PRP Therapy for Skin and Hair Rejuvenation

A small volume of blood is drawn, much as for a routine blood test. It is spun in a centrifuge, which separates the blood into layers by density. The platelet-rich layer is drawn off and injected into the target area.

Preparation method genuinely matters. Centrifuge speed and duration, the kit used, and the final platelet concentration all vary between clinics, and the resulting product is not standardised across the industry. This is one of the reasons published results vary so widely, and a fair question to ask any clinic offering it.

The whole appointment usually takes 45–60 minutes, most of which is preparation.

Hair loss is where PRP has the strongest case. Multiple controlled studies and several meta-analyses have found improvements in hair density and thickness in androgenetic alopecia — male and female pattern hair loss — compared with placebo.

PRP is best understood as an adjunct rather than a replacement for established treatments. For many people the strongest plan combines PRP with proven medical therapy, and that conversation should happen at consultation rather than being avoided because it is less commercially convenient.

For skin, PRP is typically used with microneedling — the so-called vampire facial — or injected into specific areas such as under the eyes.

The evidence here is weaker than for hair. Studies suggest improvements in skin texture, and there is reasonable support for PRP combined with microneedling in atrophic acne scarring. But much of the literature is small-scale and it is genuinely difficult to separate the effect of PRP from the effect of the microneedling it is delivered with, since microneedling alone stimulates collagen.

For hair, a typical initial course is three to four sessions spaced four to six weeks apart, followed by maintenance every four to six months. Results are gradual — reduced shedding often comes first, at around two to three months, with visible density changes taking three to six months.

For skin and acne scarring, three to four sessions spaced four weeks apart is common, with results building over several months as collagen remodels.

PRP is not a one-off treatment, and any clinic presenting it as such is overselling it. Equally, if you have completed a full course with no discernible change, continuing indefinitely is not reasonable either. Photographic assessment at baseline and at three to six months is the honest way to judge whether it is working for you.

PRP is well tolerated. Expected effects are scalp or skin tenderness, redness, and mild swelling for 24–48 hours. Bruising at injection sites is possible. Headache after scalp treatment is not unusual on the first day. Infection is rare.

PRP is not suitable for people with platelet disorders, active blood-borne infection, certain haematological conditions or active cancer, and is avoided in pregnancy. Anticoagulant medication and recent systemic corticosteroids may affect suitability or results. Anyone with a significant needle phobia should factor in that this treatment starts with a blood draw.

Good candidates are people with early, active hair thinning who want to slow progression, people with acne scarring seeking a regenerative approach alongside microneedling, and people who prefer using their own biological material over synthetic products — provided expectations are realistic.

Ask which preparation system the clinic uses and what platelet concentration it achieves. Ask whether treatment is being recommended alongside investigation of the underlying cause of your hair loss, or instead of it. Ask how progress will be measured, and insist on standardised baseline photographs.

Be cautious of packages sold upfront for extended courses before anyone has established whether you respond, and of any clinic presenting PRP as a cure for advanced hair loss.