NHL Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk PRP with ACell Hair Restoration

Boston native and longtime Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk turned to Dr. Matthew Lopresti after noticing the early signs of a receding hairline. Rather than wait for subtle hair loss to become significant hair loss, Matt chose PRP with ACell as a non-surgical treatment to help stabilize his existing hair and improve density. He still had plenty of hair, and that was exactly why he wanted to do something about losing it.

Matt’s connection to Boston hockey runs deeper than the sweater he wore for eight NHL seasons. Raised in Charlestown, Massachusetts, he grew up around TD Garden, where his father, John, spent decades working as part of the arena’s Bull Gang. Matt went on to play four seasons at Boston University, captaining the Terriers for two seasons and scoring the overtime winner that gave BU the 2015 Beanpot championship, earning tournament MVP honors.

The Boston Bruins had already drafted their hometown defenseman in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft. Matt eventually spent eight NHL seasons with Boston, including the Bruins’ run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, before continuing his NHL career in Pittsburgh and Chicago. Boston was where he grew up, played college hockey and built most of his NHL career. It was also where he decided to get ahead of his hair loss.

When Matt came to Leonard Hair Transplant Associates in 2021, he was not dealing with advanced hair loss. He had begun noticing recession around his hairline and mild thinning through the frontal area. The changes were still relatively subtle, but he saw little reason to wait for them to become obvious.

“I wanted to get ahead of the problem before it got too late,” Matt said. “Everyone knows that hockey players pay attention to our hair, we like it flowing out of the back of our helmets and it has to look good in those pre and post-game snaps.”

There is a useful hair loss lesson behind the hockey humor. Hair loss is progressive, and patients do not have to wait until significant density has disappeared before finding out what can be done. For appropriate patients, addressing hair loss earlier may provide an opportunity to stabilize existing hair and improve density while there is still plenty of hair worth protecting. Matt had noticed the direction his hair was moving and decided there was no advantage in waiting to see how far it would go.

A recommendation from the Bruins locker room brought him to Dr. Lopresti. Boston Bruins forward Sean Kuraly had already chosen Dr. Lopresti for his own hair loss treatment and recommended Leonard Hair Transplant Associates to his teammate. Matt met with Dr. Lopresti to evaluate the recession around his hairline and thinning through the frontal area. Because he still had good existing hair and was addressing his hair loss relatively early, Dr. Lopresti recommended PRP with ACell rather than hair transplant surgery.

PRP with ACell is a non-surgical hair loss treatment that works with existing hair follicles. Platelet-rich plasma prepared from the patient’s own blood is combined with ACell and used to help stabilize progressive hair loss and, in appropriate patients, improve the density and quality of existing hair. It does not create an unlimited new supply of follicles, which is an important distinction. PRP with ACell works with follicles that are still there, while FUE and FUT hair transplant surgery move permanent donor follicles into areas where hair has been lost.

For Matt, that distinction made sense. He was not trying to replace a large amount of missing hair. He was trying to protect what he already had.

A receding hairline does not automatically mean someone needs a hair transplant. Some patients who come to Leonard Hair Transplant Associates may be candidates for PRP with ACell, finasteride, minoxidil or a combination of non-surgical treatments. Others may benefit from FUE or FUT hair transplant surgery. The right approach depends on the pattern of hair loss, how much existing hair remains, the condition of those follicles and where the hair loss appears to be headed over time.

The group of Boston Bruins players who have come to Leonard Hair Transplant Associates illustrates that difference unusually well. Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelcyk chose PRP with ACell, while Charlie McAvoy underwent FUT hair transplant surgery and Tuukka Rask chose FUE. David Backes came to Dr. Lopresti after noticing progressive thinning and began a hair restoration plan of his own. They shared a locker room, but they did not share the same pattern of hair loss or need the same treatment. Hair restoration works better when the treatment fits the patient instead of forcing every patient toward the same procedure.

Timing was an important part of Matt’s story. PRP with ACell may be considered for men and women experiencing early thinning or miniaturization where viable follicles remain, but it cannot create new follicles where follicles are no longer viable. As hair loss progresses, the options can change. That makes the hair someone still has just as important to the conversation as the hair already lost.

Matt was not trying to turn back decades of hair loss. He noticed a relatively small change and chose to address it while there was still plenty of hair worth protecting. It is a different way of thinking about hair restoration, one that begins before the mirror has the chance to make the decision for you.

Leonard Hair Transplant Associates offers PRP with ACell for appropriate men and women experiencing hair loss and thinning in Greater Boston and throughout New England. A free consultation with Dr. Matthew Lopresti can help determine whether PRP with ACell, finasteride, minoxidil, FUE, FUT or another approach makes sense based on the patient’s existing hair, pattern of hair loss and long-term goals. The practice serves patients from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and throughout New England.https://www.hairdr.com/contact-us/

For Matt Grzelcyk, the story started much closer to home. He grew up around Boston hockey, became a Boston University captain and spent eight seasons playing for the Boston Bruins. When he began noticing the first signs that his hair was changing, he approached that the same way he had approached the rest of his career. He did not wait until the problem became harder to handle before doing something about it.