PRP for Hair Loss
Also known as platelet-rich plasma
Your own blood, spun and re-injected. Reasonable adjunct evidence, wildly inconsistent protocols.
US $400–1,000 per session, 3–4 sessions plus maintenance.
How it works
Blood is centrifuged to concentrate platelets, which are injected into the scalp. The growth factors released — PDGF, VEGF, TGF-beta — are proposed to prolong anagen and stimulate dermal papilla cells.
How it's used
Typically three to four monthly sessions followed by maintenance every 4–6 months. Use it alongside finasteride and minoxidil rather than instead of them. Ask the clinic about their specific centrifugation protocol and platelet concentration — the lack of standardisation is the main reason results vary so much.
Trade-offs
In favour
- Uses your own blood, so no allergy or rejection risk
- Reasonable evidence as an adjunct to standard therapy
- No systemic side effects
- Can help where medication alone has plateaued
Against
- Protocols are not standardised, so results vary between clinics
- Requires ongoing maintenance sessions
- Expensive relative to the effect size
- Weaker evidence than minoxidil or finasteride
Risks and side effects
- Scalp pain during injection — genuinely uncomfortable
- Temporary swelling and tenderness
- Bruising
- Infection at injection sites (rare)
Recovery
Scalp soreness for 1–2 days. Avoid washing for 24 hours. No real downtime.
How good is the evidence?
Multiple small randomised trials show benefit, but heterogeneous protocols and small sample sizes limit confidence.
Sources
Sources point to guideline bodies and literature searches rather than single papers, so they stay accurate as the evidence moves.