The Science Behind ACell + PRP Hair Regeneration

Dr. Robert Kratschmer has been using ACell+ PRP  (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections to help the growth of the native hair in areas of loss.   ACell is a product that is FDA approved to help wound healing. PRP is your own blood product with a higher concentration of growth factors that seem to stimulate the hair follicle.  They are both common treatments in other areas of medicine (eg. dental, dermatology, other surgical specialties including plastic/reconstructive surgery), but it is only recently that they have started to be used and combined in the treatment of premature hair loss in men and women.  

This combination injection therapy has shown some early success in regrowing hair that is in the early to mid stages of the hair loss process (i.e. before the scalp has lost the majority of its hair). Good clinical data for hair growth as a result of ACell and PRP  hair regrowth injections is still in the works, so the duration of the effect, dosing, and which patients it works best for are all still unknown, which is why any use of this treatment should still be considered experimental.

There seem to be no adverse reactions other than mild pain or bleeding at the injection sites, and the whole treatment takes under two hours.  It does not require a long recovery period (i.e. no more so than a dental visit).  Some plastic surgeons have found that a second series of injections about 6 months after the first is beneficial, but a single treatment may also have good results by itself.

Despite the lack of high-quality trial data, results from clinical studies have been encouraging, and PRP administration remains an attractive strategy given its cost-effective and minimally invasive nature.

We have included a list of references (they are very technical – sorry!) for those of you who might like to read up on this relatively new treatment.  If you are interested in Acell/PRP injections, you should meet with Dr. Kratschmer to get her opinion on whether or not this treatment has a good chance of helping you and to review the pros and cons.  We look forward to seeing the results of the new application of this treatment in hair and to watching the science continue to evolve!

References:

1) Fernandez-Barbero JE, Galindo-Moreno P, Avila-Ortiz G, Caba O, Sanchez-Fernandez E, Wang HL. Flow cytometric and morphological characterization of platelet-rich plasma gel. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2006;17:687–693.
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2609914/
3) Miao, Y MD et al.. Promotional effect of PRP on Hair Follicle Reconstitution in Vivo. Derm Surg 2013;39:1868-1876.