Hair loss, especially premature hair loss, can be devastating. For many, losing their hair is like losing part of their identity.
While conditions like male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness are more common in people over 50, stress and other factors can cause premature hair loss and hair thinning.
To combat it, there are numerous treatments out there, all with varying degrees of reliability and success.
One of the newest forms of treatment is PRP therapy. Using platelet-rich plasma, is this gruesome-sounding treatment the ultimate solution to all your hair loss problems? Is PRP treatment for hair loss worth it?
Ultimately, whether PRP for hair loss is worth it comes down to what your expectations are.
Will PRP therapy give you a full head of hair again from being nearly bald? Probably not. But can it help thicken, increase hair denisty and increase the number of hairs on your head? Studies show that, yes, indeed it can and PRP for hair loss is worth it in this case.
The only way to replace lost hair completely is with hair transplants, but if you want an alternative or to improve the results of the Propecia and Rogaine treatment, PRP therapy is worth it.
Want a Personal PRP for Hair Loss Consultation to Find Out if it’s Worth it For You?
Book today with Celebrity Dermatologist Dr Simon Zokaie
What is PRP Microneedling for Hair Loss?
As we have already mentioned, PRP stands for Platelet-Rich Plasma, which is a highly concentrated group of blood cells that have been proven to promote cellular growth and healing.
It can have that effect because the plasma contains growth factors and stem cells that work well in promoting healthy cell production, collagen growth and tissue repair.
Although it sounds a little gruesome, the platelet-rich plasma is only taken from your blood, so there’s nothing synthetic or from anyone else being used.
PRP, when used in your scalp, increases the blood flow to hair follicles and increases the duration of the anagen or active phase of your hair’s life cycle.
Three Key Stages of PRP for Hair Loss Treatment
There are normally three stages involved in the full PRP treatment for hair loss.
Stage 1
It all starts when the doctor or surgeon performing the treatment starts to draw blood from your body, normally the arm.
This blood is then placed into a centrifuge to separate it into the different fluids it is made up of, based on their specific densities.
Stage 2
The blood is normally placed in the centrifuge for about 10 minutes and in that time, the blood has been separated into three distinct layers –
- Red Blood Cells
- Platelet-poor plasma
- Platelet-rich plasma
Stage 3
This is when the magic/science (delete as appropriate) happens and the platelet-rich plasma is injected into the patient’s scalp using lots of micro-sized needles.
Does PRP work for hair regrowth?
If you are looking for a quick and simple answer to the question of whether PRP therapy really works or not, again we can confirm yes it does, but whether you’re happy will depend on your expectations and starting place.
Although we have found it to be very effective at providing promising results for people, there can be variety in the results.
There have been several studies carried out, one in 2014, another in 2015 and then one in 2019, but these studies focused on PRP treatments for male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss and hair regrowth.
These studies involved a small sampling size of people in most cases, of 10 to 11 people (though one did involve a total of 40).
The findings are promising and reveal that it is possible that PRP could help to increase the number of active and healthy hair follicles for hair regrowth and density.
The most recent of the studies, also revealed that the number of platelets you have in your blood can affect its effectiveness.
The reason why people are raving about this as a treatment is because PRP is made up of proteins that have a variety of functions connected to assist in hair regrowth, including stimulating cell growth, and helping blood to clot.
How long does PRP last for hair loss?
With everything related to PRP therapy for hair loss, you need to have realistic expectations.
The results that come from having PRP injected into various spots on the scalp, will be different from person to person and there are various factors, including the number of platelets you have in your plasma, that can affect how successful it is.
As it is not a permanent solution like hair transplants, you should sign up for PRP as an ongoing hair loss treatment.
One that initially should include three sessions with intervals between roughly 4 to 6 weeks.
Even after those initial treatments, you will still need to have another maintenance session, followed by another maintenance session approximately every 4 to 6 months.
Want a Personal PRP for Hair Loss Consultation to Find Out if it’s Worth it For You?
Book today with Celebrity Dermatologist Dr Simon Zokaie
Do you lose hair after PRP?
The side effect that you may have heard that is the most troubling is perhaps the fact that hair loss can happen as a result of having PRP treatments.
Shedding is a very natural process and it makes sense that this, at times, happens following this kind of hair loss treatment.
AS PRP therapy involves suddenly flooding your scalp with chemokine, cytokines and growth factors, your existing hairs find themselves in a completely new environment.
Although this is what you want and it could potentially reactivate hair follicles and improve the lusciousness of your hair, some hairs find the new environment too much to handle and that’s why some may shed.
What Other Side Effects Are There From PRP for Hair Loss?
There are some possible side effects from platelet-rich plasma hair growth therapy, that result from the injections themselves or the procedure in general, including:
- Scar tissue or calcification around the injection sites on your scalp
- Infections in and around the injection sites on your scalp
- Nerve damage
- Blood vessel damage
Side effects from the anaesthesia used to reduce discomfort and pain during the procedure may also occur like:
- bladder control problems
- confusion
- muscle aches
Pain around each injection site that reduces quickly in the following day or so after your treatment
Is the Cost of PRP Micro-Needling for Hair Loss Worth It?
When approaching any long-term form of treatment, like hair growth therapy involving PRP, you need to see it as more of an investment than a simple quick fix.
It normally takes at least three sessions initially, as we have already noted.
That means it would cost £1,350, to begin with.
Then you need to factor in the follow-on maintenance treatments. Single treatments from our Harley Street clinic are priced at £500 per session.
You need to base your decision on whether it’s right for you or not and worth it, on whether you can afford it.
In our experience, PRP micro-needling has been worth it for most of our patients.
Although it is not as effective as hair transplants, and you can save a bit of money trying less intrusive treatments like Rogaine and Propecia, PRP can still help reverse the devastating effects of premature hair loss.
This goes for both, whether it’s male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness.
As well as helping to encourage hair follicles to grow and to improve the overall health, look and feel of your hair, it can also help slow down the natural process of hair loss.
While you do need to have measured and realistic expectations, when you take a look at the before and after pictures of other patients we have treated hair loss with PRP micro-needling, you can see that PRP treatment for hair is worth it.
