PRP Injections: What is PRP Therapy and How Does it Work?

Patients often ask us questions like “What does PRP stand for”, “What is PRP treatment”, or even “What is platelet-rich plasma treatment?”. This is perhaps unsurprising due to the sudden popularity of the treatment for aiding hair transplants, and as such we have decided to bring you this complete guide to PRP injections in order to explain exactly how the process works.

In recent years, science has been developing in leaps and bounds when it comes to the human body’s natural ability to heal itself. Stem cells are one way in which this is happening, but another you are likely hearing about more and more often is PRP injections.

PRP stands for Platelet-rich plasma therapy, and it describes a new treatment that works by encouraging and harnessing your built-in growth factors in order to heal damaged tissue more quickly.

This is highly beneficial as part of a hair transplant procedure as it helps not only to speed up recovery and improve the end results, but it also aids the transplanted follicles to take root more quickly and helps to prevent infection.

But how do you know if it’s a worthwhile treatment for you, or if it even works?

Don’t worry, because we’ll break it all down for you right here. By the end of this post, you’ll know the ins and outs of PRP injections, how PRP therapy works, and whether it’s right for you, so let’s start with the basics:

What are Platelets?

Platelets are small, colourless blood cells that are found in our blood and that are responsible for blood clotting and related healing functions. They work by travelling to the site of injury and releasing several growth factors to more easily facilitate the healing process.

What is Plasma & What Does Plasma Do?

Plasma is the part of our blood that is liquid. It’s made almost completely from water and proteins and provides a way for platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells to move around the body and get where they need to be.

Both platelets and plasma are crucial to the healing process since if we get a wound, the plasma must carry the platelets to the damaged area so that the area can scab over and heal itself.

What are PRP Injections & How do They Work?

Here at Head Quarters our expert team use Plasma Rich Platelet Therapy, or PRP as a non-surgical hair restoration treatment that utilises the body’s natural regeneration properties. It’s an in-clinic treatment that takes around an hour, and the treatment should be repeated every 2-3 months for optimum results.

In the context of using it in hair restoration it aims to; expedite the healing process after a hair transplant procedure and strengthen and stimulate hair growth.

How we do it?

Our HQ doctor takes a sample of blood (a quick and easy process similar to when you have a blood test) we then use a centrifuge machine to separate the red blood cells and plasma containing platelets. Platelets are the component that promotes healing and regeneration. We take these naturally occurring platelets and inject them directly to the area(s) required.

When these concentrated, activated platelets are injected into an injured or diseased area, they stimulate the body’s natural repair processes and speed up healing.

This is a popular treatment for injuries and can both heal tissue such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and help to reduce inflammation.

However, PRP procedures also hold huge benefits for hair loss procedures, since they aid in both healing the damaged areas of the scalp and reducing the inflammation that often leads to hair loss. As a result, our expert doctors use this procedure after our world-leading hair restoration procedures in order to expedite the healing process and stimulate and strengthen natural hair growth.

Sounds good but…Does PRP Work?

Most scientific studies into the topic so far have been positive, and while more research is always needed, the future is bright for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.

PRP Benefits

There have been several studies into PRP treatment, with the following benefits being found:

It’s completely natural

Since the active ingredient in PRP treatments is the natural healing component from the patient’s own body without any additional ingredients, the treatment is completely natural with a very low risk of side effects or unwanted results. The PRP procedure is also completely safe, having been used in both hospitals and the sports medicine industry since the 1970s.

The results last!

The results of platelet-rich plasma injection therapy are long-lasting. We typically recommend treatment every 2-3 months for the first year, after which only maintenance treatments will be required.

PRP Injection Recovery Time

While the results can take a few weeks to show fully, there is no downtime or recovery time after platelet-rich plasma injections. Your scalp may feel sore or sensitive for a few hours, but this can be easily managed with painkillers and will heal rapidly.

PRP Injection Side Effects

You might be concerned about any potential platelet-rich plasma therapy side effects.

If this is the case, you’ll be happy to know that the nature of platelet injections means that side effects are incredibly rare, since the platelet-rich plasma being injected/introduced to the body is completely natural and previously existed in your body anyway, with the only real difference being its concentration near the site being healed.

Most people can continue with their everyday routine immediately after a PRP injection, and PRP side effects are generally nothing to worry about.

Cost of PRP Injections

The platelet-rich plasma therapy cost varies quite a bit depending on the patient’s requirements and the place carrying out the procedure. In the case of using PRP therapy to aid natural hair growth after an FUE hair transplant, the cost may vary even more depending on the extent of the hair transplant required.

It’s difficult to give an accurate price estimate here and we would highly recommend contacting us for a free, no-obligation consultation so we can advise you further on how we can achieve your hair restoration goals, the expected cost and our interest-free payment plans.

PRP Treatment Near Me/PRP Injection Near Me

As the number 1 hair restoration clinic in South Wales and one of the leading FUE hair loss specialist clinics across the UK, our team include world leaders in the hair loss industry.

To learn more about our procedures, get in touch for a free consultation now!