Thank you for your question.
You’re asking what is the difference between PRP and Acell for hair restoration treatment.
Now you submitted your question without a photo but I can certainly help you understand
how I explain our treatment and a lot of the nuance in the actual substance of your question.
A little bit of background, I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial
plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island
for over 20 years. I am also the founder of TrichoStem™ Hair Regeneration Centers, a
system we developed derived from the use and experience in using PRP and Acellular matrix
going on for over 7 years helping patients from around the world and arguably amongst
the first physicians to use this material. And we have developed systems based on individual
clinical profiles to customize the treatment. So I want to first give you a little bit of
perspective, a little bit of historic perspective.
When Acellular matrix was first being employed, it was being employed for hair transplant
surgery. Hair transplant surgery has always been fraught with two significant challenges:
one is maximizing the survivability of hair grafts. Two was improving the healing of the
donor area. A serendipitous consequence of course like many medical discoveries was that
thinning hairs in some patients appeared to get thicker. Well, what I did was, after seeing
that possibility, was that I started to offer the treatment as a standalone treatment for
different types of hair loss. This included male pattern loss, female pattern hair loss,
alopecia areata, scarring alopecia such as lichen planopilaris, central centrifugal cicatricial
alopecia, frontal fibrosing alopecia, alopecia totalis. Essentially, we were trying to help
as many patients as we could with what was in the beginning a significant impact in the
treatment of hair loss.
What I have determined over the course of time and this was an evolution that especially
in the early years where very few people were doing this and there were no clear answers
as to the best way to formulate the PRP, to dose the Acellular matrix, to dose it in individual
injections, to get the best way to deliver the material. Essentially, we were dealing
with a lot of unknowns. And to help develop predictability and consistency, we had to
look at our results very critically and document the responses and look at the dosing very
specifically and it took many years. And I think it’s always a work in progress.
At this point, we have essentially algorithms based on what I call clinical profiles. What
we do to help our patients is determine the relative value of our system based on gender,
age, age of onset of hair loss, rate of progression of hair loss, degree of hair loss, other previous
treatments and the responsiveness as well as the other medical variables that are important
in managing hair loss. So what we’re doing essentially is managing hair loss.
Many of our more vocal colleagues were very dismissive and continue to be dismissive.
Thankfully, in the dermatology literature, PRP’s role in hair loss has been now well
established through the publication of peer reviewed articles. It took time and eventually,
they were starting to catch up.
However, what I think is a challenge that you’re facing now as a prospective patient
is that doctors are embracing this now as a potential benefit with helping people with
hair loss without having a clear plan. PRP can stimulate hair growth. Acellular matrix
can stimulate hair growth so what’s the difference? Well, we have to think about it
as a scientific point of view. Acellular matrix exists not just for hair loss. In fact, its
original purpose was for wound healing and continues to be so. I use this material extensively
in my other cosmetic procedures whether it’s face lifting surgery, skin grafts and tissue
grafts, for basically any kind of incision when I want to expedite healing or challenging
situations whether it’s reconstructive procedures. I leverage the benefit of Acellular matrix
for its ability to stimulate adult stem cells, to enhance wound healing. I find that the
combination is greater than each element on its own. But the dosing and delivery methods
is what challenged us continuously to optimize the results for our patients.
So essentially, there is no clear understanding as to the mechanism of how these modalities
help people stimulate hair growth. But in our practice, what we have developed are algorithms
to help different patients with different clinical profiles and I look at the feasibility
and the practical longevity and effectiveness in every given patient’s clinical profile.
For example, a young person or a young male with aggressive hair loss progression and
who has advanced hair loss is going to be treated very differently than a middle aged
male with slow progression, later onset and moderate hair loss or a female with later
onset and moderate hair loss. Each patient comes with their own clinical profile.
So I would say that it’s very important to meet with a doctor and ask what is the
plan. Is the plan simply to come to the office every month for an injection or come to the
office every 3 months for an injection with no clear sense of what is the expected outcome
and what is the commitment to long-term management. I think that a lot of my colleagues are getting
a more of an awakening when this one size fits all, whether the distinction is to say
we have the best PRP machine or my PRP is better than the guy next door which is not
relevant and whether this one shotgun approach which is basically using the same formulation
of PRP and Acellular matrix for every patient is not going to yield the same results that
they would expect with consistency and is already starting to become the case. Patients
are reaching out to us after they’ve had treatments done elsewhere for a more experienced
perspective.
I think that it’s ultimately in your best interest to interview the doctors and see
what is their level of experience and whether or not you can get some sense of predictability
and what kind of role does this technology play in your overall hair loss management.
I emphasize to all our patients and 95% of patients with hair loss have androgenetic
alopecia, genetic pattern loss, is that hair loss is progressive. There is no cure but
there are strategies to manage hair loss: pharmaceuticals, non-surgical as well as surgical.
And the art is in maximizing the effectiveness to get the most coverage for the longest period
of time and essentially managing this hardwiring in the DNA.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question.