PRP Hair Therapy: Pros And Cons Of Using Your Own Platelets Or Donated Platelets

Plasma-rich platelets, or PRP hair therapy services have proven results. Almost all clients that are worried about hair thinning and hair loss finally choose the PRP approach because it works better than hair transplants and hair plugs, both of which can and will fall out when the follicles die and refuse to regrow in areas of the scalp that had problems to begin with. If you have decided to finally give PRP a try for your own hair loss or hair thinning issues, you can choose your own platelets, or opt for donor platelets. Here are the pros and cons of each. 

Pros and Cons of Using Your Own Platelets

Pros

Your own platelets are your own blood type. They are not foreign to your own body, and they will not be rejected as a result. These platelets will break down in your body easily because your body recognizes them as its own blood product.

Cons

You do have to sit in a chair and go through a blood donation and plasma separation process. This is time-consuming, and especially difficult if you have tiny veins and difficulties donating plasma and blood. If you choose to use your own platelets, it may take hours to days to harvest enough of your own platelets to get a few treatments worth. The process will need repeating until hair growth is successful and permanent. 

Pros and Cons of Using Donor Platelets

Pros

A big pro to using donor platelets is that you can receive treatments immediately. You do not have to go through the donation process, wait for the lab to separate your own platelets, and then return to receive the injected platelets in your scalp. You can just make an appointment for a PRP injection/treatment, and then come in to receive that treatment. There is more than enough donor platelets available at local blood banks to keep your head in full hair for life, too. 

Cons

The donor platelets have to be carefully matched to your own blood type. Even then, your body may reject this blood product. Rejection is possible in a small percentage of patients/clients who elect PRP for hair loss and hair thinning. If your body does reject the donor platelets, you will develop a systemic reaction that will require a doctor's immediate care and possibly a hospital stay. Some people are also uncomfortable about injecting someone else's platelets into their own scalps.