Sorry I didn’t update the blog much last week, I’ve been sick! I’m on the mend and will have fresh content out this week!
I’ve always had a difficult relationship with my hairline. My edges are naturally on the thinner side but between stress, a too tight hairstyle, and a bout of covid, they were on life support. After a lot of research, supplements, hair oils, and even steroid injections, I discovered platelet-rich plasma, also known as PRP.
Losing your hair can feel really embarrassing and isolating as a woman. I found myself constantly obsessing about my edges and doing hairstyles to hide them. But, I’m writing this blog to help destigmatize hair loss. It happens to a lot of women and it can be treated!
PRP isn’t a new treatment and it’s not just used for hair loss; it can be used to reduce inflammation and promote healing in injured tissues and joints. You’ve also probably seen a “vampire facial” on your TikTok or Instagram feeds at some point, which is a PRP treatment for your skin to boost collagen production.
PRP therapy for hair loss involves three parts:
Drawing your blood.
Spinning your blood in a centrifuge for ~15 minutes to separate it into platelet-rich plasma, platelet-poor plasma, and red blood cells.
Injecting the platelet-rich plasma directly into your scalp to stimulate hair follicles and promote hair growth.
This is not a cheap treatment and I didn’t take the decision to do it lightly. You’ll need three treatments at minimum, spaced one month a part, which ranges in cost from $1,500 to $3,500 total, depending on where you are located. Unfortunately, unlike my other treatments, this one was not covered by insurance because platelet-rich plasma is still considered an experimental treatment for hair loss.
I went in for my first session in October of 2022. As expected, I was very nervous to get injections in my scalp. The nurse and doctor assured me the pain would be tolerable. At that point, I was willing to endure a little pain to have my edges back.
It took about 10 minutes to inject all seven syringes into my scalp. The majority was concentrated along my hairline, though I also had a few injections at the crown of my head. I’d rate the pain a five out of ten. It was uncomfortable but way less painful than my tattoo removal.
I got my final session in December 2022. I’ve continued with minoxidil, Nutrafol, hair oil, and avoiding tight styles. It’s been five months since my first session and I feel confident saying that PRP brought my edges back in a way I didn’t think was possible.