PRP, PRFM, Exosomes: Do Regenerative Medicines Work?

Dr. Anil Shah and Dr. Benjamin Paul discuss common questions that are asked regarding hair restoration treatments and procedures. They dive deep into the topics of PRP, PRFM, and Exosomes. Click on the video below to hear the discussion.

Dr. Shah

PRP. How many sessions do your patients need typically, to see results?.

 

Dr. Ben Paul:

So, usually it's 2 minimum. There's like 30 plus studies that have been written about PRP for here. And two of them say that PRP doesn't work. And the similarity in these two studies that don't show a fact or that they look within three months and they only did PRP once. So if you're thinking about doing PRP, this is a journey and we got to get enough PRP in you to see the improvement and hair loss and hair growth. These are slow phenomena from others. And so usually I'll do a treatment. And then about two months later, a second one and potentially two months later, a third one, and look at six months. I'm not sure what your timeline is.

 

Dr. Shah:

We like a minimum of three. And you know, I think we noticed women see some results, usually with three. And men, I think need more. You know, four or five. What about some of the bearings of PRP? If you like PRFM? Selphyl?

 

Dr. Ben Paul:

I 100% love PRFM. I think Selphyl is a really consistent way to make the PRFM. Although, there's CosmoFrance company makes one also, which is fine. But, I think that the linking of growth factors to fibrin is platelet rich fiber matrix allows the growth factors to slowly bathe the hair follicles over long periods of time, which helps with growth.

 

Dr. Shah:

Here's a controversial element and me and my wife disagree about this one. So, we'll get your thoughts. When can you wash your hair after PRP? I'm in the 72 hours, you know, don't want to manipulate it because PRP, theoretically is not there as long as you want, even if PRFM. She's in, the “you can wash your hair right away.”

 

Dr. Ben Paul:

The sites of the needle, according to what I've read, are closed at four hours. So I tell all the patients like you're going to have a little dried red blood and dried yellow PRP on your scalp after the procedure and for the listeners, the procedure’s 25 minutes. I mean, it's, it's an office procedure, you're back to work. And so I just like them to rinse with some water. And then the next morning you can shampoo and condition and go about life as normal.

 

Dr. Shah:

So she wins in your camp.

 

Dr. Ben Paul

But I think if your wife's happy, we're all happy.

 

Dr. Shah

Right. There we go. Well, she, in all fairness, does a lot of the regenerative stuff. Have you tried any of the other injectables for the hair, including exosomes?

 

Dr. Ben Paul

I’ve been trying with exosomes. I was reading a whole bunch of horror stories about it from Nebraska and the FDA got involved and I'm sure that's not every case, but I've decided I'm going to be a slow adopter on exosomes. At first I was super excited about them, but then the company told me all the things they do for every part of the body perfectly. And I thought, “Uh-oh.” Because when something promises to do everything perfectly, it makes me scared.

 

Dr. Shah:

Yeah. we, we do use exosomes in the office. And I actually liked them, but they're not as powerful as advertised. And I think in some of the descriptions, you see men who have Norwood sevens and they're coming back with hair that looks like Fabio in his prime and I'm like, that's not going to happen with one treatment of this.

 

Dr. Ben Paul:

Yeah. And it's like at two weeks, they've grown here that would take two months to grow in something. It was just so often the photos when they're showing me the before and afters. So it made me a little bit hesitant to jump on board so soon.

 

Dr. Shah:

But I do like where the science is going in that, and I do like the fact that it's stimulating the, you know, the brain center of the hair to really try to not die because essentially hair is a non-essential organ. And you know, when it's under stress, it's going to say you're not important under all those things. So I do like the fact that it's bringing some attention to the terminal and could go up and at least not die.

 

Dr. Ben Paul

Have you done any Botox at the hairline for smooth muscle relaxation for hair growth? I've done it. It's helpful, I think.

 

Dr. Shah:

Really a little more dilute by the hairline.

 

Dr. Ben Paul

Yeah.

 

Dr. Shah

I'm going to put that on my list. Actually, try it on myself, because again, it's always a work in progress trying to get as much there as we can.

 

 

Dr. Ben Paul

Have you done the exosomes on yourself?

 

Dr. Shah

I've done exosomes, PRFM. And if I had an order of pain, I'd say PRP is the most painful. PRFM is second and exosomes is actually not painful as much. And there's a video of me. I scream with a really high pitched voice with the PRP. Slightly less high with the PRFM.

 

Dr. Ben Paul

It's good to, it's good to try too. Did you ever try Acell?

 

Dr. Shah:

I have not tried Acell. We have not incorporated that. Have you?

 

Dr. Ben Paul

No. So I have seen firsthand horror stories from that one where patients, so Acell is this extracellular matrix made from a fetal pig bladder like baby pigs, bladder tissue, and theoretically, it's supposed to act as a scaffold to help hold on to the PRP growth factors. But every once in a while, the body can figure out that pigs are not humans and there can be a horrible reaction to it. So, I was just wondering if you use that.

 

Dr. Shah:

Yeah. I don't really love foreign substances, especially from different animals, just in general. It's just like, you know, the original collagen was from a cow and that didn't work well. And so usually, you know non-animal source products I think are better than, than animal source.

 

Dr. Ben Paul

When patients ask, I just tell them that Acell is not kosher.

 

To hear this whole interview, check out our podcast, “MASTERS OF BEAUTY” available on Apple Podcast, I Heart Radio, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!