One of the most fascinating things about studying hair loss and hair restoration is that new discoveries are being made almost every day. From new surgical techniques and equipment to improved hair transplantation results to advanced non-surgical hair maintenance treatments that can help prevent patients from losing hair early in life, Dr. Amir Yazdan at The Modena Hair Institute has been at the forefront of hair restoration research. In that time, he has had the opportunity to experiment with many different treatment methods – one of the most exciting and versatile he has found is the use of platelet rich plasma, or PRP, which relies on the natural healing properties of a patient’s own blood to significantly improve both surgical and non-surgical hair restoration results.
How Does Platelet Rich Plasma Work?
The blood in your body is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which are small, disk-shaped cell fragments that facilitate clotting, promote tissue regeneration, and secrete growth factors that initiate cell regrowth. Platelet rich plasma is created by spinning a sample of the patient’s own blood in a centrifuge to separate out a concentrated solution of platelets and plasma components. Platelet rich plasma contains approximately five to seven times the number of platelets found in normal circulating blood along with bioactive proteins that aid in wound healing and is frequently used to help speed the recovery of patients who have suffered from sports injuries and other forms of trauma.
The Amazing Results of PRP
At Modena Hair Institute in Orange County, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas, we use platelet rich plasma in one of two ways. First, platelet rich plasma serves as an excellent, nutrient rich transport material for donor follicles that are harvested during follicular unit grafting or follicular unit extraction (FUE) surgical hair transplantation procedures. By keeping these follicles in a healthy state we can significantly improve their survival rate and overall hair transplant results.  Moreover, our research has found that injecting concentrated PRP directly into the patient’s scalp can increase both the size and healthiness of hair follicles that have begun to shrink as a result of androgenetic alopecia, or common genetic pattern baldness.  This means that injections of platelet rich plasma can create thicker looking hair by promoting growth if the dormant follicles, slow the progression of some forms of hair loss, and help maintain hair transplantation results.
Every patient and every case of hair loss is unique, so platelet rich plasma is not necessarily the right treatment for everyone.  At Modena Hair Institute we carefully diagnose the nature of your hair loss so that we can create a customized treatment plan that is right for you.
Commonly asked questions about Platelet Rich Plasma Treatments:
Q: How long does it take to recover from PRP?
A: Most PRP patients can continue their daily activities immediately following the injections.
Q: How long does it take for PRP to take effect?
A: We recommend a set of three initial treatments that are each six weeks apart, followed by a repeat treatment one year after the first to achieve the best results.
Q: Can PRP grow new hair?
A: PRP has proven effective as a standalone treatment for patients with specific types of hair loss, particularly for genetic pattern hair loss and some forms of traction alopecia. It has even been effective with some cases of alopecia areata, eyebrow hypertrichosis, and chronic telogen effluvium.
Q: How long does a PRP treatment session take?
A: Each treatment generally takes less than an hour.
Q: What are the side effects of platelet rich plasma therapy treatments?
A: Side effects are minimal, with the most common being some pain with the injection, pinpoint bleeding, and redness at the site of injection. Less common, but always a risk with any type of injection treatment, are injury to blood vessels or nerves, infection, calcification at the injection points, and scar tissue.

Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.