ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy

Serenity MedSpa is excited to offer the latest in non-surgical hair regrowth therapy for men and women with ACell (MatriStem MicroMatrix®) + PRP (platelet-rich plasma). Hair loss happens when DHT (dihydrotestosterone) disrupts the communication between the root of the hair follicle and the adult stem cells responsible for healthy hair growth. ACell + PRP works to restore communication lines and reverse DHT’s thinning effects. Reactivating existing hair follicles helps jumpstart the normal hair growth cycle to preserve and thicken thinning hair.

Serenity MedSpa Actual Patient*

What is PRP?

We obtain the PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, by drawing a small tube (10ml) of your blood. After processing with a centrifuge, we use the concentrated plasma that rises to the top for the hair regrowth treatment. It contains multiple growth factors that will stimulate miniaturizing hair follicles when injected into the scalp.

Is all PRP the same?

No. The effectiveness, duration and potency of PRP hair regrowth treatments depend heavily on protocols, centrifuge settings and preparation kits. At Serenity MedSpa, we use the industry leader, FDA-cleared device, Eclipse PRP. 

How does PRP work?

PRP contains special cells called platelets that can cause hair follicles to grow by stimulating the stem cells and other cells in the hair follicle’s microenvironment. These platelet cells promote and accelerate tissue healing and regeneration. PRP also helps stimulate inactive or newly implanted hair follicles into an active growth phase.

Platelets Release Growth Factors

Is PRP safe?

Yes. PRP therapy has been safely and successfully used in hundreds of thousands of procedures worldwide for more than 20 years—including orthopedics and sports medicine and oral, neurological plastic and cosmetic surgeries. Positive outcomes for skin and wound healing are confirmed by published medical literature from both Europe and the United States. Because PRP uses your own cells, it is immunologically neutral and poses no danger of hypersensitivity or allergic or foreign-body reactions. By using your own cells, the chance of a blood infection is also eliminated, and, of course, we use sterile technique in every stage of the treatment. Evidence in the field of hair restoration supports PRP therapy as a promising treatment option to promote hair growth, especially in combination with ACell therapy.

Autologous-PRP-Derm-Study.pdf

What is ACell® (MatriStem MicroMatrix®)?

ACell MatriStem MicroMatrix uses a one-of-its-kind proprietary protein made from the tissues of pig bladders. ACell is a non-crosslinked, completely absorbable, acellular Extracellular Matrix (ECM) tissue proven to have regenerative properties. During the manufacturing process, ACell is stripped of all cells and muscle tissue to prevent allergic reactions in people. (The product is contraindicated in patients with known sensitivity or allergy to porcine materials.) It is disinfected, packaged and sterilized with electron beam radiation. The chemical structure is similar to human tissues and is available only through licensed physicians and surgeons.

FDA approved MatriStem devices are unique because they fundamentally change healing by triggering abundant new blood vessel formation and recruiting numerous cell types to the injury site.

MatriStem MicroMatrix®

How does ACell work and what are its benefits?

Stem cells are in every tissue in our body and act as “master cells.” These undifferentiated cells are capable of developing into more than 200 cell types (such as blood cells, skin cells, hair follicles, etc.) They continue to divide throughout life and give rise to highly specialized cells that can take the place of damaged, dead or lost cells. Stem cells allow the body to renew and repair its tissues. Unlike mature cells, which are permanently committed to their fate, stem cells can both renew themselves and create new types of cells. However, adult stem cells cannot develop new tissue, unless they are activated by an acellular device, such as ACell Matristem MicroMatrix.  

ACell MatriStem MicroMatrix technology works at the cellular level by recruiting adult stem cells and increasing blood supply to the site of the wound to repair and remodel damaged tissue. During the healing process, ACell converts these adult stem cells back to their active form as progenitor cells. They facilitate direct healing by leaving new native tissue where scar tissue would normally form. Once activated, stem cells recruit other cell types to the area to begin tissue regeneration. ACell, when injected into the scalp, regenerates dormant hair follicular tissues and increases hair growth and quality.

Stem cell activation with this proprietary UBM scaffold technology has been used extensively in a broad range of medical applications, including general surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, urology and plastic and reconstructive surgery to enhance wound healing. It gained popularity when doctors discovered it could help people with partial finger amputations grow back their fingertips (often with the fingernail bed). The use of ACell in wound healing also dramatically decreases the formation and appearance of scar tissue.

What are the benefits of ACell in hair regrowth therapy when used in conjunction with PRP?

At the 19th annual International Society of Hair Transplant Surgeons conference, doctors presented evidence that ACell attracts adult stem cells to a wound and converts them into progenitor cells that, in the case of hair follicles, grow hair. The goal of injecting ACell mixed with the patient’s adult stem cells into thinning areas of the scalp is to send signals to the adult stem cells lurking in the dormant hair follicles and, in essence, wake them up. By using the body’s own tissue regeneration mechanism, miniaturized hair follicles become healthier and thicker, producing more robust hair growth. 

ACell + PRP treatment is effective for both male and female pattern hair loss. ACell + PRP therapy has also regrown hair in cases of alopecia areata, eyebrow hypotrichosis and non-hereditary hair loss.

    +       Hair Regrowth Therapy

What are the advantages of using ACell + PRP versus PRP alone in Hair Regrowth Therapy?

PRP treatment alone must be repeated at least every two months. This is because PRP can cause short-term, limited growth, but will not stop the hair thinning process. There is a limit to what PRP alone can do long term.

The combination of ACell + PRP hair regrowth therapy provides a significantly longer-lasting solution for hair loss. Research presented at the 2015 ISHRS Annual Scientific Meeting showed that the use of ACell in combination with PRP therapy significantly extends hair regrowth, requiring a once-a-year regimen for most people. This is because ACell slows down the hair thinning process by providing the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure on which to continue building hair follicles.

When comparing prices, some offices may offer PRP alone at a much lower cost. But over time, that cost adds up and can easily become more expensive than ACell + PRP treatment.

It’s important to note that the ACell + PRP hair regrowth therapy can only affect follicles that are still active. If your hair has not been present for more than 5 years, that area of your hair is not salvageable. These patients will typically require a hair transplant. There are exceptions, but for this reason we advocate early intervention. The earlier we begin treatments, the more hair we can save and thicken.

What are the advantages of ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy?

• Cost effective: ACell + PRP therapy is quick, cost-effective, non-surgical procedure
• Fast healing time: ACell + PRP is a 60-minute, in-office procedure that creates no scarring. You can resume daily activities immediately, as no sedation is required.
• Safe: Since the PRP is harvested from your blood there is no risk of an adverse reaction. By using your own harvested platelets, you are giving your body a chance to improve your hair quality and thickness naturally. At Serenity MedSpa we use the FDA-approved Elipse PRP system that yields good quality and quantity of PRP.

• Sustained results: By combing ACell with PRP, hair regrowth is sustained over time versus PRP alone. Most people can receive the treatment just once a year.

Who are good candidates for ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy?

• Men and women: Anyone over the age of 18 with hereditary hair loss.
• Nonsurgical option: Patients who want a more effective nonsurgical treatment or who don’t wish to undergo hair transplant or want to delay hair transplant as long as possible.
• Early stages of hair loss: ACell + PRP injections offer patients the opportunity to slow and even stop hair thinning. The goal of treating genetic hair loss is to maintain hair for as long as possible, improve density and avoid more aggressive treatments, such as hair transplantation.
• Nonsurgical candidates: Patients who have exhausted donor supply or who have poor quality donor hair can benefit from ACell + PRP hair regrowth therapy without the need for more surgery. For women who are often not good candidates for hair transplant surgery, stem cell therapy with ACell + PRP is a great option to help thicken hair for easier styling, decrease scalp visibility and stabilize shedding.
• Donor scar treatment: Patients wanting to improve donor scar appearance from previous surgeries can benefit from ACell + PRP therapy. The combination of wound-healing materials in hair regrowth can be used to speed healing of the donor area scar from follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE).
• Improve hair transplant results: ACell + PRP hair regrowth therapy is indicated for all surgical restorations as the optimal healing solution. The treatment can reverse progressive, future hair loss, which hair transplants alone do not address. ACell + PRP therapy can be used preoperatively, intraoperatively or post operatively. ACell + PRP therapy is available as an add-on to surgical restorations to increase graft survival rates, support rapid healing of the donor area and improve the quality of native hair.
• Advanced hair loss: Individuals with more advanced hair loss considering surgical hair restoration will benefit from combining ACell + PRP with hair transplant. ACell + PRP technology improves the outcome of a surgical transplant, yielding increased graft survival, improved donor scar healing, and faster recovery.  
• Alopecia Areata
• Hypotrichosis: Patients with decreased hair growth of the eyebrows
• Maintenance: ACell + PRP hair regrowth therapy is a great option for patients that want to maintain their hair without using medications like Propecia or Rogaine.

How do you perform ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy?

• The scalp is washed with a mechanical antiseptic scalp wash
• Photos are taken of the treatment area
• The scalp is anesthetized with topical numbing cream as well as locally with lidocaine injection
• A small blood sample is drawn to prepare the PRP
• The local anesthetic is cleaned off the scalp
• The ACell + PRP and vitamin cocktail is injected into the affected skin
• Patient is instructed on post-treatment care and schedules a follow-up visit

How long does the ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy take?

The entire process takes about two hours. The procedure itself takes less than an hour, but it’s important to leave time for the use of topical and local anesthetic for added comfort.

What is the downtime?

The downtime is minimal. A short period of inflammation and redness at the treatment area is expected. There may also be some mild to moderate scalp discomfort and swelling in the forehead for a few days following the procedure. We recommend avoiding exercise for the first 24 hours to give your body time to recover.

What kind of results can I expect after ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy?

Results can be seen about 4 to 8 months after the ACell + PRP hair regrowth injection procedure, which follows the normal hair growth cycle. Within six months to a year, patients will see remarkable improvement in the quality of hair growth. Hair will feel and appear thicker and denser, with results in the hairline typically being the most noticeable.

Hair will continue to thicken over a period of 12 to 15 months. These results last for months, and even years, before regression may begin to occur. Individual results will vary with each patient. Creating a comprehensive plan and maintaining an ongoing relationship with Dr. Kang will ensure you know the ideal time for your next procedure to keep your hair growing and thriving.

What is the recommended maintenance for ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy?

• PRP Alone:  At least every two months for the first few treatments and then once every six months. Since patients that receive only the PRP treatment will require many more maintenance treatments, we highly recommend the ACell + PRP combination.
• ACell + PRP:  Typically once a year. We encourage scheduling a follow-up evaluation every three months. By monitoring hair growth with the HairCheck trichometry, we can best determine when the improvement in hair growth from the therapy slows down or plateaus, eliminating guesswork as to when to administer the therapy again. The results for most will last one to two years. Additional booster treatments may be necessary to maintain the desired results.

Can I use other adjunct therapies after ACell + PRP Hair Regrowth Therapy?

Unlike prescription medications or topical applications that must be used as part of an ongoing daily routine, ACell + PRP hair regrowth therapy does not require daily maintenance.  However, we do recommend Nutrafol Hair Regrowth Supplements, which is scientifically proven to enhance and compliment your ACell + PRP treatment results.

To find out if you’re a good candidate for hair regrowth therapy, schedule a consultation and we will carefully listen to your goals, assess your hair’s current status and help you create a long-term plan to improve your hair quality and density.

To schedule a consultation, please call us at 415-781-9200 or email to Info@SerenityMedSpa.com.