PRP and GFC in Guwahati Assam - Role of PRP and GFC in hair fall and hair weakness

An Overview of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and GFC

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a medical treatment that harnesses the body's natural healing abilities. It's an autologous therapy, meaning it uses a patient's own blood, which significantly reduces the risk of allergic reactions or immune rejection. The core principle of PRP is to concentrate the platelets from the blood, as they contain a high number of essential growth factors. These growth factors are proteins that act as messengers, telling cells to grow, repair, and regenerate. The use of PRP has expanded beyond its initial applications to become a versatile tool in modern medicine, including in hair restoration.

The Role of PRP in Hair and Healing

PRP has gained significant attention in dermatology and trichology for its role in treating various forms of hair loss. The process involves injecting the concentrated PRP solution directly into the scalp. The growth factors are believed to stimulate dormant hair follicles, increase blood supply to the area, and extend the anagen (growth) phase of the hair cycle. This can lead to a noticeable decrease in hair shedding and an improvement in hair thickness and strength. Some of the specific conditions PRP is used for include:

Androgenetic Alopecia (Male/Female Pattern Baldness): This is the most common form of hair loss, characterized by a progressive shrinking of hair follicles. PRP is used to help slow down this process, preserve existing hair, and improve its overall health.
Alopecia Areata: An autoimmune condition that causes the body to attack its own hair follicles, leading to circular patches of hair loss. PRP is used to help calm the autoimmune response in the scalp and promote hair regrowth.
Telogen Effluvium: A temporary condition of increased hair shedding often triggered by stress, hormonal changes, or nutritional deficiencies. PRP can help by stimulating the follicles to return to a normal growth cycle, reducing shedding and accelerating recovery.

Beyond hair, PRP's regenerative properties have a long history. It was famously used by elite athletes to help accelerate the healing of muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries. In orthopedics, it's used to treat conditions like osteoarthritis, where it's injected into joints to reduce pain and improve function.

A Note on GFC (Growth Factor Concentrate)

Growth Factor Concentrate (GFC) represents an evolution of blood-based therapies. While PRP involves injecting a solution that contains the entire platelet and other blood components, GFC is a purer form of treatment. The GFC preparation process isolates and extracts only the concentrated growth factors from the platelets, creating a solution that is completely free of platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells. This purity is thought to reduce the chance of inflammation at the injection site and may offer a more targeted therapeutic effect.

Comparing PRP and GFC:

The fundamental difference lies in the final composition. PRP is a suspension containing platelets, while GFC is a pure solution of the extracted growth factors. In a PRP procedure, the platelets are typically activated in vivo (within the body) after injection. For GFC, the platelets are activated in vitro (in the lab) before being separated from the growth factors, ensuring a specific, concentrated dose is delivered. The choice between these two therapies often depends on the specific condition, the patient's individual needs, and the provider's clinical judgment.

Modern Applications and Technology

The PRP procedure is non-surgical and minimally invasive, typically completed in about an hour. It starts with a blood draw, followed by processing the blood in a centrifuge to isolate the PRP. The resulting solution is then injected into the target area. A series of sessions is usually recommended for optimal results, with treatments often spaced several weeks apart. The technology used for administering the treatment can vary. Some modern clinics use specialized devices like needless injectors that deliver the PRP solution using high pressure, which can make the process more comfortable for the patient.

It is important to note that regenerative therapies like PRP and GFC are also often used as a complementary treatment. They may be applied in conjunction with other procedures, such as hair transplants, to help enhance the environment of the scalp, support the healing process, and potentially improve the growth and survival of the transplanted hair follicles.

You can read up more on PRP in male pattern baldness in these studies:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4622412/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4134641/

https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/477671

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Quality assuarance

Arogyam Hair Transplant Clinic takes several steps to ensure that quality is maintained for each and every patient. The key to quality maintenance is to implement quantizable quality standards and maintain proper documentation and review of processes. Downtown Hospital is an ISO 9001:2008 and NABH accredited hospital which demands strict adherence to quality control.Steps taken are:

Safety assurance: all procedures are done in the main OT of Downtown Hospital with its full complement of anesthesiologists and critical care specialists. Hence patients are assured of full safety standards at the same level as that of major surgeries including transplant surgeries.

Sterilization assurance: since procedures are done in the major OT full sterilization is maintained. Fumigation is done every week and swab tests are done to check for contamination.

Best instrumentation: Arogyam Hair Transplant Clinic uses the best available instruments like 6X Heine Loupe for precision and accuracy, Blunt Titanium punches which avoids damage and transection of the Follicular Units, Choi implanters to standardise the process of planting and prevent damage during planting, Major OT level sterilization, fumigation and autoclaving of all instruments, etc.

Efficiency count: Efficiency counts for FUE like transection rates and speed of transplant are noted and documented for each case and reviewed every 10 cases. Arogyam Hair Transplant achieves international standards of transection and speed consistently.

Counting trays: Counting trays are used to contain the follicular units and all patients are given photographs on their mobiles which they can use to easily count the number of follicular units taken out so that they can be sure that they have received the correct number of FU's.

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar is the first and only American Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery and all procedures are done following the ethical and technical guidelines of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery and the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery. As such, patients can be assured of receiving full professional care as per International standards approved by the ABHRS and ISHRS.

Correct recepient density: To ensure correct recepient density, 'density stamps' are used to ensure proper density is achieved. Angle and direction of hair is meticulously maintained.

Out of body time: The out of body time, the time for which the follicular unit is outside the body, is the most critical factor for success in hair transplant. Aroyam Hair Transplant follows a special procedure to ensure that this time is the minimum. This is done by doing only 1000 follicular units at a time and then replanting them. This ensures that time out of body is less than or equal to1 hour only. This is the shortest period acheivable. Many centers do upto 2000-2500 follicular units at a time so that time out of body goes upto 4-5 hours. We are proud of our time out of body quantum. Though this may cause some sacrifice of time but results are more important.

Follow up: follow up period is critical for the patient when there are many doubts and anxieties in his mind. In our clinic, Dr. P. J. Mazumdar will remain always accessible to the patient directly on his personal mobile for any questions the patient may have during this period.