I'm a male looking into PRP treatments for hair loss, what side effects should I be aware of?

Thank you for your question. You are asking if PRP treatments for hair loss pose any risk for having children and birth defects.
I can certainly give you some guidance about this. I’m a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Fellowship-trained Oculoplastic Surgeon. I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I’ve been performing hair transplants since I started my practice. I’m also the founder of TrichoStem Hair Regeneration Centers, based on a system we developed that uses extracellular matrix and PRP for non-surgical treatment of pattern hair loss for men and women since 2011. We have patients from around the world who come to see us for this treatment.
PRP alone will not affect fertility or cause birth defects. PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is taken from your own blood. It’s the concentration of wound healing and growth factors necessary to heal cuts. There is nothing in PRP that can cause any of the side effects you are fearful of.
However, PRP alone, or even a PRP combination treatment like Hair Regeneration may not be enough to treat your pattern hair loss effectively. PRP alone for hair loss is limited to stimulating short-term hair growth, and at least several sessions are required to achieve this. Many patients come to see us because of getting several sessions of PRP injections, but they still don’t see results. Our Hair Regeneration treatment uses PRP as the activator of extracellular matrix to thicken thinning hair and stimulate hair growth from dormant hair follicles. Hair Regeneration is not repeated often to get results, as some older male patients with late onset of hair loss and less DHT-sensitivity can get 3-5 years of sustained benefit, or sometimes even longer, after just one treatment session, and without finasteride. Some patients receive as second treatment as 1-2 years after the first treatment. Younger male patients who start pattern hair loss early, say in their 20s, are more DHT-sensitive. The Hair Regeneration treatment alone can still thicken their thinning hair, but without a DHT-blocker like finasteride, results can’t be sustained as long as older patients with less DHT-sensitivity. I would prescribe finasteride to younger male patients along with the Hair Regeneration treatment to sustain results as long as possible, and to block DHT as the Hair Regeneration treatment is not a DHT-blocker. I assume you are a younger patient with early onset of hair loss as you indicate planning a family in the future.
Finasteride does carry a risk of sexual side effects, but it is exceedingly rare at about 2% of patients. Erectile dysfunction and sperm quality are part of these risks, but again, they are very rare, and the vast majority of patients do not have them. However, since you ask about the fertility risks, they should be mentioned.
I suggest you discuss risks of finasteride with your doctor, as injection treatments alone are not enough to manage aggressive pattern hair loss in young men. The risks are very small, but you will have to decide on accepting these low risks, or not treating your pattern hair loss fully. I hope you found this information helpful. Thank you for your question.

Hi, and thanks for the question.
I have extensive experience using PRP for cosmetic purposes and am not
aware of any negative side effects regarding fertility or regarding having
children. Like any medical procedure, PRP treatments can result in short-term
aggravations, but even these issues are typically minor. I do not believe you
should be concerned about fertility or abnormalities in procreation related to
PRP.