Plasma therapy for Baldness to Joint Diseases

Excessive hair loss, or alopecia as it is medically called, now has a promising new therapy. Doctors are using platelets from the patient’s own blood to stimulate hair growth.

Platelets are small little particles present in blood that play an important role in plugging leaking arteries and in clotting. They also contain a large number of “stimulating factors” that stimulate degenerating tissues to grow again.

There are several of them such as platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), growth stimulating factor (GSF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular epidermal growth factor (VEGF) and mediators like Interleukin 8 which stimulate growth of hair follicles and cells of several tissues such as nerve cells, bones, cartilage and muscles. This newly discovered property has suddenly catapulted plasma into centre stage.

Plasma rich platelet (PRP) therapy as it is called, involves drawing a sample of autologous (patient’s own) blood, mixing it with an anti-coagulant that prevents it from clotting, spinning it in a test-tube, and taking out the platelet rich portion of the plasma. It is then injected into the scalp or other tissues with a very fine needle, like the insulin needle. Typically 2 to 4 mL are injected in each session, that are then repeated 2 weekly 4 to 6 times.

Several studies have shown this therapy to work in reducing hair loss and improving hair growth, either alone or in combination with other treatments such as minoxidil or hair transplantation. Safety issues around transmitting infections are hardly any as it is the patient’s own blood that is used. It is also cheap and simple.

There is however still some concern about how effective it really is. Some trials have shown impressive success while others have not. Experts believe this difference could be due to the variation in skill and expertise for separating and concentrating platelets.

PRP therapy now has a wide range of evolving applications: plastic surgeons are using it to treat scars and skin grafts while orthopaedic surgeons are treating degenerative joint disorders like osteoarthritis with it. It has become particularly popular in sports-medicine for treatment of injuries of tendons, ligaments and joints. Even neurologists are using it to stimulate regeneration of nerves.

Interestingly, the first use of PRP was in 1997 in Italy for treatment of dead and degenerating heart muscles. Perhaps the fascination of cardiologists with stem cells for the same purpose, made PRP recede to the background over the last 2 decades.

If it delivers on its present promise and proves to be effective, PRP could be a much simpler, safer and cheaper therapy to help stimulate growth of a variety of degenerating tissues, from sleeping hair follicles in balding scalps to the tired muscles of broken hearts.