Treatment with autologous blood: Can PRP therapy stop hair loss?

Thinning hair, bald patches, hair loss: Changes in one's hair can cause significant psychological distress for many sufferers – sometimes even leading to depression. No wonder, since full hair is associated with youth, beauty, and attractiveness. But when hair falls out in clumps while brushing, collects in the shower drain, or ends up on the pillow, it causes emotional stress.

When does hair loss begin?

Losing more than 100 hairs a day for several weeks is considered hair loss. However, this doesn't have to become a permanent condition. "At Löwen Ästhetik we can effectively help both women and men with hereditary and diffuse hair loss using autologous blood therapy. In this procedure, the patient's own processed blood is injected into the scalp," explains Dr. G. Felix Brölsch, German board-certified specialist in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery . Incidentally, the term PRP therapy has now also become established for this treatment.

How dangerous is treatment with autologous blood?

PRP? Autologous blood? Injections into the scalp? What might sound complicated or even threatening at first is a gentle and highly effective method that can not only help with hair loss but also stimulate hair growth. For the injections, approximately 10 to 20 ml of blood is drawn from the patient's vein. Don't worry: "Compared to the fact that a person has around five liters of blood in their body, it's only a small amount," says the German board-certified specialist in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery . In the laboratory, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is extracted and processed from the patient's own blood.

Can PRP therapy stop hair loss?

The processed blood plasma has a particularly high concentration of growth factors. It stimulates the hair follicles of the scalp in cases of hair loss, activates cell renewal in the hair roots, and improves the blood supply to young hair and hair roots.
Injections with the patient's own blood lead to the following treatment successes:

- Hair loss can be slowed down or even stopped.
- Existing hair can regenerate.
- Hair growth is stimulated. New hair grows back faster.

Few side effects and well tolerated

Since the blood plasma is produced from the body's own, and therefore natural, components, PRP therapy is low-risk and very well tolerated (allergic reactions are not expected). Therefore, in principle, anyone suffering from hair loss or wishing to stimulate hair growth can undergo treatment with their own blood. However, some hair must still be present; plasma injections are ineffective for bald individuals. Furthermore, autologous blood therapy is not suitable for individuals with blood clotting disorders, changes in blood cell counts, or infectious diseases.

Frequency, costs and pain associated with PRP treatment

"Small improvements are usually only noticeable after the second treatment. For optimal results, we generally recommend three sessions spaced four weeks apart," says Dr. G. Felix Brölsch. The cost for a Consultation and treatment starts at €350. However, because every patient's medical history is different, the individual therapy is discussed in detail during a preliminary consultation. Patients don't need to worry about significant pain during the injections. Dr. G. Felix Brölsch assures: "We have extensive experience with this method and use very fine needles. Most patients barely feel the injections. However, if someone is very sensitive to pain, we can also apply a numbing cream to the scalp."

Would you like to learn more?

Then please feel free to contact the team at Löwen Ästhetik and Dr. Brölsch, or write to us.
 
You might also be interested in: further treatment options using PRP therapy (for example, for wrinkles or signs of aging on the hands).

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