hair loss with men exclusively. However, you might be surprised to learn that there are far more women suffering from it than you might expect. In fact, according to the American Hair Loss Association, 40% of women end up experiencing it by the age of 50. 

Here are some of the many reasons why certain women endure hair loss in their lifetime:

Genetics

As it is with men, a genetic predisposition to hair loss, referred to in this case as Female Pattern Hair Loss, is the most common cause of thinning & balding in women. Unlike men, though, women will begin to notice this occurring as the center part in the middle of their scalp begins to widen, rather than experiencing thinning in the front. 

Telogen Effluvium

This form of hair loss is relatively common as well, and refers to when a large amount of hair follicles shift into the resting phase of their life cycle known as the “telogen” phase. As a result, one tends to experience a dramatic shedding of hair. This can be caused by anything from stress, to trauma, to drug use, to hormonal imbalances & nutritional issues. 

Alopecia Areata

In short, this is an autoimmune disorder that can cause varying degrees of patchy hair loss in women, along with men. This can either just amount to scattered thinning, or progress as far as advanced balding with a few patches of hair clinging on. 

Scarring Alopecia

As implied by the name, this refers to hair loss that results from scarring on the scalp. This can be caused by tight braiding or other hairstyles that put high stress on your hair, as well as pulling, ripping, and tearing. 

Trichotillomania

This can essentially be described as a compulsion to pluck one’s hair. It might just happen while you’re performing other activities & your mind wanders off, but some also find themselves doing it in habitual patterns. This, of course, causes scarring alopecia over a long period of time, along with permanent hair loss. In this case, before any treatment can be done for the hair, the psychological issue has to be handled.

The varying degrees of female hair loss.

Regardless of how women encounter it, it can be a devastating ordeal for them to suffer through, oftentimes making a significant impact on their self-esteem. Since a lack of confidence can lead to difficulties in many other aspects of life, it’s vital that this issue is tackled head on & in the most effective way possible. For women, we’ve found that the one true way of accomplishing that task is through the use of PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy.

The acronym stands for platelet-rich plasma, and as discussed on the Modena Hair Institute site: “PRP is a concentration of your own autologous platelets which have reservoirs filled with powerful growth factors and healing agents.” 

In carrying out the procedure, “It is ‘harvested’ from your own blood. This is done by collecting a small volume of your blood and spinning it down to separate the red blood cells from the platelet cells.” After that process is completed, the extracted plasma goes through activation & gets reintroduced into you through various minor injections into the scalp. In the process, growth & stem cells that are already in the body are called to action to assist in the hair regrowth process.

This procedure has been used since the 1970s across many different medical disciplines, including pain management, sports medicine, cosmetic surgery & dentistry, along with hair restoration. It’s been clinically proven to work across multiple studies, and there’s even specific science behind why it works.

As discussed by Dr. Amir Yazdan of Modena Hair Institute: 

“The presumed mechanism is that elements within the plasma, such as: platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, fibroblast growth factor, [etc.] help stimulate the immune and endocrine systems to decrease hair loss”

The treatment is often implemented along with hair transplant surgery, but for those who aren’t eligible for those types of procedures, like many women, PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy is an excellent way to get started on the path to a full, luscious head of hair. 

There are key factors, however, that we think you should keep in mind when picking out a clinic. For starters, the person performing the procedure needs specialized equipment to fully extract the necessary PRP from the patient’s blood. As discussed in the video above, Dr.Yazdan utilizes a special procedure called the “multiple-spin technique”, along with taking advantage of natural growth factors & activators to maximize the results. As for the final factor, seeing as this is a medical procedure, we can’t stress enough that the only person who should be performing it for you is a licensed physician. We understand that here at Modena Hair Institute, and that’s why Dr. Yazdan, a board-certified hair restoration surgeon & physician, performs these procedures at his Newport, Beverly Hills & Las Vegas locations. Utilizing specialized equipment & years of experience, we’ll have your hair coming back quickly, fully, and naturally.

Learn more about the procedure & the many other services we offer on our website, and make sure you contact us to set up your consultation.

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What If a Hair Transplant Isn’t an Option?

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As hair restoration options grow more effective and varied, FUE & FUT transplants continue to be permanently significant. Yet there are some factors that can limit one’s hair restoration options. For instance, if your available donor areas don’t have enough follicles for your transplant area, you’ll have a hard time getting either type of procedure done. People suffering from alopecia areata, otherwise known as spot baldness, also find themselves unable to receive a transplant due to their condition. These, along with other factors we haven’t mentioned, mean that effective alternatives to a hair transplant are an absolute must.

Thankfully, they’re not only out there, but they’ve already helped scores of people change their life & get their hair back. These treatments, known as PRP hair regrowth therapy, scalp micro pigmentation, and low level laser therapy, are often used as supplements to hair transplants, but they’ve also been extremely helpful as standalone procedures. Let’s go through them one by one so we can show what makes them as important & effective as they are.

PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy

If you aren’t familiar, PRP is short for platelet-rich plasma, which exists as part of one’s blood &  has a wide range of natural healing & growth properties. To obtain its benefits, a hair restoration surgeon like Dr. Amir Yazdan of Modena Hair Institute will begin the procedure by drawing some of your blood & preparing it for PRP extraction. Here at Modena, Dr. Yazdan uses a specialized process unique to his Las Vegas, Beverly Hills & Newport clinics. Specifically, he performs what’s known as the “multiple-spin technique”, which involves rapidly spinning the vial of blood in different directions at high speeds until nearly all the PRP in the sample is separated. From there, proprietary growth factors & activators are added to maximize the growth & healing potential of the plasma.

Once that’s completed, the PRP is lightly injected into the scalp & begins its work to shift follicles from what’s known as the “telogen” phase of their life cycle (when hair loss occurs) to “anagen”, or the growing phase. This, along with the assistance it offers the immune & endocrine systems in tackling hair loss, begins to show in as little as three weeks, fully manifesting in a matter of a few months from there. 

With the combination of our unique extraction system, the state-of-the-art technology at our clinics, and the years of expertise Dr. Yazdan brings to the table, PRP hair regrowth therapy has become a treatment choice for countless Modena patients, whether they’re receiving it on its own or getting it in supplement to a FUE or strip hair transplant.

Scalp Micro Pigmentation

Before & after a SMP procedure at Modena Hair Institute (performed by Dr. Yazdan)

Like PRP therapy, scalp micro pigmentation, known as SMP for short, is quite common as both a standalone procedure & a supplement to others. Unlike PRP though, there’s no drawing of blood involved, and the needles being used are attached to tattoo guns, rather than syringes. 

This is far from a tattoo you could get at a shop across the street, though. How, you ask? Well, simply, it’s medical-grade. With SMP, every aspect, including ink, tools, and the person performing the procedure, falls under the strict supervision of the state’s medical licensing  board, while the inks, processes & tattooers at conventional shops are entirely unregulated from a medical standpoint. Even professional tattoo artists acknowledge infections as a potential danger with their work, and an ink-related infection in the scalp area could be disastrous for future hair growth. Besides that, even just from a cosmetic standpoint, a tattoo artist with no knowledge of hair groupings would be bound to fumble in the pursuit of creating a natural look. In short, not just any tattoo or tattooer will do. Whoever performs this procedure for you needs to know your hair growth pattern like it’s their own first name, along with needing to stick to strict medical codes & keep your safety at the forefront of their mind.

When you come into a Modena clinic, you can be sure that’s exactly what you’re getting. Dr. Yazdan, a licensed physician, has dedicated much of his time to perfecting the SMP procedure, and his patients’ results show that he’s done the necessary work to achieve optimal results in the safest possible way.

Low Level Laser Therapy

Lastly, having become an increasingly popular phenomenon in the past few years, low level laser therapy, known as LLLT or simply “laser hair therapy”, has shown to be very promising for a significant amount of people. So how does it work? Well, as told in the name, in LLLT, a series of low level laser diodes is distributed evenly surrounding the scalp, firing off periodically to kick follicles into the “anagen” stage of their life cycle. This, as we mentioned before, is when hair growth takes place.

As it goes with these promising technologies, not all iterations live up to the hype. For instance, many companies making LLLT devices have cut costs with their products by making them far too weak to be effective. Others are just low quality through & through, merely made to cash in on a rising trend. 

There is one, however, that we’ve found to stick out beyond the rest in a big way. Known as the CapillusRX, its first strength comes in the amount of diodes it boasts compared to the competition. Rather than sticking in the 100-200 range like much of the competition, it comes packed with 312 diodes that cover the entire scalp with little to no blank space. Its second advantage comes with convenience; rather than needing to come into a clinic for treatment, CapillusRX owners can carry out their anti-hair loss therapy in the comfort of their own home, with the device fitting on one’s head like a regular cap. Lastly, this devices rises above the others with the virtue of saving time; patients only have to wear it for six minutes each day, and results start appearing within a few months of starting treatment. 

If you already opened a new tab to order it to your door, slow down. Unlike the standard, less effective alternatives, you can’t order this from a store; it’s only available via licensed physicians who offer it out of their practice. Fortunately for you, Dr. Yazdan offers the CapillusRX out of every Modena location in California & Nevada, and all you need to do is reach out & stop in for a consultation to see whether LLLT is the right hair loss treatment for you. 

Learn more about PRP therapy, SMP, and LLLT, along with the many other services & treatments we offer, by visiting our website.