We like to remind our patients that the improvements we can accomplish through plastic surgery are continually evolving. Take hair growth, for example. You probably know that at the Robert Zubowski MD Center for Plastic Surgery in Paramus, NJ, we’ve been using Vivace Microneedling RF, a non-surgical treatment to contour and tighten the face, neck and body. We also use it to improve acne scarring. This FDA-approved treatment works to stimulate your own collagen production. Jennifer Ratuis, our licensed aesthetician, who has been associated with us for years, provides it as a standalone treatment or in combination with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to enhance your facial rejuvenation.
We’ve now applied our PRP applications to hair regrowth for men and women who suffer from alopecia, or pattern baldness. According to a Cleveland Clinic article 50 percent of men over the age of 50 have hair loss sometime during their lifetimes.
PRP therapy is not new. In fact, it has been used to speed healing of damaged joints for about a decade. Here’s how we’re using it to treat baldness or thinning hair at the Robert Zubowski MD Center for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Jennifer will draw your blood—between one to two ounces–and then spin it in a centrifuge to separate your platelets and plasma. After that we take over. One of us will inject a high concentration of plasma into your scalp where hair loss is evident to promote hair growth by extending the hair growing cycle.
You will need to commit to monthly injections for three months, and repeat them for up to two years. Frequency of treatments depends on your genetics, hair loss pattern, amount of hair loss, your age and hormones. Unlike other hair loss treatments, PRP doesn’t have side effects. For most patients discomfort is a fleeting feeling of pressure at the injection site. Studies indicate that patients of both sexes regain 30-40 percent of their lost hair in about three months after commencement of treatment.
Not everyone who experiences hair loss is an ideal candidate for PRP hair loss therapy. That’s why it is essential to be evaluated by experienced cosmetic surgeons. To schedule your on-one-one consultation, please contact our office manager to schedule a meeting. In the meantime you might like to read more about PRP applications for hair loss.