PRP Treatment for Hair Loss: Is It Effective?

What is PRP therapy?

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy is a three-step medical treatment for hair loss. It is a process in which a person’s blood is drawn, processed, and then injected into the scalp.

Parts of the medical community think that PRP injections trigger natural hair growth and maintain it by increasing blood supply to the hair follicle and increasing the thickness of the hair shaft. This procedure can be done alongside other treatments.

Research to prove if PRP is an effective hair loss treatment is still sparse, but results have been promising, so far. PRP therapy has been in use since the 1980s. It’s been used for healing ligaments and muscles injuries.

What is the PRP therapy process?

PRP therapy is a three-step process. Most PRP therapy requires three treatments 4–6 weeks apart, with maintenance treatments required around twice a year.

The blood is drawn — typically from your arm — and put into a centrifuge (a machine that spins rapidly to separate fluids of different densities). After about 10 minutes in the centrifuge, your blood will have separated into in three layers: platelet-poor plasma, platelet-rich plasma and red blood cells. The platelet-rich plasma is drawn up into a syringe and then injected into balding and thinner areas of the scalp.

According to a recent studyTrusted Source, “Although PRP has sufficient theoretical scientific basis to support its use in hair restoration, hair restoration using PRP is still at its infancy. Clinical evidence is still weak.”

Are there negative side-effects with PRP treatment?

Because PRP therapy involves injecting your own blood into your scalp, you aren’t at risk for getting a communicable disease. Still, any therapy that involves injections always carries a risk of side effects such as injury to blood vessels and scar tissue.

Despite the minor risks, PRP therapy is regarded as a safe treatment.

How much does PRP cost?

Although not cheap, a full PRP treatment will cost a lot less than a hair transplant. You'd be looking at around £800 for one treatment and around £2000 for three treatments. Insurance companies consider PRP an experimental treatment. More scientific research will have to conclude its effectiveness before it is more widely covered.

Is PRP effective in re-growing hair?

Positive results have occurred with PRP therapy, but the treatment is still very much at its early stages. There needs to be more research and testing carried out, in order to get a more accurate figure of how effective the treatment actually is.

Is PRP worth trying? If money isn't too much of an issue, and you are looking to avoid medical treatments and surgery, then PRP could be a good option to try. Like all hair loss treatments, PRP is best to try if you are suffering from early stages of hair loss. It will be less effective on more advanced stages of baldness.