PRP for hair loss in women

Women lose their hair too, but it’s not talked about the same way men’s hair loss is. This is because it can be harder to see in women, but also because the causes and treatments are less well known. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging treatment for hair loss in both genders, with some great results in women.

(Read more about PRP here.)

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is quite different to male pattern hair loss (MPHL), with men losing hair all over the scalp, but women’s tending to thin out and be patchy in areas. Transplant surgery is not necessarily a viable option for women who are losing their hair, which is where PRP can step in to successfully fill the gap of thinning hair.

Causes of hair loss in women:

• Hormonal changes
• Pregnancy
• Genetic factors
• Menopause
• Stress
• Chemotherapy
• Thyroid conditions
• Anaemia
• Autoimmune conditions
• Psoriasis
• Skin conditions
• Chemical damage (styling chemicals, etc.)

No surgery, no drugs, no ointments: PRP solution to female hair loss

PRP treatments use the stem cells in your own blood to stimulate hair follicles to grow. This is a complex mechanism of transporters and growth factors and stimulators whereby the follicle is instructed to grow a hair. This occurs after the follicle got the previous message to stop growing hairs, the mechanism of which we’re not entirely sure.

PRP is injected all over the scalp, where research has shown that after several treatments and many months (hair grows slow), new hair starts to grow. This helps to stop further hair loss, increases the number of hairs per centimetre, and thus causes the hair to thicken. The effect can be quite dramatic when the process is successful. It’s better to start PRP earlier rather than later for best results. It can take up to six months to start seeing results, but you can start to see results in as little as two months.

The injections can cause a little bit of swelling, bruising and possibly a tiny bit of bleeding, but this heals up quickly.

PRP has been used for years in sports medicine, cosmetics, and orthopaedics, with the most recent exposure being a Kardashian sister purporting the benefits of her ‘vampire facial’ – that is, PRP injections across the face as an anti-ageing treatment. (We offer these treatments at our Melbourne clinic.) Now, hair loss in women and men may be the latest and greatest way that PRP helps us retain our lovely locks.

PRP isn’t a one-stop-shop treatment for all hair loss in all people – it’s not for everyone. Speak to your cosmetic dermatologist who can help you determine the cause of your hair loss and establish the best treatment strategies for you.

We have female hair-loss treatments.
Contact us