PRP for hair uses platelets from your own blood, injected into thinning areas of the scalp. It works best on recent pattern thinning, alongside medical treatment, and does not regrow a bald scalp. A consultation is £150 and redeemable, and a session is £450, usually three a month apart.
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Any of these needs to be seen the same day. If you are severely unwell, go to your nearest emergency department or call 999.
Platelet rich plasma is made by taking a small tube of your blood and spinning it to concentrate the platelets. They carry growth factors, and the aim of injecting them into the scalp is to lengthen the growing phase of follicles that are shrinking.Dermatologic Surgery Gupta, 2019
Because it comes from your own blood there is no allergy to it. The main effects are soreness at the injection sites for a day or two and a small risk of bruising or infection.Journal of Dermatological Treatment Evans, 2020
The evidence is for androgenetic alopecia, which in men recedes at the temples and crown and in women widens the parting. Most trials found more hairs per square centimetre after a course than before it, or than on untreated scalp.Journal of Dermatological Treatment Evans, 2020
The trials are small, the ways PRP is prepared differ from clinic to clinic, and few follow people beyond a year. That is why the result is described as an improvement in density rather than regrowth.Dermatologic Surgery Gupta, 2019
Thinning caused by low iron, a thyroid problem or a recent illness is treated by treating the cause. PRP is not the answer to any of them.Gut Snook, 2021
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Before any injection, the scalp is examined and the history taken, because patchy loss, scarring loss and shedding after illness each need something different. PRP is offered only where the pattern is one it can help.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews van Zuuren, 2016
Ferritin, thyroid and vitamin D are checked where the history suggests them. Starting a course while iron stores are low wastes money, because the follicles cannot use the stimulus.Gut Snook, 2021
Standardised photographs of the crown, parting and hairline are taken at the first visit. They are the only fair way to judge a result months later.
Topical treatment
A lotion or foam applied daily. The best evidence in women, with a modest effect that lasts only while it is used.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews van Zuuren, 2016
Tablet treatment for men
Most men who take it lose no further hair, and around two thirds regrow some. Side effects are discussed before it is prescribed.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Kaufman, 1998
Platelet rich plasma
Three sessions a month apart, then a top up every 3 to 6 months. It adds density on top of medical treatment rather than replacing it.Stem Cells Translational Medicine Gentile, 2015
Platelet rich plasma with a prescribed foam
The two together, each working on the follicle in a different way.Journal of Dermatological Treatment Evans, 2020
Hair transplant
Moves follicles from the back of the head to a bald area. We refer for it when the scalp has no follicles left to treat.
Any change shows at around 3 months after the first session and is judged against the photographs at 6. Some people do not respond, and a course that shows nothing by then is stopped rather than extended.Dermatologic Surgery Gupta, 2019
The effect fades without maintenance. Pattern hair loss continues underneath, so PRP needs a top up and usually a daily treatment alongside to hold the gain.Journal of Dermatological Treatment Evans, 2020
Stop aspirin, ibuprofen and fish oil for 7 days before a session unless a doctor prescribed them, because they reduce how well platelets work. Do not stop a prescribed blood thinner without asking.
Wash your hair on the morning of the session and skip styling products. Eat breakfast and drink 2 large glasses of water, which makes the blood draw easier and the dizziness some people feel less likely.
Do not buy a course of PRP for patches of loss with a smooth scalp, or for loss with scarring. It is not the treatment for either, and those need a diagnosis first.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews van Zuuren, 2016
Do not buy a six session package before you know whether you respond. Three sessions and a review at 6 months tells you, and a package bought up front costs more than the answer is worth if you are one of the people who do not.Dermatologic Surgery Gupta, 2019
Step 1
A consultation with a scalp examination, photographs, and blood tests where needed. If PRP is not right for your pattern we say so.
Step 2
Blood drawn and prepared in the room, then injected into the thinning areas. Most people go back to work the same day.
Step 3
Photographs compared with the first visit. If it is working, a top up every 3 to 6 months. If it is not, we stop.
Ask before you book if you are not sure this is the right appointment.
For pattern hair loss, the trials mostly show an increase in hair density after a course, and some show thicker hairs. They are small and methods vary, so it is best described as helpful for many people rather than certain for everyone. It does not grow hair on a bald scalp.
A consultation with a doctor is £150 and comes off treatment if you go ahead. A session is £450, or £595 with a prescribed foam to use between sessions. Most people start with three sessions a month apart, then a top up every 3 to 6 months.
The injections sting, and the scalp is tender for a day or two afterwards. Most people manage without numbing, and the discomfort passes quickly once the session ends. The blood draw feels like any blood test.
Not before 3 months, because hair grows slowly and new growth has to reach the surface. Photographs at 6 months against the first visit are how the result is judged, since day to day changes are too small to see in a mirror.
Yes. Female pattern thinning, where the parting widens, is one of the patterns studied. Iron, thyroid and hormone causes are checked first, because in women these are found more often and are treated differently.
People with a blood or platelet disorder, an active scalp infection, a cancer under treatment, or those on blood thinners that cannot be paused. Pregnancy is a reason to wait. The doctor goes through this at the consultation before anything is booked.
They do different jobs. PRP thickens thinning hair where follicles remain. A transplant moves follicles to an area that has none. Many people who have a transplant use medical treatment afterwards to protect the hair around it.
This page is general information about a condition and it is not a diagnosis. Treatment depends on what a doctor finds when they examine you, and no outcome is guaranteed. If you are severely unwell, or if any of the warnings at the top of this page apply to you, go to your nearest emergency department or call 999.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Interventions for female pattern hair lossvan Zuuren, 2016
Dermatologic Surgery
Platelet rich plasma as a treatment for androgenetic alopeciaGupta, 2019
Gut, British Society of Gastroenterology
Guidelines for the management of iron deficiency anaemia in adultsSnook, 2021
Journal of Dermatological Treatment
Platelet rich plasma as a therapy for androgenic alopecia, a systematic review and meta analysisEvans, 2020
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopeciaKaufman, 1998
Stem Cells Translational Medicine
The effect of platelet rich plasma in androgenetic alopecia, a randomised placebo controlled trialGentile, 2015
Written and reviewed by the clinical team at The Wellness. Last reviewed 23 September 2026.
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