Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and ACell

Plaletet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can help stimulate hair to grow for which reason Dr. Lam uses PRP with every surgical hair-transplant procedure to promote growth in the transplanted grafts. However, PRP and ACellMatristemMicroMatrix (AMM) can also be used as a standalone treatment to thicken hair in men and women. Dr. Lam still offers PRP injections but now prefers Hair Stem therapy, which is painless and provides superior results when compared with PRP.

PRP has been the traditional method for restoring hair non surgically. However, Dallas hair transplant surgeon Dr. Sam Lam believes today that hair stem (see hair stem) offers unparalleled results that are far superior to PRP and without the pain and recovery involved with PRP.

FAQs

• I have read that I need to have this procedure performed as a series for it to be effective. Is that true?
  Every provider is different in the way that he or she delivers PRP treatments. Dr. Lam has found that a single treatment has been sufficient to provide outstanding benefits for his patients compared with the multiple rounds needed elsewhere. He attributes his high success rate with a single treatment to four factors: 1) carefully selecting the right candidate to have this procedure (someone without advanced loss and with visibly miniaturized hairs that can respond well to the treatment), 2) the quantity and the quality (both matter) of his PRP, 3) the use of AMM (and a lot of it), and 4) patient and meticulous micropenapplication that serves to activate the PRP.

• Walk me through the steps of the procedure.
  You can drive to and from the appointment. You will have already cleansed your hair before coming to the office: we will give you directions on what you need to do, then we clean your scalp thoroughly again before beginning. You will have your blood drawn (typically 120 ccs of blood, compare this with other systems that draw between 5 to 20 cc of blood). While the blood is being centrifuged, you will have an anesthetic ring block around your scalp to make the area numb. Dr. Lam uses a product and a technique that provides a lot less pain that is barely uncomfortable as a ring block as most surgeons. Once PRP is separated, it is then combined with AMM and gently infiltrated into the thinning area. He will then massage the product evenly throughout the scalp and activate the product with a micro pen: he believes that it takes 10 to 15 minutes to properly activate the PRP/AMM combination. After your head is cleaned, you can go home wearing a surgical cap that we provide you. You do not need to follow up with Dr. Lam thereafter except several months later to evaluate the growth. You are always welcome to return earlier should you have a question about how your recovery process is going.

  

• What is the recovery like following the procedure?
  There is always a possibility for swelling along the forehead that could last a few days to a week. Most individuals typically have very little to no swelling; but if you are experiencing more swelling than expected, Dr. Lam’s office can call in for you an oral steroid to speed things along. You may feel a little bit of tenderness in the scalp for a few days to a week but rarely is this an issue in terms of social and/or professional engagement.

• Is there a guarantee that this procedure will work?
  There are no guarantees with any procedure. However, Dr. Lam has had a very high success rate using his current formula for PRP and AMM treatments. He is confident that you should have a very good outcome. With that being said, PRP should not be equated with a surgical result (which is typically far better). PRP usually should be compared with other medical therapies, like Propecia, Rogaine, laser, etc.

• If I am doing Propecia and Rogaine, should I do PRP?
  Should I do PRP instead of other medical therapies? This is a hard question to answer. All of the medical therapies are synergistic in the sense that each and every method is additive in their results. However, Dr. Lam can help you determine based on compliance, discussion of side-effect profiles of the different therapies, your budget, etc., which method(s) you would prefer to use.

• Help me to understand how long this procedure will last for me.
  Hairs that are stimulated stay stimulated in a growth phase until the force of hair loss dominates again. Younger patients who are rapidly losing hair, may need to do this procedure every year (or more frequently) to help limit further hair loss. For someone with relatively stable, chronic hair loss, one may not need to have another treatment for 18 months to several years. Understanding the rate of your hair loss and following how your hair loss progresses is the best indicator to determine how often you should consider undergoing your therapy.

• I have heard AMM is a pig-derived product.
  Does this make it not right for me as a Muslim or Jew? AMM does derive from a pig bladder but it has had all cells completely removed from it so that it is “acellular” (no original cells left), just a scaffold. He has had numerous Jewish and Muslim patients who have undergone the procedure either after having consulted with their religious authority or feeling that it would not be a conflict. Also, remember that the product is not being eaten or consumed but applied to the scalp. Finally, if there is a religious barrier to your having the treatment, Dr. Lam can easily perform the procedure with only PRP. This method would be less effective but still can be successful enough for your condition of hair loss.