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16 Health&j ellness JULY 2013 - WPB/PBG/JUPITER EDITION

By Alan J. Bauman, M.D.

What do Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, KobeBryant, Kim Kardashian and Angelina Joliehave in common?

The answer is that they have all reportedly used their ownblood as a cutting-edge non-surgical regenerative medicaltreatment. Studied in over 6,500 published scientific papers,the use of concentrated blood platelets, or “platelet-richplasma,” has been used as a regenerative treatment fordecades in the fields of dentistry, orthopedics and plastic sur-gery. PRP has recently gained increased attention from pro-fessional athletes for its ability to accelerate injury recovery– and Hollywood celebrities have also flocked to it as a wayto maintain a youthful facial appearance without surgery.

More recently, PRP, often referred to as the “vampire” celltherapy treatment, is also becoming more widely used amonghair restoration specialists due to its hair regrowth potential.In fact, a recent study published in the British Journal of Der-matology found PRP to perform better than standard medicaltreatments for patients with the autoimmune hair loss disor-der known as ‘alopecia areata.’

But how does the new vampire therapy breathe new life intofailing follicles?

Why Use Platelets for Hair Growth?Platelets are tiny cells that are critical to healing and are thebody’s primary source of natural bioactive growth factors forwound healing and tissue regeneration. Platelets contain manypowerful proteins, cytokines and growth factors, such as:• Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF)• Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PGDF)• Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-!)• Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)• Insulin Growth Factor (IGF)• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)

Published studies suggest that these blood-derived growthfactors can play an important role in regulating hair folliclefunction - making them an effective treatment for bothalopecia areata and the more common ‘androgenetic alope-

HAIRLOSS?Your Own BloodMay Hold the Keyto Regrowth!

New ‘Vampire’ PRP TreatmentMay Rejuvenate Dying Follicles

PRP is a tissueregenerating treatmentmade from your ownblood platelets.

w w w . s f l H e a l t h a n d W e l l n e s s . c o m

WPB/PBG/JUPITER EDITION - JULY 2013 Health&j ellness 17cia’ (i.e., male- and female-pattern hair loss). The basicpremise is that when these growth factors are highly con-centrated in PRP and reinjected into the affected areas ofthe scalp, they send cellular signals to reverse the miniatur-ization of hair follicles, helping them produce hair which isthicker, longer and stronger—providing a fuller head ofhair, better coverage and less shedding. Some of the scien-tific reports and our own experience in treating hair loss pa-tients with PRP at Bauman Medical Group have showndramatic reversal of areas of balding scalp.

How is a PRP treatment performed?A PRP hair growth treatment is a quick outpatient proce-dure that takes less than one hour in the doctor’s office. Atthe time of treatment, a small blood sample is obtainedfrom the patient and stored in a sterile test tube (just likeat a regular doctor’s visit). The test tube is then spun at highspeeds in a special centrifuge in order to separate theplatelets from the different components of the blood andcreate platelet-rich plasma. After preparing the scalp, thePRP is painlessly injected into the areas of weak hairgrowth. As part of the treatment, an Eclipse MicroPen™microneedling device is used to create microtrauma on thesurface of the scalp immediately following the injection.This further stimulates the release of the growth factorsfrom the platelets and enhances their influence on cellularactivity at the level of the follicles.

What are the risks of PRP treatment?Results can vary because every patient is unique. After theprocedure, most patients will only require Tylenol to helpwith mild discomfort, if any. There is no downtime or recov-ery period with PRP, so patients can go about their normalroutines immediately after treatment and can even showerand shampoo their hair that same night.

Since the treatment is autologous—i.e., made from cellswithin your own body—there is no risk of allergic reaction,disease transmission, side effects or drug complications.Since the blood is taken, processed and reinjected, a minimalrisk of infection (<1%) is always present, but it’s on a parwith a standard blood draw and much lower than other typesof injectable cosmetic procedures. In the medical literature,side effects and complications from PRP injections are ex-tremely rare. Over time, repeat treatments may be needed toachieve and/or maintain the desired result.

Are all PRP treatments the same?Unfortunately they are not. Many physicians use different pro-tocols to create and apply PRP. At Bauman Medical Group,we use the only FDA-approved PRP preparation system, calledAutologel™, to prepare create the PRP and often choose to en-hance the treatment with ACell™ or other advanced extracel-lular matrix products. At Bauman Medical, all medical staffmembers have been officially trained and certified by Cy-tomedix to prepare FDA- approved Autologel PRP since 2011.

How do I know if my PRP hair growth treatmentis working?Before the treatment, the area of concern should be micro-scopically evaluated, photographed and measured using thescientific HairCheck device. Although results vary, some im-provement in hair growth should be measureable within 90days, with hair growth continuing to improve at six months.

Since everyone responds differently, routine follow-up andmeasurements can be helpful in determining when PRPshould be repeated or other treatment options considered.

Can PRP be combined with other hair regrowththerapies?Absolutely, a multi-therapy approach may be needed depend-ing on the severity of the patient’s hair loss. PRP may beused as an adjunct to FDA-approved medications like finas-teride or minoxidil, or other therapies like low level laser ther-apy, compounded Formula 82M minoxidil, nutritionalsupplementation and hair transplantation.

Is PRP right for me?If you are suffering from increased hair shedding, decreas-ing volume, weakening hair quality or a loss of coverageon the scalp, you may be a candidate for PRP hair growthtreatment. However, a detailed and comprehensive medicalhair loss evaluation by a full-time hair restoration physicianand pre-treatment HairCheck measurement is recom-mended. (To find a qualified PRP hair restoration specialist,go to PRPHairRestoration.com) You should discuss withyour hair restoration physician which additional treatmentsmight be needed to achieve your hair restoration goals. Tofind out if you are a candidate for PRP hair regrowth treat-ments, contact hair loss expert, Alan J. Bauman, M.D. atdoctorb@baumanmedical.com or call 561-394-0024 for aconfidential consultation.

• Tiger Woods• Fred Couples• Vijay Singh• Hank Kuehne• Brandon Roy• Kobe Bryant• Josh Howard• Mickael Pietrus• Wesley Matthews• Rashard Lewis• Derrick Rose• Greg Oden• Andrew Bynum• Hines Ward• Troy Polamalu• LaRon Landry• Chris Cooley• Andre Johnson• Joseph Addai• Peyton Hillis• Mario Williams• Matt Forte• Chris Canty

• Takashi Saito• Alex Rodriguez• Cliff Lee• Jose Reyes• Huston Street• John Patterson• Rafael Furcal• Bartolo Colon• Pedro Feliciano• Brett Anderson• Nelson Cruz• Michael Young• George Sherrill• Mark Lowe• Conor Mullee• Ryan Howard• Ian Kinsler• Jesse Litsch• Matt Kemp• Kyle McClellan• Kim Kardashian• Angelina Jolie

Alan J. Bauman, M.D.

Hair Restoration Physician Dr. Alan J.Bauman is Founder and Medical Director ofBauman Medical Group in Boca Raton,Florida, an international practice specializingexclusively in the treat-ment or hair loss since1997. Dr. Bauman isone of a handful of sur-geons worldwide who isa Diplomate of theAmerican and Interna-tional Board of HairRestoration Surgeryand also recommendedby the American HairLoss Association. A fre-quent lecturer and fac-ulty member at major international medicalconferences, his advanced hair restorationtechniques and procedures have been fea-tured on CNN, Dateline NBC, ABC’s GoodMorning America. CBS Early Show, EXTRA,Access Hollywood, as well as in Men’s HealthMagazine, Allure, Redbook, Cosmo. Women’sHealth, Vogue, W Magazine, USA Today, TheNew York Times and more. For more informa-tion on protecting, enhancing and restoringyour own living and growing hair, call toll-freeat 877-BAUMAN-9, or Ieam more online atwww.baumanmedical.com

Do you have a question aboutkeeping the hair you have orrestoring the hair you’ve lost?Email Dr. Bauman directly atdoctorb@baumanmedical.com

Others who have reportedly had PRP treatments:

BAUMAN MEDICAL GROUPHair Restoration

for Men and Womenwww.BaumanMedical.com

1.877.BAUMAN.9

Actual Bauman patient

Alan J. Bauman, M.D.Hair Loss Expert