Guest Post by Dr Mariah Mosley, Image by Martin Slavoljubovski from Pixabay 

Struggling with hair loss? Tried all treatments and nothing seems to help? At Nature Cure Family Health, we are now offering a new, cutting edge treatment for hair loss: microneedling with PRP.

PRP for Hair Loss: High Patient Satisfaction

You might have heard of microneedling with PRP used for acne scars, wrinkles, and fine lines. But it can also be a safe and effective way of reversing hair loss and stimulating new hair growth. These studies8,9 showed microneedling with PRP for androgenic alopecia (“AGA”, aka- male patterned baldness) showed “significant improvement” compared to just a topical pharmaceutical alone, and that Microneedling with PRP is a “safe, effective, and a promising tool for the management of AGA.” 

Microneedling is also shown11 to treat “telogen effluvium” (TE) which is a form of temporary hair loss due to a shock or a traumatic event. The study11 looking into Microneedling for AGA and TE showed “all the patients reported a partial or complete reduction in hair loss, [with] the perception of improvement of hair density and thickening of the hair shaft diameter.”

Stimulating Hair Follicles and New Hair Growth

This works similarly to microneedling on the face.  We perform microneedling in our office by using an FDA-approved device2 that uses fine needles which create tiny microtraumas on the top layer of the skin. This triggers the body (like it does with any small wound) to induce the wound healing cascade, and to increase blood supply to the hair follicles in the area. This study7 provided “evidence that microneedle stimulation can induce hair growth via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and VEGF,” which also corresponds to the wound healing repair pathway. The tiny injuries made during microneedling treatments allow for release of growth factors and cytokines (second messengers of the immune system). Growth factor increase in the area can also “help stimulate the activity of the hair follicles and promote new hair growth” according to one prominent clinical researcher6. When combined with the topical use of the patient’s own PRP (platelet rich plasma, aka the blood’s concentrated source of collagen-stimulating growth factors, etc), microneeding is taken to another level. In this way, we stimulate the body to heal itself from inside, and we are adding even more growth factors topically into these micro-channels. PRP is also rich in vitamins and minerals for hair growth and healing4.

Procedure: What should I expect?

The microneedling treatments last about 60 minutes from start to finish. The process starts with a numbing cream in area of treatment. While we wait the 15-20 minutes until fully numb, we draw the blood and extract the PRP serum to be used. Then we cleanse the area of treatment, and begin microneedling, applying PRP topically as we go.

Make sure to schedule a treatment at a time when you will not need to have your head exposed to the direct sunlight for 2-3 days after treatment. The day of the treatment you may feel that your skin is tighter than usual, or perhaps a bit sore. In the two days following, you may experience some redness and peeling. This is normal, and the serum and cream we will send home with you will help minimize redness and/or discomfort. Although many patients return to work the day after treatment, again, all patients should avoid direct sun exposure on the area for 48-72 hours afterwards. Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is also recommended.

Aftercare

Post-procedure is very important for microneedling. Some believe it is as important as the procedure itself! From reducing inflammation the first couple days, to supporting your body for the next 4-6 weeks after treatment while skin is remodeling and the hair follicles are growing, we give all our a patients a pre and post-care procedure so they can get the most out of their treatments. We also supply a topical product to decrease inflammation for the first 48 hours, reseal the barrier defense on skin, moisturize, and resupply nutrients after needling. What you put on and in your body can improve treatment results significantly.

Like all medical procedures, certain conditions do not warrant microneedling or are contraindicated. Contact our office for more information and to see if your are a candidate for microneedling for hair loss.

References:

  1. A Brief History of the Derma Roller http://dermarollerqmd.com/history-of-dermaroller/
  2. Skin Pen https://skinpen.com
  3. Vitamin Distribution in Red Blood Cells, Plasma, and Other Body Fluids https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/22/11/1469/4732993
  4. PRP for Hair Loss https://www.healthline.com/health/prp-for-hair-loss
  5. Platelet-rich plasma in androgenic alopecia: myth or an effective tool. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25136212
  6. Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. https://www.allure.com/story/platelet-rich-plasma-hair-loss-treatment
  7. Repeated Microneedle Stimulation Induces Enhanced Hair Growth in a Murine Model https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064188/
  8. A Comparative Study of Microneedling with Platelet-rich Plasma Plus Topical Minoxidil (5%) and Topical Minoxidil (5%) Alone in Androgenetic Alopecia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514790/
  9. A Randomized Evaluator Blinded Study of Effect of Microneedling in Androgenetic Alopecia: A Pilot Study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746236/
  10. Microneedling for the treatment of hair loss? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29194786
  11. Preliminary results of the use of scalp microneedling in different types of alopecia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31254437