Is PRP injection available for hair loss in Singapore? (photo)

Doctor's Answers 4

I totally agree with Dr Chua that PRP has very little evidence published in the medical literature suggesting its indication for hair loss treatment. Furthermore, it’s banned in SG for aesthetic purposes.

You should visit aesthetic doctors or dermatologists highly interested in treating hair loss to get a detailed consultation, diagnosis, and treatment options.

There are two ways to restore hair in your case (and for many other men):

1. Hair Transplantion

It's the most effective method to restore hair, as strong hair follicles from the back of the head are extracted one by one and then re-implanted on the front and top of the scalp. These follicles will never be subject to balding (notice how some old men still retain the U shape hairstyle around the sides and back of their head despite the top being empty?) It is the only method to put more hair follicles into your scalp.

2. Medical hair treatment

Finasteride blocks the hormone DHT responsible for hair loss, and is recommended for oral usage (3% of users may have some sexual side effects). It makes existing hair follicles thick and strong again.

Minoxidil increases blood flow to the scalp, and encourages hair growth.

Low level laser therapy also stimulates growth and strengthening of existing hair follicles. In summary, it is best to perform a hair transplant, and then maintain the hair follicles (old and new ) with the medical treatments listed.

In Singapore, Manual Hair Transplant costs $5-8/graft and ARTAS ROBOTIC Hair Transplant costs $8.5-$10.50/graft. Once again, do visit a doctor for a detailed consultation as not all the options listed may be suitable for you.

You can read this article for more information about hair loss treatment in Singapore.

Photo of Dr Samuel Ho
Dr Samuel Ho

Plastic Surgeon

Thank you for your question!

Hairloss at a young age such as yourself has multiple causes. It is important to have a proper consultation to exclude underlying medical, nutritional or physiological causes for hairloss prior to embarking on treatment. This is especially important as many of the treatments suggested for Male Pattern Hairloss can be costly, time-consuming and have a number of side-effects, and may not be required.

Once excluded, and it is determined that Male Pattern Balding (MPB) is the cause of the hairloss, then the various treatments as previous elucidated by the previous doctors can be considered. To answer your question on PRP - the national skin centre has recently concluded a study on PRP scalp injections in conjunction with minoxidil for the treatment of MPB. Preliminary results are quite encouraging.

Similarly, PRP scalp injections are used widely as adjunctive treatment in the Unger Clinic in the US, where Dr Martin Unger, a board-certified plastic surgeon who is world-renown for his work on hairloss, practices.

In Singapore, PRP injections for MPB can only be performed as part of an IRB-approved trial led by a Principle Investigator who is either a Plastic Surgeon or a Dermatologist.

Personally, I favour FUE hair transplantations for treatment of MPB. This allows for a definitive method of shifting hormone-resistent follicles from hair-dense areas of the scalp to the thinning areas. The results are permanent and long-lasting.

Thank you and best regards,

Dr Samuel Ho

It is indeed distressing to face hair loss at a young age. I would not rush into PRP injections as the first option since:

1. It is not legally available in Singapore
2. There is only scant evidence of its efficacy for hair loss
3. So far the scant evidence only shows results for certain types of hair loss

I would recommend seeking a full consultation with an aesthetic doctor or dermatologist with a special interest in hair, ascertain the exact reason of the hair loss, before moving on to discussing treatment options. The process often requires blood tests and a detailed consultation.

There may be more cost and time saving options, that also have more science behind them. Hope this helps!

I totally agree with Dr Chua that PRP has very little evidence published in the medical literature suggesting its indication for hair loss treatment. Furthermore, it’s banned in SG for aesthetic purposes.

You should visit aesthetic doctors or dermatologists highly interested in treating hair loss to get a detailed consultation, diagnosis, and treatment options.

There are two ways to restore hair in your case (and for many other men):

1. Hair Transplantion

It's the most effective method to restore hair, as strong hair follicles from the back of the head are extracted one by one and then re-implanted on the front and top of the scalp. These follicles will never be subject to balding (notice how some old men still retain the U shape hairstyle around the sides and back of their head despite the top being empty?) It is the only method to put more hair follicles into your scalp.

2. Medical hair treatment

Finasteride blocks the hormone DHT responsible for hair loss, and is recommended for oral usage (3% of users may have some sexual side effects). It makes existing hair follicles thick and strong again.

Minoxidil increases blood flow to the scalp, and encourages hair growth.

Low level laser therapy also stimulates growth and strengthening of existing hair follicles. In summary, it is best to perform a hair transplant, and then maintain the hair follicles (old and new ) with the medical treatments listed.

In Singapore, Manual Hair Transplant costs $5-8/graft and ARTAS ROBOTIC Hair Transplant costs $8.5-$10.50/graft. Once again, do visit a doctor for a detailed consultation as not all the options listed may be suitable for you.

You can read this article for more information about hair loss treatment in Singapore.

Similar Questions

How time sensitive is starting treatment for male pattern baldness?

From your description, it does sound like you may have telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium, there is increased hair loss due to a preceding stressful event, such as high fever, crash dieting and emotional stress. The surgery in June may be a triggering event. By definition, hair fall is considered abnormal if there is loss of over 100 strands of hair a day. This condition is usually self limiting and the hair fall usually last for 2 – 4 months . The new hairs will eventually grow out.

Photo of Dr Colin Theng

Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

What could be the cause of hair loss in a teenage female?

Thank you for the question. There many causes of hair loss in teenagers, and it is difficult to tell you what your daughter has without seeing and examining her. One of the commonest cause of hair loss is telogen effluvium. This is hairfall following a stressful episode such as high fever, crash diets, emotional stress etc. The hair will fall usually starts about 2 months after the stressful event, and may persist for 2 to 4 months. However, the hair that is lost will gradually regrow.

Photo of Dr Colin Theng

Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

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