30 January 2026 · by Dr. Meghna Gupta
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) has become one of the most asked-about treatments in our clinic, and also one of the most misunderstood. Patients arrive thinking it is a one-and-done miracle. Others have done two sessions elsewhere, seen no result, and concluded that PRP "doesn't work." Both groups need the same conversation. This is what that conversation looks like.
What PRP actually is
Your blood is drawn, spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood, and that plasma, concentrated with growth factors, is injected into the scalp at sites where you are losing hair. The growth factors prolong the active growth phase of hair follicles, improve their blood supply, and can stimulate dormant follicles back to life if they have not been gone too long.
It is a well-evidenced treatment for androgenetic alopecia in both men and women, and for some types of diffuse hair fall. It is not a treatment for fully scarred or fully dormant follicles. If your scalp has been bald for many years, PRP has very little to work with.
Where PRP fits, and where it doesn't
PRP works best when the follicles are still alive but underperforming. That includes early-to-moderate male pattern hair loss, female pattern hair loss, telogen effluvium that has stabilised but left thinned-out areas, and the perimeter of a successful hair transplant.
PRP does not work for fully scarred alopecias (scarring alopecias like LPP or frontal fibrosing alopecia), advanced bald patches where follicles are no longer present, or as a standalone treatment for someone who has not addressed the underlying medical drivers of hair loss.
A trichoscopy and a basic blood workup come first, every time. Iron, ferritin, thyroid panel, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and depending on the case, a hormonal panel. Treating PRP as a substitute for figuring out why someone is losing hair is poor medicine.
The honest answer on session counts
The published evidence, and what we observe in practice, converges on roughly this protocol: an induction phase of three to six sessions spaced about four weeks apart, followed by maintenance sessions every three to six months thereafter, sometimes lifelong.
That phrase "sometimes lifelong" is where most patients flinch. They expected to do a course and be done. But androgenetic alopecia is a chronic condition driven by genetics and hormones that do not switch off. PRP, like medical therapy (minoxidil, finasteride for men, spironolactone for some women), works for as long as you keep doing it. Stop, and over the following twelve to twenty-four months your hair will gradually return to its untreated trajectory.
If you have done two sessions and seen nothing, you have not yet completed the induction phase. Most patients begin to see results around session three or four, initially as reduced shedding, then as visible thickening of existing hair, and finally, in some cases, as new fine hairs emerging in areas that had thinned.
What "results" actually look like
PRP rarely produces dramatic before-and-after photos. Its job is more subtle: more density per square centimetre, thicker hair shafts, less shedding into the comb, a less visible scalp. Patients often notice the change before their friends do.
Hair transplants produce visible change. Heavy use of finasteride and minoxidil produces visible change. PRP, used alone, produces a gradient improvement that you mainly appreciate when you compare photographs taken six months apart in the same lighting.
In our practice we measure progress with standardised photographs at baseline, month three, and month six, and again at month nine to twelve. We also do dermatoscopic measurements where useful. Vibes-based assessment ("does it feel thicker?") is not enough. We want to see what is actually changing.
Combination is the rule, not the exception
PRP works substantially better when combined with everything else that addresses hair loss biology. For men with androgenetic alopecia, that almost always means PRP plus topical minoxidil and, where appropriate, oral medication. For women, depending on cause, that may mean PRP plus topical minoxidil, hormonal therapy, iron supplementation, and sometimes oral medications used in low doses.
PRP alone, on someone who refuses everything else, can still help, but it will help less, and the patient will get frustrated and conclude PRP failed. It did not. It was used in isolation, against a condition that needs combination therapy.
The kit and the technique matter
There are good PRP kits and poor ones. The good ones use a closed-system double-spin process that produces a clean, concentrated platelet sample with minimal red blood cell contamination. The poor ones produce essentially diluted blood. The same patient, on the same day, will get very different results depending on which kit is used.
The injection technique matters too: depth, distribution, volume per site, and pre-injection scalp anaesthesia or vibration to reduce discomfort. PRP done well is not painful for most patients; PRP done in a hurry is.
In our clinic we use a closed double-spin system, do the entire process in-house, and inject with fine needles in a standardised grid pattern. Each session takes about forty-five minutes, including the blood draw and processing time.
What to expect in the first week
Mild scalp tenderness for a day. Sometimes pinpoint bruising at the injection sites that fades over two to three days. No restriction on washing hair after twenty-four hours. You can return to most normal activities immediately. Avoid intense workouts for forty-eight hours. Avoid blood-thinning supplements (high-dose fish oil, vitamin E, ibuprofen) for a few days before and after the session.
When PRP is the wrong answer
If you have a sudden, severe shedding episode (more than two to three months of significant hair fall), what you need first is a diagnostic workup, not PRP. There is likely an internal driver (post-illness, post-COVID, postpartum, severe iron deficiency, thyroid imbalance, severe stress) that needs to be corrected. Doing PRP before that is treating the smoke instead of the fire.
If you have advanced pattern hair loss with large bald areas, what you need is a hair transplant evaluation. PRP can support transplanted hair but cannot replace surgery for bald skin.
If your scalp shows signs of scarring (smooth, shiny patches with absent follicular openings on dermoscopy), you need to be evaluated for a scarring alopecia. PRP in that scenario is the wrong intervention.
The bottom line. PRP is a real, evidence-based treatment that works when used correctly, in the right patient, alongside the other things that address hair loss biology. It is not a one-session miracle, and anyone telling you it is, is selling you something. Treated honestly, it is one of the most useful tools in our hair-loss toolkit.