Is the Use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and ACell Standard in Hair Transplant Surgery?

This question, from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Carlos Wesley:

Is it standard practice for hair transplant surgeons to leave follicular unit grafts in PRP/ACell? If so, how for how long?

I cannot speak for every hair restoration physician, but it is standard operating procedure in our practice to use a combination of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and ACell as a storage solution for follicular units when they are out of the body in both our follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) cases.

The upside: It has been demonstrated to generate a statistically significant improvement in survival and caliber (thickness) of transplanted hair follicles. I’ve also found the hair growth to occur earlier and the redness to be minimized.

The downside: It demands a large, dedicated staff as the process requires a staff member to focus on the isolation and creation of the PRP as the surgical procedure is taking place.

Dr. Carlos Wesley
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David
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, platelet rich plasma, PRP, ACell, follicular unit extraction, FUE, follicular unit strip surgery, FUSS, hair growth