Although platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used for many years in other medical specialties, including orthopedics, it has only recently become one of the latest techniques with hair restoration. PRP is used for all Hair Restoration/Hair Loss patients, including patients who have Robotic Hair Transplants. PRP is an exciting non-surgical therapeutic treatment for patients who require stimulation of hair growth for hair loss conditions. The use of PRP for the treatment of alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia (hereditary male or female hair loss) is available from Dr. Mark Bishara’s office.
While PRP is in the early stages of scientific research in hair restoration, PRP is not meant to replace current FDA approved therapies such as DHT blockers and Minoxidil. but it is a promising non-surgical therapeutic option for those patients with hair loss.
What is PRP – Platelet Rich Plasma?
PRP Platelet Rich Plasma is the use of a person’s own blood platelets to enhance hair growth as a stand-alone treatment or to improve the recovery and results of hair transplant surgery. In the field of cell therapy and tissue regeneration, research is continuing to progress regarding the use of PRP’s ability to stimulate stem cells, improve wound healing, and rejuvenate skin and hair follicles. PRP is done in 3 month intervals
Growth Factors
The human growth hormone (hGH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)- levels are significantly elevated after PRP injection, supporting a possible ergogenic effect of PRP.
What is LLLT (Low Level Laser Therapy)
The LaserCap® using Low Level Laser Technology (LLLT) can help men and women of all ages who suffer from hair loss by emitting pulses of laser light energy to the scalp to stimulate the hair follicles and improve blood circulation in the area, encouraging hair growth once again. Men and women being treated for hair loss sit comfortably under the lasers as it gently delivers the phototherapy to the scalp. Most of our patients read a magazine during treatments. There is no pain or discomfort from the therapy–some patients do report some “scalp-tingling.” The laser cap is much more successful and effective in hair restoration then hand held devices that are available on the market. The usual treatments occur 2-3 times per week. The laser cap is available to have treatments done in our office, or can be purchased and take home with you.
For more information on PRP, LLLT and other hair restoration treatments, please call our office at (817) 473-2120. Please come in and get evaluated with an endocrine testing panel, that tests your thyroid, testosterone, iron, and serotonin levels, to name a few. We also refer out for scalp biopsies for female patients, to determine the causes of hair loss.
You can also visit us as www.MarkBisharaMD.com and our Facebook page at The Paragon Plastic Surgery and Medspa
For many people with thinning scalp hair, proven medical therapies and hair restoration surgical procedures are widely available and good options to restore hair loss and slow future hair loss. We receive many calls to our office, asking if we do eyebrow transplants, and we do. Eyebrows are an important part of our appearance and is important to our facial symmetry. Thanks to great strides in hair restoration surgery, we are now able to restore all or part of the eyebrow.
Eyebrow Transplant
The most important aspect of transplanting eyebrows is to follow the natural hair direction very closely. Aangle changes are important to recreate the fan-like splay of hair at the medial aspect of the brow and the converging hair direction as one moves laterally along the brow. The recipient sites for the hairs are be made with a very fine-gauge needle that literally slides along the surface of the skin as the sites are being made, as this will insure that the hair will lie as flat as possible on the surface of the skin as it grows.
Single hair micrografts, placed into recipient sites that have been created at very acute angles to the skin surface, require a considerable about of skill and experience. In addition, when the patient’s hair is waved or curly, it is particularly important to rotate the hair so that curve of the hair shaft follows the natural curve of the eyebrow.
Please call our office at (817) 473-2120 for more information or visit our website at www.MarkBisharaMD.com
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How Long Does it Take to Heal from a hair transplant?
There is some redness and dryness after the procedure. Some patients experience swelling during the first week after surgery. Hair transplants are usually undetectable after 10 days. Follicular unit grafts are permanent in the scalp after 10 days.
Recovery time with the ARTAS Robot Assisted FUE System Procedure is much less and much more comfortable as compared to a traditional linear strip method of hair restoration. As there is no linear incision required with an ARTAS Procedure, healing time is short, and you can usually go back to your daily activities after a day or two. It takes approximately three days for the transplanted hair to “take” and for growth cells to be transferred from the follicles to the scalp. You will be using the medical-grade saline salt solution that we provide on your procedure day along with a spray bottle to keep the newly implanted hair moist with the saline solution. Don’t worry, all the post-procedure instructions are provided to you in writing and by email if you choose. Also, our staff is always available to answer questions about your post-procedure care. By about Days 7-10, the crusting will largely have subsided, leaving little evidence that any procedure has taken place at all.
Please visit the website of Dr. Bishara, who specializes in Hair Restoration, Robotic Hair Transplants and Plastic Surgery at www.MarkBisharaMD.com or call our office at (817) 473-2120.
The best way to find out if you are a candidate for a hair restoration procedure is to go to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon specializing in hair restoration. The answer will depend on the cause of your hair loss, your age, the stability of your donor supply, how extensive you hair loss is, your expectations and a number of other important factors that will be taken into account.
For the right candidate hair restoration surgery can significantly improve your appearance and general sense well being, however, not everyone is a good candidate for the surgery and those who are must have realistic expectations before undergoing a hair transplant procedure.
Remember there is a finite amount of donor hair that can be moved to the thinning areas of the scalp. If that hair isn’t used in an efficient manner the outcome of the procedure might not meet your expectations. Every patient is examined on a case-by-case basis, but here are some general types of patients that are great candidates for hair transplants:
The best candidates for hair restoration surgery are:
- Men who have been losing their hair due to Male Pattern Baldness for more than five years or who have progressed to a Norwood class 3 or above.
- Men with realistic expectations and who understand that their hair loss might continue to progress even if they are taking prescription medication to stop the progression.
- Men who have been balding for many years and who’s pattern has stabilized and are interested in just adding some hair to provide a more youthful appearance.
- Men and women who have lost hair due to trauma or burns
- Men and women who have lost hair due to other cosmetic procedures such as face-lifts.
Some women are candidates for hair restoration surgery. They are:
- Women who have suffered hair loss due to mechanical or traction alopecia (non-hormonal).
- Women who have had previous cosmetic or plastic surgery and are concerned about hair loss around the incision sites.
- Women who have a distinct pattern of baldness, similar to that of male pattern baldness. This includes hairline recession, vertex thinning (on the crown or top of the scalp), and a donor area that is not affected by androgenetic alopecia.
- Women who suffer hair loss due to trauma, including burn victims, scarring from accidents, and chemical burns.
- Women with alopecia marginalis, a condition that looks very similar to traction alopecia.
Please visit the website of Dr. Bishara, who specializes in Hair Restoration, Robotic Hair Transplants and Plastic Surgery at www.MarkBisharaMD.com or call our office at (817) 473-2120.
What is a Robotic Hair Transplant?
In Robotic FUE hair transplant procedures, follicular units are isolated using the ARTAS robotic system. The ARTAS system is a computerized, image-guided robot that automates the labor intensive process of extracting grafts. Its advantage over other FUE techniques is due to its precision and consistency in extracting grafts. All FUE procedures at The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa are performed using the ARTAS robot.
ARTAS is the very latest technology in hair restoration. Dr. Bishara is using the ARTAS System in his Mansfield and Southlake offices. This interactive, computer assisted equipment employs image guidance to enhance the quality of hair follicle harvesting. ARTAS is the first hair transplant robot to improve the most challenging aspects of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
This physician-controlled, state-of-the-art system enables the harvesting of hair follicles during hair restoration procedures. It offers numerous beneficial features, including an image-guided robotic arm, special imaging technologies, small dermal punches and a computer interface. The ARTAS System is capable of identifying and harvesting individual follicular units to implement the FUE technique. The device, guided by cameras and 3-D imaging software, can perform the dissection of hair follicles individually at a rate of up to 1,000 per hour.
Please visit our website at www.MarkBisharaMD.com for more information on robotic hair transplants or call our office at (817) 473-2120.
Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Mark A. Bishara, M.D., serving Fort Worth, Arlington, and the surrounding area.
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