PRP (platelet-rich plasma)

PRP is an autologous preparation: the patient’s own blood, drawn and centrifuged to concentrate platelets in a small plasma volume, then injected intradermally across thinning scalp. Platelets carry granules of growth factors involved in tissue repair; the therapeutic hypothesis is that concentrated delivery around miniaturising follicles supports thicker, longer-lasting growth phases.

Preparation is where PRP services genuinely differ. Single-spin protocols are fast and simple but concentrate platelets modestly; double-spin protocols separate and re-concentrate for higher yields at the cost of time and technique sensitivity. Closed kit systems keep blood sealed end-to-end; open tube methods cost less but demand strict aseptic discipline. Because concentration and composition vary by system, “PRP” names a category of preparations, not one product — a key reason published results vary and clinic protocols must be written, not improvised.

The evidence base in androgenetic alopecia includes randomised placebo-controlled trials reporting improvements in hair density, alongside real heterogeneity in preparation methods, dosing schedules and outcome measures. The honest clinical framing: a reasonable adjunct with supportive trial data, typically delivered as an induction series with maintenance sessions, and dependent on correct diagnosis — PRP does not treat shedding whose cause was never identified.

Operationally, PRP is attractive for clinics — outpatient, repeatable, adjacent to transplant surgery — which is exactly why it deserves discipline: a documented protocol covering system, spin parameters, injection technique and session cadence; honest patient selection; and photographic follow-up that shows whether your protocol, in your hands, delivers.

Patient screening is part of the protocol, not a formality: platelet and clotting disorders, relevant medication use and active scalp disease are standard exclusions to review before offering a course. The session experience itself is undramatic — blood draw, processing while the patient waits, a grid of small scalp injections, and a return to normal activity the same day — which is precisely why the differentiator between clinics is not the experience but the documentation behind it.