Question 1

What is PRP for hair loss?

Accepted Answer

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is a nonsurgical hair-loss treatment that involves injecting platelets, extracted from your own blood, into your scalp to restore thinning hair.

Research shows that PRP can be an effective treatment for stress- or age-related hair loss and alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair thinning in young, otherwise healthy people.

PRP hair restoration is considered a safe and less invasive alternative treatment option than hair transplant surgery, and the doctors who perform it say it can stimulate the follicles and slow the rate of hair loss. In some cases, it may even help regrow hair.

Platelets in your blood contain growth factors, or the cell-signaling proteins that orchestrate the body’s tissue rejuvenation and healing systems. Plasma is the fluid in blood that carries the platelets, along with red blood cells and white blood cells.

Some studies suggest that PRP may help increase stem cell proliferation to aid in healing.

During a PRP hair restoration procedure, the doctor separates platelets from your blood, processing them to concentrate the growth factors.

Injected into the scalp, PRP increases blood flow to the hair follicles, stimulates some new hair growth (though not in every patient), and lengthens the anagen (active) growth phase of existing hair, to slow hair loss.

“It stimulates the dormant hair follicles to regrow,” explains Dr. David Berman, a plastic surgeon in Sterling, Virginia. “Studies suggest that you get an increased number of hair follicles and increased thickness in the hair shaft.”

PRP injections originated in Europe more than a decade ago. Today, doctors use the treatment for a variety of medical applications, including skin rejuvenation and joint healing.

RealSelf Tip: Before seeking out dermatology or other types of hair loss treatments, consult a healthcare provider to determine the root cause of your thinning hair. The reason could be as simple as a vitamin deficiency, so getting medical advice first (and potentially lab work) could help you avoid the expense of hair treatments.

See Dr. Ben Paul, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City who specializes in hair restoration, answer a RealSelf member's top questions about PRP for hair loss, including whether it's worth it.

Question 2

What to expect during PRP treatment for hair loss

Accepted Answer

Here’s what happens during a treatment, step by step.

1. Before devising a treatment plan, your doctor will ask what precipitated your hair loss, do a scalp assessment, and possibly order blood work to check for potential vitamin deficiencies and thyroid issues.

2. Your provider will set expectations for PRP hair loss treatment and review all risks and side effects of PRP scalp injections. They’ll also tell you about any post-procedure restrictions (when it’s safe to resume exercise, hair washing, etc.).

3. Your doctor or a physician’s assistant will do a blood draw, usually from a vein on the inside of your elbow.

4. You’ll wait for about 10 minutes while it's run through a centrifuge to separate red blood cells from the plasma and concentrate the platelets.

5. Then your doctor may numb the treatment area. "Anesthesia is optional, but most patients prefer it," explains Dr. Ken Anderson, a hair restoration surgeon in Alpharetta, Georgia. "Anesthesia [can be] achieved with a chiller device that blows out extremely cold air to briefly numb the area of injection. Needle anesthesia is also used." Topical numbing creams tend to be messy and less effective. Some doctors rely on talkesthesia or vibration and make fast work of injections to minimize discomfort.

6. After rubbing an alcohol swab over your scalp, they’ll make a series of quick PRP hair injections in each area of hair loss.

While the injections themselves take only a few minutes, the entire process can run up to an hour. You should be fine going back to your normal activities right afterward.

If PRP treatment for hair loss or shedding works for you, results should be apparent within four months.

RealSelf Tip: PRP can also be paired with microneedling, a nonsurgical treatment that penetrates your skin’s surface with small needles to induce the body's wound healing response that produces new collagen. Evidence shows this combination can be effective in the management of androgenetic and androgenic alopecia (aka female pattern baldness).

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Postpartum Hair Loss—Including How to Treat It

Question 3

What are the pros and cons of PRP for hair loss?

Accepted Answer

Pros

PRP therapy for hair loss is nonsurgical, with no downtime or significant safety risks. The entire procedure takes less than an hour.
A 2019 review of studies on platelet-rich plasma for hair loss finds that both men and women have positive results in terms of increased hair density or thickness and regrowth.
While the primary objective of the PRP is to slow down or halt the progression of hair loss, some patients experience slight hair regrowth.
This nonsurgical treatment costs significantly less than hair transplant surgery.
RealSelf members who say it’s “Worth It” found the procedure to be virtually painless and saw significant improvements in hair density and fullness.

Cons

This treatment is not guaranteed to grow new hair.
Whether getting injections for alopecia or other kinds of hair loss, you’ll need an initial series of up to six treatments, spaced four to six weeks apart.
Results of PRP therapy for hair are temporary, so you'll also need maintenance treatments every few months after your initial series.
How much improvement you see with PRP will depend on factors like your individual platelet count, along with the amount of your hair loss and how recently it started. The sooner PRP can be administered after the discovery of hair loss, the better the odds of slowing shedding and seeing hair regrow.
People with large areas of baldness and long-standing baldness likely won’t get good results in terms of hair regrowth, but the treatment can still be useful in patients like this, to prevent future loss.
RealSelf members who say this treatment was “Not Worth It” had multiple treatments and waited months for underwhelming (or nonexistent) results.

RealSelf Tip: PRP therapy is not FDA-approved for any type of cosmetic procedure because the regulatory agency doesn’t govern blood biologics.

Question 4

How much does PRP for hair loss cost?

Accepted Answer

The cost of your PRP for hair loss treatments will depend on your provider’s location and level of experience, the type and quality of PRP equipment they use, as well as how many treatments you get over time.

Because this treatment is considered cosmetic, insurance doesn’t cover the cost.

See our complete guide to PRP for hair loss costs

Question 5

PRP for hair loss before and after pictures

Accepted Answer

The PRP for hair loss photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

Question 6

Does PRP for hair loss hurt?

Accepted Answer

PRP scalp injections shouldn’t hurt, but some reviewers on RealSelf say that their scalp wasn’t sufficiently numb before the injections, which made them painful.

If you’re worried about pain, ask your provider to numb your scalp with an anesthetic or chilling device. The injections should be quick, but they don’t need to hurt.

Question 7

What are the risks and side effects of PRP for hair loss?

Accepted Answer

PRP injections are a low-risk treatment. A 2015 study that investigated the safety and efficacy of PRP for hair loss found that “injection of PRP preparations has a positive therapeutic effect on androgenetic alopecia [male pattern baldness], without major side effects.”

The most common side effects include:

mild pain, temporary redness, and pinpoint bleeding at the injection site
a headache for up to a day afterward
minor swelling for a few days

Serious complications from PRP injections are exceedingly rare, but there are reports in the medical literature detailing cases of PRP-induced vascular occlusion (a blocked blood vessel) leading to vision loss and stroke. To mitigate this risk, see an experienced, board-certified physician and discuss the risk of vascular occlusion before having any type of cosmetic injection.

Question 8

How effective is PRP treatment for hair loss?

Accepted Answer

As we mentioned above, this treatment's effectiveness is not guaranteed.

Research findings on the results of PRP hair injections in both men and women have been generally positive, but most of the studies have been small, so more research is needed.

For a 2016 study published in the journal Dermatologic Surgery, researchers tested PRP treatments on 25 people with hair loss. They injected PRP in one half of participants’ heads and a placebo treatment in the other half, to see the difference. After three treatments, spaced one month apart, there were some improvements in the number and thickness of hairs on the side injected with PRP.
A 2015 study found improvements in hair counts, thickness, and root strength.
A 2022 review of clinical trials using PRP for alopecia areata (AA) concluded that “PRP is a promising topical, steroid-free treatment modality in the therapy of AA.”

Whether you see hair restoration results from PRP injections will depend a lot on your gender, age, genes, hormones, and other factors, including the cause of your hair loss and the amount of hair you had to begin with. “You do have to have some hair,” Dr. Berman says. “If somebody has a huge bald spot, it’s not going to work.”

According to Dr. Berman, results vary significantly. “You can’t predict whether it’s going to work on a particular person and, if so, how much better their hair is going to be,” he adds. “I tell most patients to allow four months to see a difference. If it hasn’t helped by then, it probably isn’t going to help you.”

Adopting a healthier lifestyle will increase your chance of success. Eat a balanced diet and stop smoking and using other nicotine products, which disrupt the blood supply your hair needs to grow.

You’ll also need maintenance treatments to keep any results you do see. The necessary frequency will depend on factors like the amount and pattern of hair loss and your age.

Typically, you’ll start with one injection every four to six weeks, for three to six treatments months. Then you’ll space them out to once every three to four months, for up to two years. Over time, regular PRP injections can become more expensive than hair transplant surgery, which has guaranteed results.

See PRP for hair loss before and after photos

RealSelf Tip: Ask your doctor about combining PRP with topicalminoxidil (Rogaine) or oral finasteride, commonly prescribed under the brand name Propecia. “In my opinion, combination therapy with minoxidil, oral or topical, usually enhances the results,” says Dr. Jeff Rappaport, a board-certified dermatologic surgeon in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Related: The Best Shampoos to Use After Your PRP Scalp Treatment, According to Dermatologists

Question 9

What are the best alternatives to PRP for hair loss?

Accepted Answer

Those who want more permanent and dramatic results may be good candidates for hair transplant surgeries. “Hair transplants are going to be more effective and permanent, but they’re way more money,” Dr. Berman says.

Transplant surgery also comes with about three days of recovery time.

FUE (follicular unit extraction) is the most commonly performed type of hair transplant surgery in the U.S. The surgeon removes individual hair follicles from the back of your head and then implants them into tiny incisions, leaving thousands of tiny round scars. This procedure results in less downtime and pain than FUT, and doctors often use devices like the ARTAS robotic or NeoGraft to harvest the follicles.
FUT (follicular unit transplant) remains the gold standard in the field of hair restoration surgery. This method involves taking a horizontal strip of hair from the back of your head in the permanent zone. The hair follicles are individually separated under dissection microscopes, and then are implanted into thinning areas. You’ll be left with a fine-line scar on the back of your head that’s eventually concealed by hair.

Related: 10 Ways to Prevent Hair Loss

Question 10

Sources & studies

Accepted Answer

Alves, Rubina, and Ramon Grimalt. “Randomized Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Half-Head Study to Assess the Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma on the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia.” American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2016.

Meznerics, F.A. et al. “Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata-a Steroid-Free Treatment Modality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.” Biomedicines, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 29 July 2022.

Singhal, Parul, et al. “Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia.” Asian Journal of Transfusion Science, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 9 July 2015.

PRP FOR HAIR LOSS

Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS

Jolene Edgar

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	PRP for Hair Loss nonsurgical	Hair Transplant surgical	NeoGraft nonsurgical	ARTAS Hair Transplant surgical
Worth It Rating	94%	96%	100%	93%
Average Cost	$1644	$9985	$9300	$12375
Downtime	No downtime	Up to 1 week of downtime	2–3 days of downtime	Up to two days of downtime
Anesthesia	Local anesthesia	Local anesthesia	Local anesthesia	Topical anesthetic

Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS

Jolene Edgar

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EMAILS