PRP for hair loss. My doctor won't administer anesthesia before the procedure. Is this normal?

Hello,
Prp does not require anesthesia, it is normal that your doctor wont administer. Do not wash your head 1 day after the treatment

Our practice uses anesthetic, multiple pokes are administered and the anesthetic really helps to make it more comfortable. I wouldn't say they are doing it incorrectly, but it makes the patient experience better and if I were the patient I would prefer it to be done that way. 

I have personally found PRP scalp injections to be quit painful.  We  use a combination of local anesthetic and Pronox (nitrous oxide) to make it tolerable.  With this routine patients rarely complain of significant discomfort.

There are a number of options to keep a patient comfortable during a PRP treatment. Topical numbing creams, inhaled nitrous/ProNox, and injected local all play a role. However, different practitioners will have differing protocols.As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS) with experience in hair restoration.Donovan Rosas MD
Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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In my opinion, if one uses a 30 gauge needle and implements the subdermal depo injection technique, anesthesia is not necessary. Additional comfort can be provided by using a cold air blower (Zimmer) or vibration device. If your physician injects intradermally, then topical anesthesia is suggested in addition to the above cold air and vibration. Jeff Rapaport MD FAADRealself Verified All-star

Normally you don't really need anesthesia for prp injections, there are other alternatives such pronox to help you have a more enjoyable experience..some doctors do nerve block but it seems that maybe the lidocaine may interfere with function of the platelets..we are not sure.

Every practice is different. In our practice, we do administer anesthesia and also a cooling device for patient comfort. If your doctor won’t administer anesthesia you can ask about an oral pill for pain relief or for Nitrous gas for comfort during the procedure.

The PRP is mild invasive procedure so PRP can do either with or without anesthetic injection. 
It depends on doctor technique.

There is no one single method to administer PRP.  Evidently your doctor has a technique that may not require anesthesia.  If you have concerns discuss this and what your doctor may recommend in the event you are unable to tolerate the procedure without anesthesia.  If Plan A fails usually there is a Plan B.  She/he can always have topical cream or lidocaine on stand by.  PRP has been shown to yield satisfactory results in the proper candidates.  There is medical literature to support this fact.

All hair loss procedures using PRP should be preceded by some kind of anesthetic whether it is a scalp block, Use of pronox, or topical anesthetics.