Can PRP be used in Hair Restoration?
There have been several times in the recent past when we have been asked about the possible advantages of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) in combating hair loss. While PRP is a promising idea, there is not enough scientific evidence to support the use of PRP for hair loss patients as discussed in one of our previous blog posts.
Dr. Carlos Puig, a leading hair restoration doctor, has been conducting hair restoration research focusing on PRP and its possible use in hair restoration. Dr. Puig recently had an article published in Cosmetic Town Journal where he discussed his findings. In the article linked to below, Dr. Puig stresses that the interesting thing about PRP is nobody is really sure if it does or doesn’t work. At this point in time, only the theory behind the use of PRP may work.
One of the reasons there is a lack of solid scientific evidence is the fact that multiple types of PRP are being manufactured across the world. There is not a consistent standard upon how to measure the effects of PRP and there has not been a study to see which manufacturing method shows the best results. According to Dr. Puig, “there is a lot of hype and a lot of talk, but the reality is there is very little science.” Having said that, Dr. Puig is confident there are reasons to believe that PRP might be an effective treatment option at some point in the future.
One of the reasons Dr. Puig is optimistic about the future applications of PRP for treatment of hair loss relates to studies on wound healing. The cytokines and growth factors that help the human body in the process of wound healing function in a similar manner to what we see in hair cycling. The platelets are filled with the growth factors that activate and initiate the hair cycle. Wound healing is driven by the growth factors that also handle the turning on and off of the hair follicles. This theory means that the platelets will turn on the stem cells and not just stimulate hair.
Having said that, Dr. Puig points out there might be other factors besides what is present in the PRP to turn the hair on and off. The fact that the treatment doesn’t work on all people is proof that more answers need to be discovered before PRP for hair restoration becomes a more mainstream treatment option. For more insights into PRP, including a test study involving PRP and a placebo group as well as manufacturing options and costs, please read Dr. Puig’s recent Cosmetic Town Journal article, PRP for Hair Restoration.
Next Open House Event
Interested in having a hair transplant? Want to learn more about hair restoration procedures? Get all of your questions answered at our next Open House Event!
Join us Thursday, October 8th from 5pm-7pm at our state of the art hair restoration facilities in Encino. It’s your chance to learn more about hair restoration in a one-on-one setting.
- Meet the doctor and his staff
- Meet and chat with some of our previous patients
- Watch a live hair transplant procedure in our state of the art medical facility
- See and touch the kind of results you can expect from our expert, and skilled, staff
- Get more information as well as take the mystery out of the procedure
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to learn more about the art of hair transplants. There’s only so much you can learn from researching information on the Internet. This is your chance to not only get more information direct from Dr. Mohebi but also from our actual patients. Learn about the personal journey that led them to the decision to get a hair transplant and why they chose Dr. Mohebi to perform their procedure.
For more information about our open house, and to make your reservation, email us your contact information at info@parsamohebi.com. We look forward to meeting you at our next exciting open house event at our beautiful office in Encino.
RSVP by calling us at 888-302-8747. We look forward to meeting you at our next open house event at our beautiful office in Encino.
More than The Length of a Hair’s Difference
While hairline reduction and hair transplants can both lower the hairline, there are quite a few differences in the procedures. How does a patient decide which procedure is best for them? The decision eventually comes down to a variety of factors:
- A consultation with a good hair transplant doctor
- The expectations the patient has before undergoing a procedure
- Which of the two procedures best fits their expectations and their individual needs
When a patient is considering having a procedure to lower his or her hairline, it’s important to know the different advantages of the two procedures:
Hairline Reduction Advantages:
The first advantage of a hairline reduction is the fact that it is a quick procedure.
A hairline reduction procedure can also create a high density hairline which might be desirable by many patients.
Advantages of a Hair Transplant to Lower a Hairline:
One advantage of doing a hair transplant to lower the hairline is that the final result is more natural looking. A good hair transplant surgeon can create a very natural looking hairline that reflects the normal transition of hair density.
A hair transplant procedure avoids the linear scar that a hairline lowering procedure creates. Instead of a scar, the patient can expect a natural looking transitional zone in their hairline with a hair transplant. A hair transplant to lower the hairline also allows for more flexibility with the placement of the hair/overall hair direction and the curvature in which the surgeon can mimic a perfectly natural hairline.
What Is The Next Step?
The next step for a patient is to study the advantages of the options listed above to determine which of the options best fits their needs. Once the patient has determined which technique is best for them, they should find and consult with a good doctor to determine if they are a viable candidate for either a hairline reduction or a hair transplant to lower the hairline.
Lessening Social Anxiety about Your Transplant
Q:
There’s one area of my life that is more pronounced than my hair loss. It’s the amount of anxiety I suffer from on a daily basis. My anxiety levels increase greatly when I find myself in social situations surrounded by people chatting constantly. It’s very overwhelming to me trying to keep up with the various conversations. I’m working towards getting a transplant but my anxiety about answering questions about the procedure is already growing. Do you have any advice for my situation?
A:
We conducted a study whose results were published as Psychology of Hair Transplant in Hair Transplant Forum Journal in 2008. In this study, we noted that younger men with hair loss had a significant improvement in their anxiety after restoring their hair. This improvement could be explained by the social anxiety these men endured on a regular basis due to their hair loss.
So you might in fact improve your anxiety by doing a hair transplant procedure and by taking care of your male patterned baldness.
One important fact to remember is the transplanted hair grows very slowly. This means that people who see you on a regular basis won’t be able to detect the new hair growth. It will not be difficult to hide the new hair except for the first few days/weeks. During that time period, you might see some redness or scabbing from the newly transplanted hair in the recipient area.
The Mystery of LeBron James’ Changing Hairline
LeBron James is never far from the spotlight. From being the first overall pick by Cleveland in the 2003 NBA Draft to his move to the Miami Heat (winning two NBA Championships) and his eventual return to Cleveland, James is known for his domination on the court.
One way LeBron is gaining attention off the court is the ongoing mystery of his hairline. There has been speculation in the past year about whether or not James has received a hair transplant.
The Battle of Lebron’s Hairline

The first, and obvious, difference is how much higher his hairline is in the above photo. A comparison of the two photos finds a much healthier hairline in the shot from last week.
To many NBA fans, another indication that James received a hair transplant is the absence of Lebron’s headband during games.
Even when LeBron James was a rookie, he often wore a headband while playing in a game. As the years passed, the headband seemed to go higher and higher up his forehead to cover up his hair loss.

The Final Proof; The Smoking Gun; The Strip Scar!
One of the easiest ways to spot evidence of hair transplant surgery is a strip scar on the back of a person’s head. While LeBron has never admitted to having strip-harvest surgery, the photo seems to be clear evidence of a procedure in his past.
New Confidence for King James?
The NBA Finals continue all this week. Cleveland won Game 2 in overtime and one of the main reasons they won was thanks to the incredible efforts of LeBron James. Now that he doesn’t have to focus on concealing his hairline, LeBron can focus on securing the first NBA title in the history of the city of Cleveland.
Is Beard to Scalp Hair Transplant the Future?
Beard to scalp hair transplants have become more common. Most of these are performed to correct male pattern baldness. Encouraged by our strategies and new findings on how to use facial hair, we have performed numerous beard to scalp hair transplants in the last two years with great results. But, the procedure may need to be performed more than once on many of these patients to ensure full coverage of the balding area. Luckily, a beard to scalp hair transplant can provide patients with a plentiful source of hair. This is especially important for men who don’t have sufficient donor hair due to low density or extensive balding areas that need coverage.
Why has beard to scalp transplant been on the rise?
One reason is because our improved understanding of the anatomy of the hair follicular units has furthered the dynamics involved in removing grafts individually. The other reason is that our techniques for extracting follicular units has developed, allowing us to refine the extraction methods from different parts of the body. Previously, extracting hair from the face and implanting it into the scalp was a daunting task that frequently ended with poor results. Now, because of the change in tactics and FUE devices, it is much less demanding to harvest hair from the skin of different parts of the body. Comparing those hairs from different parts of the body like the face, limbs, genitalia, and torso, has taught us that the facial hair is most like the hairs on the scalp. Beard hair has a life cycle, shaft thickness, and length of growth that is very similar to the scalp hair.
Our expanding knowledge of the tools used and the advanced strategies has also made it possible to use facial hair to restore balding regions on the scalp more efficient. In the past, the use of bigger punch sizes made for a bigger wound surface area that prompted healing problems such as, scar development and hypopigmentation of the skin. A deeper insertion of the punches used by older methods led to low-level transections of beard follicles. Low-level transection resulted in a higher number of ingrown hairs in the donor area of the face. Development of ingrown hairs is an extremely undesirable complication of a beard to scalp hair transplant, which previously restricted the utilization of facial hair for restoration of the balding region. Incision depth control and utilization of smaller punch sizes have lessened such complications, making beard hair an extraordinary source for hair restoration for many men.
Beard hair to scalp transplantation has its own limitations
There are men who can’t grow facial hair or have a very sparse beard. Some men are not allowed to shave or trim their facial hair due to social or religious reasons. Many men would like to keep the option to grow beard in the future. Extraction of facial hair for these individuals is still a possibility but, the donor area would be limited to the neck and beneath the mandibular line. Despite of the limited donor area in these individuals, extraction of hair from these zones can provide a decent number of suitable hairs that can restore a good portion of the balding area furthering weapons used in the restoration of hair on those suffering from hair loss.
Join us for our First Open House Event
Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration is hosting its first open house for prospective and current patients. This meet and greet is designed as a thank you for current recipients of our care and as an opportunity for future prospect to become familiar with our team, hear story of our previous patients and learn more about our state of the art hair restoration procedures.
Participants are encouraged to bring their spouses to enjoy a free demonstration of the ARTAS Robotic Hair Restoration System and refreshments. The participants will receive a gift certificate towards an ARTAS hair transplant procedure. Dr. Mohebi’s previous patients, and representatives of the Robotic Hair Restoration will also be present to answer any and all of the guest’s questions, as they pertain to hair transplant procedure or the robotic system.
This is an exceptional opportunity for all guests to get to know Dr. Mohebi, as well as our entire team. The open house event is designed to forge a long lasting relationship with patients in a collective effort by the staff of Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration to make you look and feel better about your hairline.
Come join us! It will be a great time!
RSVP through info@parsamohebi.com
When: March 14, 2015 from 11am to 2pm
Where: 16661 Ventura Blvd. #313 Encino, CA 91436
*All gift certificates presented during our open house event are valid for a limited time only.
Q&A: Hair Multiplication/Cloning
Q:
Dear Dr. Mohebi-
I am 33 years old and have been dealing with thinning hair since I was 19. That is when I started on the medication to help with hair loss and it has helped slow down my hair loss. I also use concealers or camouflaging agents to help my thinning areas appear fuller and thicker. I have been watching for new treatments such as hair cloning to come to fruition and still hold out hope for that one day.
In the meantime I have thought about FUE but just do not have the resources financially to afford it. Do you think hair cloning will be a viable option in the future? What are my options in the interim? Thank you for any help or advice…and you would definitely be my doctor of choice for treatment in the future (hopefully for hair cloning!). Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my question!
A:
Hair cloning has been studied and the results indicate that we can multiply hair in the lab or in tissue and use it as new hair for transplantation. Of course, hair multiplication (also known as hair cloning) could be a great option for many people who don’t have enough resources for restoring a full head of hair. That might be due to having a large balding area in comparison to the limited donor area, or poor quality of their donor hair. However, most people do not need to wait for hair cloning; current state-of-the-art hair restoration can give them a full head of hair.
We don’t know precisely when hair multiplication will be available for those who need it. The research has been slow and costly, and the main company that initiated the research of hair multiplication went out of business. If it becomes possible to clone hair, I don’t think it will be practical until eight to ten years from now. That is the amount of time any new medical procedure requires to complete phase III of its research process, which is when scientists perform tests (lasting eight to ten years) to make sure it won’t cause any long-term complications in patients (such as cancer, etc.).
We will keep our patients updated through our website, blog, and social channels if and when any new technique for hair restoration becomes available.