My PRP experience so far

[FearTheLoss]

FYI I have done PRP alone, PRP w/ acell (before powder) and PRP after they came out w/ Powder Acell (I think the powder mixes more consistently with the PRP and doesn't clump). The only one that worked was the latter and I saw definite visible improvement .....not dramatic in terms of new visible hair but just enough to see visible evidence that it was working and I wasn't going backward. If you looked very closely, it wasn't that I was growing new hair but that some of the very fine almost invisible weak hairs had become darker, thicker and longer. It takes about 4 months to see anything. My existing hairs became thicker and more robust as well. At least in my experience, I felt the injections started losing effect somehwhere bewteen 6 and 9 months....so you would likely need injections at least once per year. I recently had another treatment. When I did my first PRP/powder acell treatment it was $1,500 but it is now $2,500 so it is not cheap. Also, I have had each of the 3 types of treatments with different doctors and by far, in my opinion, Dr. Cooley was the best. (the last 2 PRP/Acell powder treatments w/ Cooley).

My most recent was with acell, how do you know if it's powder or not? I had it 6 weeks ago

[PinotQ]

I appreciate it. I'm considering contacting Greco pretty soon.
I can afford it and my expectations are reasonable.


Have you noticed anything from your other PRP with Acell treatment?

FYI I have done PRP alone, PRP w/ acell (before powder) and PRP after they came out w/ Powder Acell (I think the powder mixes more consistently with the PRP and doesn't clump). The only one that worked was the latter and I saw definite visible improvement .....not dramatic in terms of new visible hair but just enough to see visible evidence that it was working and I wasn't going backward. If you looked very closely, it wasn't that I was growing new hair but that some of the very fine almost invisible weak hairs had become darker, thicker and longer. It takes about 4 months to see anything. My existing hairs became thicker and more robust as well. At least in my experience, I felt the injections started losing effect somehwhere bewteen 6 and 9 months....so you would likely need injections at least once per year. I recently had another treatment. When I did my first PRP/powder acell treatment it was $1,500 but it is now $2,500 so it is not cheap. Also, I have had each of the 3 types of treatments with different doctors and by far, in my opinion, Dr. Cooley was the best. (the last 2 PRP/Acell powder treatments w/ Cooley).

[x4342]

I appreciate it. I'm considering contacting Greco pretty soon.
I can afford it and my expectations are reasonable.


Have you noticed anything from your other PRP with Acell treatment?

[nameless]

they both contain various growth factors at various concentrations. jesus why are you such a pedant. i wasnt implying one is the same as the other.

I'm just stating fact. I'm pedantic because you seem to not realize you can not possibly expect the same results from these entirely different treatments.

FACT: AAPE and PRP do not contain entirely the same growth factors. Many key growth factors in AAPE are not in PRP. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges or finasteride and apple cider.

[FearTheLoss]

PRP hasn't been enough to stop my hair loss. Does it help, yes I believe so. My shedding is overall slightly less and my scalp is less inflamed. Not a miracle treatment but if you can afford it it's somewhat helpful.

[LMS]

AAPE is not the same thing as PRP or CRP.You can't apply the results of one to another.

they both contain various growth factors at various concentrations. jesus why are you such a pedant. i wasnt implying one is the same as the other.

[nameless]

We do a HairCheck before PRP treatments. If the patient is available for a followup 8-13 months later, we do another HairCheck and at that time compare hair mass numbers with the previous numbers. This way we can calculate the percentage of improvement. Nearly everyone gets some improvement after PRP treatment. Dr. Cole reminded me of the Dr. Merritt study where he started plucking hairs from a full head of hair until there was obvious thinning. It wasn't until over 50% of the hairs were gone that there was noticeable thinning. With this in mind, a 20% PRP treatment improvement isn't going to produce a jaw-dropping impression. According to Dr. Greco, at least in women, regular PRP treatments can "ratchet" improvement in hair caliber forward over time.

Chuck

PRP and CRP contains some growth factors but if it has any of the CORRECT growth factors it is not very many. For example, I read that there are ZERO Wnts in either CRP or PRP. The correct growth factors are the growth factors inside of AAPE. Yale university determined that the growth factors in AAPE are the correct growth factors and proteins. Histogen also contains the correct growth factors and proteins. If you compare what growth factors are in PRP/CRP versus the growth factors in AAPE/Histogen then you will see that they are not the same. You can't use any ole growth factors and proteins; it has to be the correct growth factors and proteins.

[nameless]

exactamundo

Chuck

Chuck, the problem with PRP and CRP is that neither contain all of the correct growth factors and proteins. AAPE and Histogen are the correct growth factors and proteins but a few years ago I read about what is inside of PRP and CRP and neither contain the correct growth factors and proteins. For example, the article I read said that there are none of the key Wnts in either PRP or CRP. You can't just use any ole growth factors and proteins; it has to be the right growth factors and proteins.

Since the correct growth factors and proteins are not inside of CRP or PRP I'm highly skeptical of both.

[nameless]

Why would you get them so close together? I don't think you're going to benefit from that and it sure is expensive.

I think that if it works at all he would probably get better results if he got them close together.

For example, it looks like Histogen works better with repeat treatment dates and it looks like in the AAPE study they did the treatments more often than every 6 or 8 months. I also think that in healthy the follicles are receiving the growth factors more often than once per 6 months.

[nameless]

Those statements seem to be supported by the results of the AAPE study. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

AAPE is not the same thing as PRP or CRP.You can't apply the results of one to another.

[FearTheLoss]

Thanks for the update! Please keep us informed =D

No problem, and remember PRP therapy is pretty much my only treatment. I still use minox (have been for 2 years now) but it has never given me any regrowth and I continued to lose ground on it. Fin at low doses (tried three different times) gave me sexual sides I'm still suffering from. I've never had sides from any other drug I've used in my life except fin.

[hellouser]

I just had my aunt who's a physician give me a PRP treatment with Acell this time. It's been 10 days and I'm shedding LIKE CRAZY. Hopefully this is a good sign.

The crpi had done at Greco didn't give me any noticeable regrowth, however it did stop the itching in my head and it may have slowed my loss down. I'll continue to get PRP 1-2 more times before I make my final judgement. Dr Greco said it usually takes a few times before miniaturization can be reversed. Hopefully he is right.

Updates to come.

Thanks for the update! Please keep us informed =D

[FearTheLoss]

I just had my aunt who's a physician give me a PRP treatment with Acell this time. It's been 10 days and I'm shedding LIKE CRAZY. Hopefully this is a good sign.

The crpi had done at Greco didn't give me any noticeable regrowth, however it did stop the itching in my head and it may have slowed my loss down. I'll continue to get PRP 1-2 more times before I make my final judgement. Dr Greco said it usually takes a few times before miniaturization can be reversed. Hopefully he is right.

Updates to come.

[Justinian]

I had crp/prp done with Greco late December of 2014. My hairloss is very similar to that described by Feartheloss. NW2-3 with some thinning, but nothing the untrained eye would be able to detect. Right after the treatments I had faith in the prp/crp as my shedding was reduced substantially. Again, one may wonder if that was me being overly enthusiastic as Greco is such a likeable character and he is very knowledgeable in the field of regenerative medicine. But I like to think not, as I am a nitpicker and very rational in my approach to hair loss treatments. But now, 6 weeks after treatment I have to say I am not overly impressed by my results. As of the last 3 days my shedding has not been very intense, but I would say about 2 weeks ago my shedding was fairly substantial. I am not expecting results this early, but it just seems logical to me that the shedding would halt a reasonable amount and that the texture of my hair would be healthier looking than what it is now. I am not taking any other medications, supplements or topicals either.
I would like to stay in contact with you guys as we all seem to share comparable results and similar views.

You are supposed to see results at around the 4 month mark. That is normal for all hair loss treatments, including minoxidil and finasteride.

Shedding is also normal and often a sign a treatment is working. I'm at the 9 week mark and I've been shedding a lot of small fine hairs. Overall no increase or decrease in density that I notice. I'm hoping the shedding is a sign of it working though.

[Tooyoungforbalding]

similar experience as Feartheloss, Stocione and Justinian

I had crp/prp done with Greco late December of 2014. My hairloss is very similar to that described by Feartheloss. NW2-3 with some thinning, but nothing the untrained eye would be able to detect. Right after the treatment I had faith in the prp/crp as my shedding was reduced substantially. Again, one may wonder if that was me being overly enthusiastic as Greco is such a likeable character and he is very knowledgeable in the field of regenerative medicine. But I like to think not, as I am a nitpicker and very rational in my approach to hair loss treatments. But now, 6 weeks after treatment I have to say I am not overly impressed by my results. As of the last 3 days my shedding has not been very intense, but I would say about 2 weeks ago my shedding was fairly substantial. I am not expecting results this early, but it just seems logical to me that the shedding would halt a reasonable amount and that the texture of my hair would be healthier looking than what it is now. I am not taking any other medications, supplements or topicals either.
I would like to stay in contact with you guys as we all seem to share comparable results and similar views.