Hair fall is a very common condition which is being faced by most of the women in today’s era. Hair fall may be because of stress, hormonal imbalance, improper diet, or pollution too. Hair fall will make a person low in confidence and will make any person nervous. Luckily, we have discovered new therapies for balding and normal hair growth through the help of medical science. Of all the most requested therapies prescribed by physicians are PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and GFC (Growth Factor Concentrate). Both therapies employ your own blood in order to thicken and grow your hair. In this blog, we are going to explain what PRP and GFC are, how they function, and why you would need either one of them.
Why does female hair thinning happen, and how do PRP or GFC make it happen?
Hair thinning in women can be caused by stress, hormones, iron deficiency, or genetics. PRP and GFC both function in a manner that they use your own blood to stimulate the hair roots to grow thicker. They feed and give growth to thinning hair roots. This reduces thinning hair and gives new hair growth. Thinning of hair in females can be due to a range of reasons. One of the most popular causes includes hormonal imbalance, for instance, post child birth at the time of pregnancy or at the time of menopause. Stress if you stress and worry a lot, in fact you are causing harm to your hair is another popular cause. Malnutrition, i.e., lacking sufficient protein, iron, or vitamins, can also lead to thinning hair. Other causes apart from these are overusing hair styling products, heat treatments, pollution, or even genetics (family). Some women also lose hair when they become sick or after using some medications.
Now let’s move to what PRP and GFC can do for us.
PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma):
PRP utilizes your own blood to promote hair growth. Some of your body’s blood is removed and then treated by a device to divide the portion containing platelets. Platelets contain growth factors, which are chemicals occurring naturally, that heal tissue and regrow cells back. This loaded section is directly injected into your thinning area of hair. It promotes the blood supply, stimulates thickening of hair roots, and revives the sleeping hair follicles. It could result in healthier and thicker hair in the long run.
GFC (Growth Factor Concentrate):
GFC is a more evolved and sophisticated treatment. Similar to PRP, your own blood is utilized, but treated differently to deliver only the strongest and purest of growth factors. The growth factors are then injected into the scalp. GFC works even quicker and delivers stronger results for most individuals. GFC slows down hair fall, makes hair thicker, and stimulates new hair growth by deeply saturating the hair follicles.
GFC and PRP are both safe procedures since they involve the use of your own blood, and therefore no chemicals, no risk of allergic reaction. Both of them address the very cause of baldness by stimulating the scalp and providing a natural impetus to hair growth.
PRP or GFC: Which one works faster in stimulating hair growth?
GFC is faster and superior to PRP in all but a few patients. It has more growth factors than regular PRP. But results are delayed months. Out of PRP and GFC, GFC is quicker in providing visible results on hair regrowth. GFC is a new technique. It only takes the active and pure growth factors from your own blood that are specifically aimed at the thinning hair follicles. It sheds fewer hairs and new hair grows faster.
In PRP, the results also arrive but a bit later since it has platelets and other blood components inside, which might not function as quickly and effectively as GFC. All of us begin to notice early effects with GFC between 1 to 1.5 months, whereas PRP can take 2 to 3 months to notice desired effects. But your hair condition, age, and overall health also contribute to how quickly the results occur. That is to say, GFC provides quicker and even better effects, but both the treatments treat hair growth.
How is GFC different from classical PRP therapy?
GFC is a newer, cleaner form of PRP. It contains greater growth factor capability and is made in a laboratory tube. It could potentially be able to produce better, more effective results than regular PRP. GFC and PRP are both hair treatments in which your own blood is applied to activate your hair growth but do have some obvious differences.
1. How They Are Prepared
In PRP, your blood is taken and spun on a machine to separate out the part that has platelets. It is injected into your scalp. In GFC, it is processed more advanced. Only pure growth factors leave the platelets, and no unwanted waste is left behind. This makes it more potent and targeted.
2. Power and Purity
PRP contains platelets and a few growth factors and other parts of the blood. GFC has no other ingredient except for growth factors, which are the most potent ingredient to grow and heal hair. GFC is, therefore, stronger and purer.
3. Results:
PRP works but may take a longer time before results appear. GFC tends to produce faster and more effective results especially on controlling hair loss and thickness.
4. Comfort:
Others may feel a little pain or swelling after PRP. GFC is less painful and easier because it’s a cleaner process with less chance of irritation. GFC is really an advanced form of PRP. It gives results of quicker, stronger, and cleaner hair growth, although both are safe and on the basis of your own body’s natural healing capability.
Do I have blood work done before I can get PRP or GFC injections?
Yes, there may be a need for regular blood tests to monitor your condition, such as haemoglobin and platelets. This is to ensure that the doctor will know whether it is safe and beneficial for you. For the majority of cases, your doctor might need you to undergo some routine blood tests before attending PRP or GFC therapy. These tests are mainly to ensure if your body is healthy enough for treatment and if your blood carries enough platelets and nutrients that can work effectively.
Some routine tests include:
- Complete Blood Count (CBC): So that you can test your white and red blood cells, and platelets.
- Blood Sugar Levels: So that you can know if you have uncontrolled diabetes or not.
- Infection Screening: To know if you have any infection which can be hampering the treatment.
- Vitamin Levels (such as Vitamin D or B12): Because their deficiency can make your hair unhealthy.
These tests are generally easy and taken once before beginning the treatment. They assist your physician to understand your body better and make sure that PRP or GFC will be safer and more effective for you.
How long does one session of PRP or GFC hair last?
The therapy is usually administered in a procedure that takes place in one session lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. The blood is first drawn, processed, and then re-placed back into the scalp. It merely requires about a 45-minute to one-hour session of PRP or GFC therapy as a standalone treatment. And this is what occurs within that period:
1. A small amount of your blood is drawn (just a normal blood test).
2. The blood is then channelled through a specialized machine to create the PRP or GFC solution. The treatment takes 15 to 20 minutes.
3. The solution is thereafter injected by the doctor into your scalp, primarily into the balding hair areas. The treatment takes 15 to 30 minutes depending on the breadth of the area that needs to be treated.
You are free to go home on the same day, and there is no need to tarry at the clinic for a long time. Most of the patients can even resume work or normal activities right after the treatment.
What will be more durable in results: PRP or GFC?
GFC will last longer on the shelf and will work better in most situations. It is a better developer for the hair follicles. But even that, you may have to get touch-up treatments afterward. GFC has a better chance of developing longer-lasting results than PRP. GFC is developed through a superior process where only the strongest growth factors in your blood are taken out.
The stronger growth factors have longer lifespans and can act on the scalp for more extended periods, which maximizes the hair roots entirely and encourages hair to grow for longer months. With PRP, they also function well but never as long-lasting as GFC since it also has other components of blood apart from the platelets that will most probably not be so effective as pure growth factors.
For the majority of cases:
The effect of PRP will last for 6 to 9 months and you may have to go for maintenance sessions more frequently. GFC effects last for 12 months and beyond, and less retouching is usually required. That is, your way of life, age, hair condition, and ability to maintain your scalp after the treatment all define your survival.
Which seems to be a superior treatment in reducing hair breaking: PRP or GFC?
GFC might be more useful in breakage because it is likely to be a closer approximation of support to the hair root. Both, nevertheless, can be useful to hair health in the long term. GFC is also a superior treatment for reducing hair breakage compared to PRP. This is due to the fact that GFC only extracts the most concentrated and pure growth factors from your own blood.
Growth factors penetrate deep within your scalp, repair broken hair roots, feed the hair follicles, and strengthen the hair strands. Your hair becomes healthier and more resilient to breakage in the process. PRP also stops hair breakage but not as specifically or strongly as GFC. PRP contains platelets and a few growth factors but not in the same concentrated and pure form as GFC.
Therefore, although PRP can strengthen hair, GFC will most likely have faster and greater reductions in breakage. If it is paramount to stop breakage and strengthen your hair, then GFC would be the preferred choice.
Is GFC safer than PRP for women with low haemoglobin?
GFC could be safer if your practitioner is comfortable with it. But low haemoglobin could get in the way of either treatment, so always check with your practitioner first. If the female is anaemic (low haemoglobin), then both PRP and GFC must be performed with utmost caution. Both of these involve blood withdrawal from the body. When there is low haemoglobin in the body, the body itself contains less red corpuscles, and even the withdrawal of a little blood weakens and makes the person drowsy.
To the two GFC is less risk-prone and easier as it needs fewer units of blood compared to PRP, produces better results, and involves fewer sessions. PRP sometimes necessitates more visits while at other times needs more blood, which may seem counter-intuitive in female clients with haemoglobin levels. But the most crucial thing is to perform a blood test initially. If your haemoglobin is critically low, your doctor might postpone the treatment and recommend increasing your iron levels via diet or supplements prior to taking PRP or GFC. So, yes GFC is generally a safer option for women with low haemoglobin, but only if your doctor sanctions it after reviewing your blood reports.
Conclusion
Thinning or baldness troubles majority of the women, but the good news is that now there are effective treatments because of modern medicine. GFC and PRP are two new, painless and safe therapies that stimulate natural hair growth from your own blood. Even though PRP has been practiced for quite a long time and yields satisfactory results, GFC is newer and advanced and will work faster as well as be longer lasting.
Both the treatments are effective, but the one best suited to you will be based on your hair type, your health, and your physician’s advice. Always go and consult a hair professional or dermatologist before any treatment. With precautions and advice, you can grow healthy, thick hair and get your confidence back.
FAQ
- What is the most common cause of female hair loss?
Baldness in women can be caused by stress, changes in hormones, poor diet, sickness, or heredity. It is also a secondary effect of excessive hair product use and heat styling.
- Is PRP painful?
PRP can result in minimal pain or a stinging feeling from the injections, but it’s temporary and slight.
- Is GFC better than PRP?
GFC is said to be more sophisticated than PRP. It produces quicker and longer effects in most people, particularly for minimizing hair loss and stabilization of hair roots.
- How many sessions are required for PRP or GFC?
Most people need 3 to 6 sessions, one each month. Depending on your hair condition, they could be unique.
- Is there any downtime from GFC or PRP?
No, both are very quick treatments, and you can resume your normal life immediately. There may be some mild redness or swelling, but that also disappears instantly.
