My hair loss story + How PRP injections saved my hair

I have always grown up with super thick, healthy hair until one day I was losing CLUMPS of hair in the shower.

If you would have asked me last year if I would ever talk publicly about my hair loss, I would have said NO WAY.

But now that I have been given my confidence back through PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections, I am ready to share my story in hopes to educate others and show other girls going through this that you are not alone.

My Hair Loss Story

In 2011, I first started to notice my hair loss. I had a horrible case of mono and was in the hospital for a week. About a month after getting out of the hospital, I started losing so much hair in the shower.

While it is common for people to lose hair after a major illness (people with COVID-19 are reporting this side effect), it was very concerning. My hair had become so thin at this point that I really couldn’t wear it in a ponytail anymore.

I also recognized that around this same time, I switched my birth control pill to a different brand. I immediately went back to the previous brand in case that was the issue.

Over the years, my hair did grow back somewhat. Which helped with my self confidence, although I was always embarrassed by my thinner hair because I was used to having very thick hair.

In 2016, I really started to notice my hair thinning expect it was on the TOP of my head. This was a devastating time for me and I felt hideous. I would hide my thinning hair with extensions, makeup to fill in my part line, or would simply crop the top of my head in images.

I was hopeful that my hair loss would be an easy fix and maybe I had a vitamin deficiency, or needed to go off birth control, or just overall that there would be an EASY fix.

My dermatologist sent a scalp sample for testing and it was confirmed that I have androgenic alopecia, AKA, female pattern baldness.

With being in my early twenties, this really upset me. I spent many hours crying over my diagnosis wishing it were wrong. Because androgenic alopecia is genetically passed down and there is not much I can do about it. Basically, I produce too much androgen compared to estrogen. Which in return, makes my hair fall out quicker than most people.

While people typically go through hair shedding periods for maybe two weeks, I lose clumps of hair for MONTHS at a time. My hair just can’t keep up to replace what is lost.

Trying to find a solution

I was not given much education or any choices for how to fix the hair loss other than Rogaine. I chose not to do Rogaine for many reasons. One being you have to keep it up for life and it is not deemed safe for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. I want to have children in the future and would hate to stop using the product and lose my hair all over again.

I was told to stay on birth control because the pills may actually be helping me balance my hormones and keep more hair. I am not 100% convinced it is, but since I am not actively trying to have a baby, it is not a risk worth taking to find out.

In 2018, I heard of PRP injections and was very interested but wasn’t able to afford it, so I didn’t give it much thought.

Fast forward to 2020, I got a second job which allowed me to feel alright about the expense of PRP. So, in January 2021 I went for my consultation at Dr. Roxy Plastic Surgery!

My PRP experience

At my first consultation, the doctor confirmed that he thought I would make a good candidate! I was so relieved and happy to have the chance to try this. I have tried EVERYTHING out there. This was my last resort.

While PRP isn’t 100% guaranteed to bring back your hair , the doctor felt confident that I would have great results because I wasn’t missing hair all over my head, it was just on the top and would be easy to fill in.

The PRP injections will help not only bring back some hair that I have lost, but more importantly, it will cause 2-5 new hairs to come from each hair follicle helping me have thicker hair.

I had my first PRP treatment in March 2021. Surprisingly, the procedure was very simple.

First, my blood was drawn and then it was spun down to get the plasma. This part took about twenty minutes. The actual injections only took about five minutes.

We started with numbing and then injected a protein (an add on for about $200 that helps the growth). The last thing injected was my plasma ($900 per treatment which is surprisingly expensive since I am the one providing the goods haha). After injected, the doctor massaged my scalp a bit and then wrapped my head in a TIGHT band. And honestly, this was the worst part.

I had to wear this band for 24 hours. The purpose is to keep the protein and plasma on the top of my head where it is needed.

Another reason to use the band is to trick my body into thinking there is trauma to my head so that more blood will be sent up there.

And oh man, did the blood rush! I had a giant head, full of pressure and blood. I looked like Jimmy Neutron haha

That was the worst part. The next morning, I woke up with CRAZY swelling all through my eyes. This happened each time I had the procedure done and honestly was just funny because I knew it would go away. I found out that about 1 in 5 people experience this side effect. Lucky me, I know.

Another thing I noticed while doing treatments is that my scalp was SO sensitive. When I brushed my hair, I would get goosebumps. I think this is because of all the extra blood flow that I wasn’t used to.

My PRP results

I completed three rounds of PRP injections, one month a part each time. And I am SO HAPPY with my results.

I tried not to examine my head very closely while going through the treatments. I would drive myself crazy if I searched for individual hairs.

One thing that I did notice, though, without trying to look too close, is that I would have dark spots on my scalp where new hair was growing underneath.

Now that it has been two months since my last treatment and five months overall in the process, I am having a TON of new growth! Just recently, I could feel stubble throughout my scalp and now all the new hairs are starting to come through.

Overall, I am really really happy with my results and can’t wait to see the hairs continue to grow. I also have noticed a huge improvement with my hair line in general. I will soon be creating content to show how I prepped for my injections, what I did during the process, and what I am doing now to ensure that my PRP injections are successful.

Thankfully, I don’t need another injection until next year. Although, the doctor said I may even make it to 10 years without needing to repeat because I am young and healthy.

To hear more about my hair loss story and my PRP experience, check out my YouTube page.