Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection Hair Loss Treatment: Does It Work?

What exactly is Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP), and how effective is it for treating hair loss?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is a procedure that uses your own blood platelets – a type of cell that helps with healing throughout the body – to potentially reverse hair loss and grow new hair.

To put it simply, it is a procedure whereby a sample of blood is extracted from a part of the body, and then injected into the scalp. It is believed that, by getting more blood circulation into the scalp, it can stimulate the function of healthy hair growth.

PRP is not just a one-off procedure. You will need to complete a series of 4-6 treatments over a period of 6-18 months. It is claimed that new hair growth can be seen within 18 to 24 months. Because PRP is not permanent, touch-up treatments are recommended around once a year.

What are the costs of PRP treatment?

Because PRP is an ongoing treatment, it is not cheap. Expect to pay in the region of £500 per session. At around three sessions per year, you are looking at a spend of around £1200-£1500 for every 12 months. Some people may see that as good value for money, whereas others may seek more affordable treatments for hair loss.

How long does PRP treatment last for?

Clinical studies have shown that PRP injections can be effective for up to nine months. Nevertheless, the precise amount of time that PRP injections last essentially varies from person to person. This is a common trend with all hair loss treatments.

Because of PRP’s varied results, many people will struggle to justify spending such a large amount of money on a treatment that doesn’t offer guaranteed results.

Are there any negative side-effects from PRP treatment?

Because a PRP injection uses a needle there is the possibility that a artery or vein could be damaged. If that happens then a blood clot occurs and is treated like any normal clot. Sometimes the colour around the skin of a PRP injection will appear bruised.

Patients may experience some soreness and dizziness after the treatment, which is perfectly normal, but these side-effects will clear away pretty quickly. PRP is generally considered to be a safe treatment.

Are PRP injections painful?

To put it simply, yes, PRP injections is an extremely painful procedure. Platelets release many chemicals that summon or call other reparative cells to the area of injury. When the platelets release their chemicals, it causes an inflammatory response. This inflammation is also why PRP injections into the tendons, muscles, and ligaments will hurt like hell.

Does PRP regrow hair?

PRP procedures can help with healing throughout the body. It can also potentially reverse hair loss and grow new hair, but there is not enough research, trials and findings to prove this, as of yet.

The majority of PRP patients see little signs of improvements in their hair, but again, results vary from person to person. We will know more about PRP’s actual effectiveness in the coming years ahead.

What else does PRP do for the hair?

The PRP procedure has been shown to help thicken and enhance existing hair follicles, increase blood supply to the follicle, and trigger and maintain the growth phase. All-in-all, PRP is considered to be a good procedure for hair health.

What are the alternatives to PRP?

PRP is not the be all and end all of treating hair loss. There are other, safer, more affordable treatments that you can try, if you haven’t done so already.

Medical treatments like minoxidil can help treat androgenic alopecia (female pattern badness), but it can give negative side-effects, in some cases. Non-medical topical solutions like keratinocyte growth factor serum, can offer you a safe alternative to harsh medications.

A non-medical treatment like HR23+ offers you a safe and effective solution for earlier stages of hair loss types of female pattern badness, as well as alopecia areata and seasonal shedding.

Conclusion

PRP treatment is becoming an increasingly popular procedure of choice for hair loss sufferers, particularly with women. PRP is still a treatment based on claims, but trials and advanced testing over the coming years, will give us a clearer insight into its exact effectiveness.

Because of its cost, and lack of guaranteed results, PRP is not a treatment that everyone will have the luxury of trying. Also, PRP is a long-term treatment process that involves multiple procedures at multiple costs, over a long period of time.

Is PRP worth trying? It is strongly recommended that you try other, more affordable medical and non-medical hair loss treatments before committing to PRP, because this procedure is expensive, and it does not always deliver the results that you crave for.