PRP/ACell Experience

[doc]

Hey, all. I'm a 27-y.o. guy with pretty bad genetics - both grandfathers are very bald, and my dad started thinning and balding at a young age. Been on finasteride as prophylaxis since I was 20/21 (although the right temporal corner continued to recede slowly since I was 18). About a year ago, my hair began to thin throughout the top, and the hairline receded visibly by at least 1 cm. I suspect this may have been triggered by the stress of a tough breakup, but in any case... I started using Nizoral last winter, and I honestly don't really think it helped at all. Also started using minoxidil in select areas, and again - no appreciable results from >7 months of use.

I decided to get PRP/ACell ("Hair Regeneration") by Prasad in NY, and I had the injections in late September. Figured I'd let you know about the experience.

They'll tug back your hair with headbands and get a bunch of pics during the preliminary appointment, and it's kind of scary when you see, unfiltered, how bad things have gotten. They also take some hair samples to be able to compare hair quality down the road to pre-procedure quality.

Procedure itself is pretty painful, to be honest, but I've never cared about that - I'd happily take that pain every single month if it meant keeping my hair.

I went for a 3-month follow-up last week, and the people in the practice tried to convince me that there was measurable improvement, but I know that my shedding hasn't stopped - it continues apace. With that said, Dr. Prasad does say that the results really can only be fairly expected at least six months post-procedure, so I'm fine with waiting patiently.

Something positive I've noticed is that many of the hairs I shed do seem to be significantly healthier (thicker, and with more color) than those I was shedding several months ago. I'm hoping that, if nothing else, the procedure will aggressively slow the thinning on top and hairline recession. I'm assuming that I'm going to get a transplant down the road, but the goal is to buy myself a few years.