To produce PRP the patient’s blood is first drawn. Using a centrifuge, the platelets are then separated from the other cells by spinning the blood. Spinning the blood increases the growth factors normally found in the blood by 5 to 10 percent .To prevent premature clotting, the platelets are then mixed with a small amount of anti-coagulant. The platelets can then be injected at the site of an injury with the use of ultrasound to precisely locate the area of concern, or can be driven into the skin through microneedling in order to repair injured tissue, increase collagen production, stimulate new hair growth, and enhance stem cell production.
PRP for Orthopedic Use
Do you feel physically limited from enjoying activities you’re fond of? Is your golf swing compromised? Tennis? Are you able to walk, jog, or enjoy martial arts like you did in the past? If you’ve ever asked these sorts of questions then PRP may be useful for you.
While surgery is irreplaceable for certain chronic injuries, studies have shown that PRP is beneficial in the treatment of tendon, ligament and muscle injuries such as golfers or tennis elbow, knee sprains, pulled hamstring muscles, and TMJ joints and rotator cuff tendonitis.
What characterizes an injury to a ligament or joint is an excessive scar tissue or microscopic tears which can translate to impaired movement or leave the joint or ligament vulnerable to further injury. Because our tendons have very poor blood supply, our body have trouble healing from these types of injuries.
PRP is believed to encourage a renewed healing response by improving the blood circulation of the injured area. This new healing response is also enhanced by the presence of PRP. Therefore, PRP used in combination with a specific rehab program may eliminate the need for surgery and reduce the risk of receiving another injury. For years, top athletes have regularly used PRP with desirable outcomes.
PRP for Hair Restoration
Many people regard losing one’s hair to be more impactful on body image than weight gain.
PRP for hair restoration has been receiving a lot of success lately. Many factors are responsible for hair loss, including genetic reasons, hormones, medications, stress, and even hair care products. One common factors is androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness) is an increased production of DHT hormone. Enzymes work to convert testosterone into DHT and is 5 times more powerful than testosterone. Half of all men will undergo hair loss as a result of increased production of DHA. While woman typically have lower levels of testosterone, minute small traces of DHT can lead to hair loss. Put another way, DHT results in the destruction of hair follicles.
Our hair is subject to 3 growth cycles:
- Anagen: the growth phase where hair is attached to the base of the follicle
- Catagen: the shorest phase where hair growth ends and the resting phase begins
- Telogen: the resting phase of the growth cycle when hair begins to shed from the follicle
DHT acts by shortening the anagen cycle and lengthening the telogen cycle. This results in the hair follicle to miniaturize and become weaker, eventually resulting in the death of the follicle.