PRP Therapy and Aging: Shifting Perspectives on Graying Hair and Regeneration
Contents
Understanding PRP therapy
The aging process and graying hair
PRP therapy for hair regeneration
PRP beyond aesthetics
Lifestyle factors contributing to aging
The evolving landscape of regenerative medicine
Embrace the beauty of aging with PRP therapy
Do you have strands of glitter growing out of your head (i.e., gray hairs)? Well, you’re favored because not everyone is lucky enough to grow old.
Graying hair is a normal part of aging but concerns like hair loss and achy joints are the less sparkly aspects. The good news is evolutions in aesthetic and regenerative medicine can help you look and feel better.
PRP therapy can help regenerate tissue, build new cells, and give you glowy skin, luscious hair, and flexible joints.
Curious?
Read on as we unpack this innovative treatment and share some tips to feel like a million bucks at any age.
Understanding PRP therapy
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a concentration of platelets from your blood that contains growth factors and clotting cells. Platelets are life-saving cells that help your blood clot, preventing extreme blood loss.
PRP therapy uses these concentrated platelets for their incredible anti-aging properties. They stimulate collagen and elastin production, which promotes skin healing.
The process of extracting PRP is relatively simple and doesn’t require any anesthesia. It’s a same-day procedure and you’ll be comfortable throughout. Here’s how the practitioner extracts and processes your PRP:
- The physician puts a tourniquet onto your arm and finds a vein for blood extraction. He sterilizes the area and extracts a vial of blood.
- Once the vial is full, the practitioner releases your arm from the tourniquet and covers it with a bandage.
- They place the vial into a special machine called a centrifuge. It spins your blood rapidly, which separates the plasma and platelets from the blood.
- Once the blood is separated, the physician places the platelets and plasma into a syringe or container, depending on the procedure.
A normal vial of blood contains around 150,000 to 450,000 platelets. Once the physician puts it into the centrifuge, the platelet count multiplies up to 9x that amount. This powerful concentration makes it a powerful healing tool.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy is commonly used to treat skincare concerns. The physician either uses microneedling or PRP injections to get the platelets into the tissues. The growth hormones work to rebuild the skin.
Growth hormones don’t just help with skincare concerns. Patients experiencing hair thinning or balding may grow healthy, luscious hair after a PRP hair treatment.
The aging process and graying hair
So, what exactly causes gray hair and is there any way to prevent it? Let’s look at what some of the studies have to say and the common misconceptions about graying hair.
The nine hallmarks of aging
The Nine Hallmarks of Aging is a framework proposed in 2013 as a way to categorize the biological mechanisms of aging. Researchers put them together to find an understanding of what happens to our bodies as we age. Let’s break them down:
- Genomic Instability: The buildup of DNA damage that happens over time that causes errors in the genetic code.
- Telomere Attrition: As telomeres shorten cells find it difficult to communicate, which contributes to apoptosis and cell aging.
- Epigenetic Alterations: Changes in the gene expression that can turn the aging genes on or off.
- Loss of Proteostasis: The gradual decline in your body’s ability to maintain proteins which causes a buildup of damaged proteins.
- Deregulated Nutrient Sensing: Disruptions in signaling pathways that affect the way your body regulates nutrients.
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Mitochondrial function drops as we age, which causes lower energy production and cellular damage.
- Cellular Senescence: When cells start to lose their ability to divide, which prevents the growth of new cells.
- Stem Cell Exhaustion: Stem cells lose their regenerative capacity, which affects tissue repair and functionality.
- Altered Intercellular Communication: The signaling molecules become less effective, which changes the way your cells communicate.
Understanding the hallmarks of aging helps physicians treat problems before they occur. One example is using PRP hair therapy to prevent thinning locks by boosting scalp circulation.
What causes gray hair?
Well, graying hair is a natural part of getting older. Every strand is made of the hair shaft, which is the colored part that grows out of our scalp. There’s also the root which sits under the scalp.
A tube of tissue called the follicle covers each strand. Every hair follicle contains pigment cells that make melanin, which gives the hair its brown, black, blonde, or red color.
As we age, the pigment cells in our hair follicles start to die. With fewer pigment cells, the hair follicles don’t produce as much melanin. It causes our hair color to lose pigment, which turns it into a transparent gray or white color.
So your hair doesn’t actually change color and become gray. It simply loses color as pigment cells die.
While gray hair is usually a sign of aging, some illnesses can cause premature graying. Gray hair, especially in younger people, may be a signal of these health problems:
- Neurofibromatosis (also called Von Recklinghausen’s disease)
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Vitiligo
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Alopecia areata
- Thyroid disease
Misconceptions about graying hair
There are many misconceptions about gray hair. The most harmful is that only people who are extremely old have gray hair. On the contrary, hair typically starts turning gray in the late 20s or early 30s.
People, especially women, are made to feel insecure about graying hair and may opt for dyes with harsh chemicals to cover up.
While PRP hair therapy may boost hair growth, it likely won’t convert all your gray hair to your natural color.
Another misconception is that all elderly people have gray hair. Your genetic makeup plays a big role in when or if your hair will start graying. Maintaining cellular health and reducing stress may also prevent your hair from graying too fast.
PRP therapy for hair regeneration
Are you looking into treating hair loss with PRP? The good news is it’s an effective option to grow healthy, vibrant locks.
Platelet-rich plasma can address many hair concerns, including thinning, balding, and loss of vibrancy. Platelets contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors. They promote tissue regeneration in the scalp, which boosts circulation and encourages cell growth,
Injecting PRP into the scalp delivers growth factors directly to the afflicted areas. Once the platelets enter the tissues, they attract your body’s stem cells to the hair follicles. The effects of a PRP hair therapy session can take several months to reach full effect.
Platelets have regenerative properties, but how exactly does that translate to hair growth? Well, the PRP reaches the bottom of the hair follicles where dermal papilla cells abide. They’re responsible for regenerating part of the hair follicle and generating the hair shaft.
By stimulating the growth of dermal papilla cells, PRP promotes hair growth from the roots. It also boosts scalp circulation and increases blood flow to the scalp, which heals damaged tissues.
The increased blood flow may be especially beneficial for people who struggle to grow long hair. It helps the anagen phase of the hair, which makes strands grow longer.
PRP beyond aesthetics
Compared to other treatments, PRP is non-invasive and has little to no downtime. Since the key ingredient comes from your own blood, the chances of serious side effects are rare.
It’s one of the safest options compared to hair transplants, which require surgery, and hair growth products packed with chemicals.
Many patients are interested in PRP treatments for hair growth because of their high success rate in creating healthy locks.
The collagen-boosting growth hormones also make it an effective skincare treatment. It penetrates the epidermis and works to heal tissues from the dermal layer.
Even after a single treatment, the collagen boost makes your skin soft and bouncy. PRP can help you get rid of wrinkles and give you glowy skin, which delivers a confidence boost. Feeling good in your own skin is important as you get older.
PRP can help you with the visible signs of aging, but it doesn’t stop there. Your body has healing capabilities and platelet-rich plasma brings it out.
As you age, collagen levels drop, and this doesn’t just affect your skin. The lack of collagen can speed up the development of osteoarthritis. As collagen drops, your cartilage wears down more easily, which causes joint pain.
Collagen supplements may be slightly beneficial, but you’d need to take higher doses for an extended amount of time.
PRP is also used to strengthen and repair joints. The growth hormones in the platelets promote collagen in the affected joints. It accelerates the healing of damaged ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy can speed up your healing process and help you feel like your fit, younger self.
Lifestyle factors contributing to aging
While aging is a natural process, lifestyle factors can bring in sickness and worsen aesthetic concerns. Remember that you may not be able to add years to your life, but you can add life to your years. Here are some lifestyle factors that accelerate the nine hallmarks of aging.
Poor diet
Eating an excessive amount of sugary, salty, fatty foods raises your chances of developing metabolic conditions closely related to aging.
A chocolate bar as an occasional treat can be part of a healthy lifestyle. However, including processed foods in your daily diet is a recipe for disaster. Aim to eat whole foods, fruits and veggies, and a lean protein source with every meal.
While what you eat is important, when you do it is also crucial. Most people eat for 12 to 14 hours of the day. This pattern promotes fat storage, as the body is constantly metabolizing food.
Sedentary lifestyle
Consistent exercise can help you maintain a strong immune system and lower cholesterol levels. It also aids in building muscle mass, which prevents the buildup of abdominal fat as you age.
Living a sedentary lifestyle increases your likelihood of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. It also weakens your joints, bones, and muscles, which could cause osteoporosis.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and strength training twice a week.
Harmful substances
It’s not surprising news that cigarettes are harmful. Smoking can make you look older by causing skin discoloration, wrinkles, and dark circles.
Alcohol is no better. While some argue that a glass of wine a day is beneficial, The Lancet found that no amount of alcohol improves health. It may exacerbate rosacea and increase inflammation in the body.
It’s best to steer clear of these harmful substances because they aren’t worth the potential health problems.
Poor sleep quality
Getting sufficient sleep is key to maintaining a strong immune system and healthy brain function. Good quality sleep can help combat metabolic diseases like diabetes. It can also prevent progressive diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Aim to get at least 7–8 hours of sleep every night. Avoid drinking alcohol before bed as this can affect your sleep quality. Try to set a bedtime routine and hit the hay at the same time every night to balance your circadian rhythm.
The evolving landscape of regenerative medicine
Regenerative medicine is a new component of modern medicine that’s making waves in the medical industry. Researchers in this field are looking into cellular and acellular therapies to delay the aging process.
One example of regenerative medicine is our LIVV FOREVER peptides. They actively work to slow down the nine hallmarks of aging by lengthening telomeres and stimulating the production of new neurons.
Embrace the beauty of aging with PRP therapy
Aging is a natural part of life and, with regenerative medical advances, it can be the best part of your life.
PRP therapy uses your body’s natural healing powers to regenerate your tissues and stimulate the hair follicles. It can give you gorgeous, plump skin and luscious locks, but it’s not all aesthetic. PRP therapy could strengthen your joints and help you do the activities you love.
Our peptides and natural aesthetic procedures turn you into the ultimate silver fox so you can treasure your life (and yourself). Book an appointment with LIVVNatural and let us help you look and feel your best.
Author: Dr. Jason Phan NMD – Founder of LIVV Natural – Anti-aging – regenerative medicine – peptide therapy
