Wounding the scalp + Platelet Rich Plasma grows hair

It certainly is exciting. I like the immediate regrowth and that there is no need for incision -- but I have serious concerns about the need to go back every year -- is it just one hair cycle of growth and then it's gone? I'm also skeptical that Dr. Greco is not an IAHRS surgeon. I don't know the man, and he may be making a huge breakthough, but why wouldn't he have been recognized by the IAHRS if he's been around a long time and is good at what he does (not to mention being sort of a pioneer)?

Thanks for the link though! I'm definitely interested in hearing an informed response from Spencer or one of the other hair gurus on this site.

Best,
Michael

Hmmmm ... interesting. This may sound very weird, but the first thing I noticed when I watched the video is that the doctor in it (Doctor Greco) does not appear to me an MD or a DO. It seems he has a PhD. I have never heard of a PhD doing any sort of "surgery" on a human before. Maybe I am wrong, but that's what I noticed almost immediately.

TeeJay

This does sound exciting, if anything, doesn't this show that we are on the right path? I wonder if any IAHRS would be willing to experiment with this. It's kind of a bummer that we have to wait around for the studies to be done, but has anyone even started doing the studies now (through the FDA)? If not, then why? I feel like we could be losing precious time, but thats my opinion.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Info

Interesting news piece illustrating how PRP works for healing injuries.

This looks VERY exciting. Since we're not talking about having to push a drug through the FDA, I’m assuming that doctors who are willing to offer this technique can begin offering it at any time. I’m a right about this?

wow... I'm really excited then, just by the simple fact that Dr. Feller believes it works so soon. I commend Dr. Feller for making my day because usually he's very skeptical and wants real proof.... so, if Dr. Feller thinks it works, then I know it works. Also, I must commend you again for starting this type of treatment before the summer ends... what a good day for the hair loss community!
-Destin

This is unbelivable news!!! There has to be more to this. What are the side effects? Will all IAHRS doctors be offering this? Dr. Feller when can I come to see you to have this done?

Call me a skeptic, but I don’t think is is going to be the cure that we are all hoping for. I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve been disappointed before.

Delphi,

It does not appear that this is the cure we are hoping for. However, if this is just another line of defense that we can add to minoxidil, finasteride, and dutasteride, this is wonderful news to a lot of people. These drugs work for some people and not others. Also, many people on the hair loss forums report that these drugs lose effectiveness over time. If PRP works to continue halting hair loss, this is huge.

Just a note: Due to the ugly nature of the internet, baldtruthtalk.com does not allow links to external hair loss and hair transplant forums.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

So who else is going to be offering this besides Dr. Feller. It concerns me when only one IAHRS doctor is going to be offering this. If it really worked I would think all of them would jump on it.

I agree with that point Payday. You would think that if this was so promising that hair transplant doctors and dermatologists all over the world would be trying it. It looks like a very simple procedure.

The news article presents PRP therapy as a method of facilitating the healing of internal wounds. Just how is it supposed to cure hairloss? Is the theory that PRP will help people regrow hair? I really do not see the connection.

Prp

I have been doing PRP for over a year now. In fact I was trained by Joe Greco, Pa-C, PhD. Joe is a physicians assistant with a PhD.....he's fully trained and certified to perform surgery. PRP has several possible applications for hair restoration, either in improving surgery or as a stand alone treatment for hair loss as highlighted in these videos.

PRP involves the application/injection of plasma that has about 5X the amount of platelets as in circulating blood. The platelets secrete numerous growth factors, including PDGF and VEGF, both of which have been shown to have positive effects on hair growth. So it is reasonable to think that PRP would not only help wound healing but also hair growth. As some posters mentioned, PRP as a stand alone procedure would have to be repeated on a periodic basis to maintain benefits.

I have been using PRP on certain of my transplant patients, particularly those have had prior surgery, for over a year. I have seen more rapid healing but I have not done enough cases to determine if there is a definite effect on growth. PRP is appearing in numerous areas of surgery (esp orthopedics and dental surgery) and I firmly believe it has a future with hair restoration, although the exact role needs to be worked out with more research.

On a personal note, I have had PRP done on myself. It is being increasing used for sports injuries and reportedly helped a couple Pittsburgh Steelers play in the Super Bowl (see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/sp...d.html?_r=1&hp). I have had significant triceps tendonitis in my elbow for many years, often limiting my weight lifting and golf. The orthopedic surgeon I saw several years ago told me nothing could be done until it got bad enough for surgery. When I was visiting Joe in January, he treated my elbow with his special modification of PRP, injecting all around the tendon attachment. While it could be placebo effect, my chronic pain has completely disappeared and I can barely remember which elbow I had the problem with. I also had my scalp treated about a year ago and everyone has been complementing on my hair but this is very hard to quantify.

Possible candidates for stand alone treatment would be those with thinning and miniaturization, especially in the crown, and when surgery is not indicated or desired. I'm sure that Joe would agree with the statement that while an improvement in hair caliber and visual thickness is expected, the degree of improvement cannot be predicted.