PRP Hair Restoration

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) hair restoration is offered at this Chicago Old Town practice as a non-surgical treatment for hair thinning and early hair loss. The patient's own blood is drawn, centrifuged to concentrate the growth-factor-rich platelet fraction, and then injected into the scalp at the level of the hair follicles. The concentrated growth factors stimulate follicular activity, extending the active growth phase and improving follicular health. PRP is suitable for both male and female pattern hair loss and is frequently recommended as a standalone treatment or in combination with topical or oral hair loss therapies.

PRP hair restoration at this Chicago Old Town practice uses autologous platelet-rich plasma — derived from the patient's own blood through a centrifugation process that concentrates the platelet fraction to three to five times its baseline level — to deliver a high-concentration bolus of growth factors directly to the scalp at follicular level. The growth factors present in concentrated PRP include platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) — signalling molecules that collectively promote the survival of existing follicles, stimulate the transition of resting telogen follicles into the active anagen growth phase, improve the vascular supply to the follicular unit, and create a more supportive dermal papilla microenvironment. The clinical result, across multiple published case series, is a measurable increase in hair density, shaft diameter, and the proportion of follicles in the active growth phase in the treated scalp zones — most consistently observed in patients with androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern hair loss) in the early to moderate stages where follicles remain viable but miniaturised rather than fully scarred. The procedure involves cleansing the scalp, drawing approximately 30–60mL of the patient's blood by venipuncture, processing the sample through a calibrated centrifuge protocol to separate the platelet-rich plasma from red blood cells and platelet-poor plasma, and injecting the PRP across the thinning zone using a fine needle at a depth targeting the level of the dermal papilla and the bulge region of the follicular stem cell niche. Topical anaesthetic cream or nerve blocks are applied prior to injection to manage discomfort. A standard initial protocol consists of monthly sessions for three months, followed by a maintenance injection every three to six months. PRP hair restoration is frequently combined with other hair loss management strategies — including minoxidil, finasteride, low-level laser therapy, or nutritional supplementation — for a comprehensive approach to stabilising and partially reversing hair thinning.