Hair Transplants vs. PRP Hair Restoration

Thanks to decades of TV commercials, hair transplants are likely the most well-known solution for thinning hair. But while hair transplant surgery can offer excellent results, it is also an invasive surgery that is expensive, painful and extremely time consuming.

Most people don’t realize that there is a less invasive hair restoration treatment available using “PRP” that restores hair more affordably, without requiring surgery. PRP hair restoration uses “platelet-rich plasma” extracted from the patient’s own blood to naturally stimulate hair re-growth.

In this article New York, NY board certified dermatologist Gary Goldenberg discusses the differences between traditional surgical hair transplants and minimally-invasive PRP hair restoration treatments.

Hair Transplants for Hair Restoration

During hair transplant surgery a doctor surgically implants hair follicles either in a “strip” or one-by-one into the area(s) of the scalp with significant thinning or hair loss. These hair follicles are removed from a site on the patient’s scalp that is still experiencing hair growth.

The process is both painful and extremely time consuming, as each individual follicle has to be removed and then surgically implanted into the scalp. This can be problematic for patients without thick areas of “donor” hair from which to collect the follicles.

Care must be taken after the hair transplant procedure not to dislodge the implanted hair until it “takes root.” Additionally, the transplanted areas can have the classic “doll hair” appearance until the new follicles “fill in” and blend with the rest of the hair.

Generally it takes several hair transplant sessions that are many hours long to transplant the individual follicles. And typically it will take six to nine months for full hair transplant results to take effect.

The national average cost of hair transplant surgery is around $7,000 – with costs as high as $15,00 in the New York, NY area. People who have immune issues, bleeding disorders, are prone to scarring, or who are taking blood thinners or certain other medications are not eligible candidates for hair transplant surgery.

PRP Hair Restoration

PRP (“platelet-rich plasma”) hair restoration is a newer, non-surgical alternative to the surgical hair transplant. At a fraction of the cost of a hair transplant, PRP hair restoration is an affordable option for patients who do not wish to undergo hair transplant surgery – or for those who may be poor candidates for a hair transplant.

During PRP hair restoration, New York dermatologist Gary Goldenberg collects a sample of the patient’s blood – just like a routine blood test. Using a centrifuge, the platelets are separated from the other blood cells. These platelets contain a concentrated “growth factor” that naturally stimulates the patient’s inactive hair follicles to begin producing hair again.

Once the PRP (platelet rich plasma) is collected and separated, the patient’s scalp is numbed and the PRP is topically applied, microneedled an/or strategically injected into the areas of the scalp where the hair is thinning or lost.

The treatment takes less than an hour – which is much faster than the tedious process of transplanting hundreds of individual hair follicles. And because the PRP is a substance extracted from the patient’s own blood it naturally stimulates the normal growth process of the hair. This means hair fills in in the patient’s natural growth pattern – with no “plugs”or “doll hair.”

Because the result is natural hair growth, there is no downtime and no special care hat must be taken of the treated area.

Patients typically begin to notice an improvement in hair volume within just a few months. After a follow up treatment, the full results should be apparent within a year.

PRP hair restoration is appropriate for most types of thinning hair, but may not be effective for patients with areas of complete hair loss. However, PRP treatments can also be used to enhance the results of hair transplant surgery.

Additionally, PRP hair restoration treatments can also be combined with natural, minimally-invasive stem cell hair loss treatments in our New York, NY dermatology office for even greater hair restoration benefits.

PRP Hair Restoration Treatments – New York, NY

If you are experiencing thinning hair or hair loss, the dermatologists at Goldenberg dermatology can help you restore a full, healthy head of hair with affordable, non-surgical PRP and stem cell hair restoration treatments.

At our New York, NY dermatology office, we also offer highly effective hair restoration nutritional supplements, shampoos and lotions that can be used in conjunction with these state-of-the-art procedures.

Call us today and schedule an appointment at our New York office to see which hair restoration treatments are right for you.

PRP Hair Restoration New York: 212-405-8202