Introduction
In this section, I will talk about the causes of hair loss, the current treatment methods I use in my own practice, and the mechanisms of action of the treatment methods I use. At the end of the chapter, you can see the articles I referenced.
What are the causes of hair loss?
Hair loss may be due to genetic/individual causes, metabolic/hormonal disorders, stress, medications, malnutrition, and systemic disorders.
What are the methods used in the treatment of hair loss?
In my own practice, I use PRP, mesotherapies, stem cell treatments or combinations of these in the treatment of hair loss.
What is the “PRP treatment” used for hair loss?
PRP is the abbreviation of the initials of the words “Platelet Rich Plasma”. Platelet cells are important cells in blood coagulation and secrete many important growth factors such as IGF, TGF-B, VEGF. In PRP application, it is aimed to obtain these growth factors and prevent hair loss.
What is “hair mesotherapy” used in hair loss?
The word “mesotherapy” consists of the combination of the words “meso” and “therapy”. Hair mesotherapy is the injection of a combination of hyaluronic acid, vitamins (B5, B6, B7(Biotin), Niacin, B12…) and amino acids (arginine, cysteine, glutamine…) with the help of small needles into the middle layer of the scalp (“meso”derm).
How do PRP and mesotherapy agents work in the treatment of hair loss?
PRP and mesotherapy agents increase cell repair, cell proliferation, collagen production, new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and dermal thickening. Thanks to these effects, hair loss decreases, the thickness and shine of existing hair increases, hair follicles are strengthened, damaged hairs are repaired, vascular circulation, that is, the nutrition of the hair, increases.
How are PRP and mesotherapy applied?
There is no need for operating room conditions for this procedure. It is one of the safe applications that can be done easily in office conditions where sterility principles are taken into account. First of all, PRP is prepared. You can think of this process as a simple blood analysis. Your blood taken into special tubes is subjected to centrifugation. In this process, the tube carrying your blood placed in the centrifuge machine and rotated at very fast speeds. After this process the blood is divided into different segments. The part rich in growth factors is taken and made ready for injection. Then the obtained PRP is mixed with the needed mesotherapy agents. This mixture is injected into the target areas of the hair with very fine-tipped needles. The preparation of PRP takes about 15 minutes, and the injection of PRP and mesotherapy takes about 10 minutes.
Are PRP and mesotherapy treatments, stem cell treatments?
Answer is “no”. PRP contains growth factors, mesotherapy agents contain agents such as hyaluronic acid, vitamins and amino acids. These are not stem cells.
What is “Stem Cell Therapy” used in hair loss?
“Stem cells” are cells that have the potential to transform into many cells, such as repair cells, which are used in tissue regeneration due to their ability to renew themselves. Stem cells are found in the placenta, umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and adipose tissue. We prefer adipose tissue as a source of stem cells due to its ease of obtaining and abundance. Stem cells obtained from adipose tissue produce important proteins such as collagen-elastin, increase blood flow to the existing area, increase the nutrition of that area, thicken the dermis, and reduce melanogenic activity. They are used in the treatment of hair loss, for skin rejuvenation, dark circles under the eyes, bad wound healing, poorly healed scars, acne scars and in the treatment of hyperpigmentation (See Stem Cell (SVF) Therapy Section).
How does stem cell therapy affect for hair loss?
Stem cells obtained from adipose tissue increase hair growth, stimulate the anagen phase (which is important for hair growth), and reduce cellular damage by androgen and free oxygen radicals. Hair density and the amount of new hair increase.
From which region are the stem cells in the adipose tissue obtained?
It can be obtained from the fat tissues of your own body, that is, from the abdomen, the outer part of the thigh, the inside of the thigh, the waist region, or the inside of the knee. The taken adipose tissue is subjected to some processes such as centrifugation, emulsification, filtration, fractionation. After these processes, this structure, which contains repair and stem cells, is called “Stromal Vascular Fraction (tSVF)”.
How is “Stem Cell Therapy” done?
The area where the fat will be taken is locally anesthetized. With a millimetric incision and with the help of cannulas, adipose tissue is taken as needed. The removed adipose tissue is subjected to centrifugation, emulsification, filtration, and fractionation processes. The structure obtained after these procedures, namely “tSVF enriched with stem cells” is injected into the target area. It is an outpatient procedure, and you can go home after the procedure. Apart from your small bruises that can last for 2-3 days in the area where the fat is removed, and minimal pain that responds to painkillers, no problems are expected. All prepared cells are your own cells, so there is no risk of allergy or anaphylaxis.
When does stem cell therapy start to show its effect?
Its effect on the hair becomes noticeable at the end of the 1st month, but the maximum effect is reached in the 6th-8th months.
Is stem cell therapy or PRP/ mesotherapy better in the treatment of hair loss? Can these treatments be combined?
Jeroen Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., whom I had the opportunity to work with in the Netherlands, devoted his years to these studies. He explains this issue as follows. When we look at the physiology of wound healing and the system that repairs wounds in our body, we see that 2 elements are very important. The first is signal pathways and growth factors to instruct repair cells. The others are “the repair cells” that do the actual work. We obtain the first element, the growth factors, from the PRP; and the second element, the repair cells, from the SVF, that is, from your own fat tissue. Studies have shown that it is much more effective to apply them to the target area in combination with the appropriate amount of mesotherapy agents, instead of applying them alone or separately. With these combinations, we support your scalp to biologically repair itself.
Is hair loss treatment a single session or does it require repetitive sessions?
If a combination of PRP and mesotherapy is done with stem cell therapy, a single session is usually sufficient for the permanent effect. However, in PRP/mesotherapy treatment without stem cells, 4-6 sessions are required at 2-week intervals for the desired effect.
What are the factors affecting the results of hair loss treatments?
The effect and duration of the applications vary according to the agents used, the combinations made, the amount of damage to the hair and factors related to the person. Age, metabolic/hormonal disorders, smoking, systemic disorders, genetic/structural causes, nutrition are some of these variable factors. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not compare this application with other applications and yourself with other people.
Summary
When we examine the physiology of wound healing and the system that repairs wounds in our body, I think that PRP and mesotherapy combined with stem cell therapy are quite effective in the treatment of hair loss (See Stem Cell (SVF) Therapy Section). Studies in the literature also support this. The combination of stem cell therapy &PRP &mesotherapy is usually a single-session application. However, PRP/mesotherapy applications without stem cell treatment are also effective in the treatment of hair loss for patients who do not want surgical conditions, seek solutions in office conditions, and comply with session intervals and numbers (See PRP and Mesotherapies for Hair Loss Section). You can check the related articles in the References section. Best regards.
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