PRP Injections for Hair Loss

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections, also called PRP therapy, are an effective non-surgical treatment for thinning hair and hair loss.

Platelets are one of the primary components of blood and play an important role in the promotion of cell growth and regeneration. As the name suggests, the platelets in platelet-rich plasma are around five times more concentrated than in regular blood.

PRP injections are particularly useful in the treatment of hair loss, as they can help improve blood circulation and accelerate healing in the scalp tissue to encourage the growth of existing hair follicles, resulting in fuller, healthier hair.

PRP injections are a safe and effective treatment for men and women experiencing hair thinning, hair loss, pattern baldness or any type of alopecia. PRP therapy may also help aid the stimulation of hair growth after a hair transplant.

PRP injections are not an appropriate treatment for patients with complete baldness as hair follicles must be present for PRP to be effective.

To obtain PRP, your consultant dermatologist will need to draw blood from either the crook of your arm or the back of your hand. The vial of blood is then placed into a machine called a centrifuge which spins at high speeds to help separate the plasma from the other blood components.

The highly concentrated PRP is then drawn up into a syringe before being injected into multiple sites across the scalp in the areas that are affected by hair loss.

Depending on the severity of your hair loss, your treatment plans will likely consist of between three and six sessions, approximately one month apart. Each appointment will be around 30 minutes, with the treatment itself taking no more than 10 minutes.

This initial course of treatment is then followed by maintenance sessions to help maintain results. Your consultant dermatologist will suggest the best course of treatment based on your degree of hair loss.

PRP injections are relatively painless as it is a non-surgical, minimally intrusive treatment. However, you can request to have a numbing cream applied to your skin before treatment if you are feeling nervous about feeling discomfort.

The risk of allergic reaction, infection or other complications is also very low as the treatment uses your own blood.

There is no recovery time after a PRP session so you can return to your daily routine right away.

The effectiveness of PRP treatment varies from person to person. Your consultant will talk you through what kind of results you can expect to see.