PRP Hair Treatment London

PRP for hair uses growth factors concentrated from your own blood to stimulate follicles that are thinning but still alive. It is the best-evidenced regenerative treatment for pattern hair loss, supported by a 2025 meta-analysis of 43 randomised controlled trials and 1,877 participants which found it increases hair density. It works on miniaturising follicles and not on follicles that have already closed, which is why diagnosis comes before treatment.

Key points

• PRP is autologous, meaning it is made from your own blood at the point of treatment, so allergic reaction is very unlikely.

• Pooled trial data show hair density rising from roughly 142 to 178 hairs per square centimetre, with more treatments per month associated with greater gains.

• A course of 3 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart is standard, with maintenance every 6 to 12 months, because the process driving hair loss continues.

• At The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness every treatment is performed by GMC-registered doctors, and blood testing is run in house because an untreated deficiency is the most common reason PRP underperforms.

Want to know if PRP would work for your hair? Message a GMC-registered doctor on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.

What PRP for hair is

How it works

A small sample of your blood is taken from your arm, the same as any blood test. It is placed in a centrifuge and spun at high speed for 10 to 15 minutes, which separates the blood and concentrates the platelets into a small volume of plasma. Platelets carry the growth factors the body uses in tissue repair, and that concentrate is then injected across the thinning areas of the scalp using fine needles.

The aim is to improve the environment around the follicle, support its blood supply and push hairs that are shrinking back toward active growth. Because the material comes from you, nothing foreign is introduced, and the reported side effects across the literature are consistently mild and confined to the scalp.

What it does not do

PRP stimulates follicles that are miniaturising but alive. It does not create new follicles, it does not regrow hair from follicles that have closed or scarred over, and it does not switch off the genetic and hormonal process causing pattern hair loss. That last point is why maintenance is part of the plan rather than an upsell.

What the evidence shows

The evidence base for PRP in pattern hair loss is the strongest it has anywhere in medicine. A 2025 meta-analysis published in Dermatology and Therapy pooled 43 randomised controlled trials covering 1,877 participants and concluded that PRP increases hair density in androgenetic alopecia. Pooled figures across those trials show density rising from roughly 142 to 178 hairs per square centimetre.

Two further findings matter practically. There is a dose relationship, with a greater number of treatments per month associated with larger density gains, which is what you would expect from a real biological effect rather than noise. And combination outperforms monotherapy, with pooled data showing PRP alongside topical minoxidil producing better density than either used alone.

We state the limits with the same precision. PRP is not standardised, so preparation protocols and the resulting platelet concentration differ between clinics, and it is not an established treatment for the scarring process in conditions such as frontal fibrosing alopecia or central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.

Want the evidence applied to your case? Ask our doctors on WhatsApp.

Who PRP suits

Good candidates

• Men with early to moderate pattern loss, typically Norwood 2 to 4, where the hairline is receding or the crown thinning and fine hairs are still visible in the affected area.

• Women with female pattern thinning, typically Ludwig I to II, where the parting has widened and the ponytail feels thinner while the frontal hairline is preserved.

• People who want to avoid hormonal medication, since PRP has no hormonal action at all and does not lower DHT, which makes it the main option for men on testosterone therapy and for anyone who will not take a DHT blocker.

• People who have had a hair transplant and want to support the grafts and protect the native hair around them.

Poor candidates

• Areas that have been completely bald for several years, where the scalp is smooth and shiny with no visible follicle openings. Those follicles have closed and no injection revives them.

• Anyone with an undiagnosed scarring alopecia, where redness, scaling, tenderness or a pale scarred band at the hairline suggests a process that is destroying follicles and needs anti-inflammatory treatment urgently.

• Anyone whose shedding started 2 to 3 months after an illness, an operation, childbirth or a weight-loss medication, because that is usually telogen effluvium and it typically recovers on its own within 3 to 6 months.

• People with a very low platelet count or a platelet function disorder, an active infection, or certain blood conditions. These are screened for before treatment.

Why blood tests come first

This is the difference that decides results, and it is the step most commonly missing when someone tells us PRP did not work for them elsewhere.

A follicle is one of the most metabolically demanding structures in the body and it is deprioritised when resources are short. Low ferritin, thyroid dysfunction, low vitamin D, low B12 or zinc all suppress hair growth, and a follicle short of what it needs cannot respond fully to growth factor stimulation however well the injection is performed.

Our GMC-registered doctors run full iron studies including ferritin, full thyroid function with antibodies rather than TSH alone, vitamin D, B12, folate, zinc, full blood count, HbA1c, CRP and the relevant hormonal markers, from the same clinic. NICE and the British Association of Dermatologists both stress identifying the underlying cause of hair loss before treatment, and with PRP it is the single largest determinant of whether the money you spend produces a result.

What treatment involves

The appointment

A session takes 45 to 60 minutes in total, most of which is the blood draw, preparation and numbing rather than the injections themselves. The scalp is numbed with a topical anaesthetic, and most people describe the injections as brief pinches rather than pain. You can drive afterwards and return to work the same day.

The course

A starting course is 3 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart. Where appropriate, topical minoxidil or a DHT-lowering medication is added, and anything found on blood testing is corrected alongside.

Maintenance

Sessions every 6 to 12 months after the initial course, with the interval set by how active your hair loss is and how well any contributors are controlled. Without maintenance the gains fade over the following months, because the underlying process continues.

Results timeline

Reduced shedding is usually the first change, often within 1 to 2 months. A small temporary increase in shedding in the early weeks is normal as the hair cycle resets and is not a sign of failure. Visible thickening typically appears from around 3 months, and the fullest result between 6 and 12 months as new hairs grow and mature.

Aftercare

Avoid washing the hair for about 24 hours. For the first day or two avoid strenuous exercise, saunas, steam rooms, swimming and direct sun. Mild tenderness, redness or slight swelling at the injection points usually settles within 24 to 48 hours. Tell your doctor about blood-thinning medication, and check before taking anti-inflammatory painkillers around your sessions since these can affect the platelet response.

Want to see what a course would look like for you? Message us on WhatsApp.

What PRP hair treatment costs in London

Flagship Harley Street and Mayfair clinics commonly charge £600 to £850 or more per session, and London practices generally charge 50 to 70 percent more than clinics outside the capital. Because PRP is delivered as a course of around 3 sessions with maintenance every 6 to 12 months, the figure to plan around is a course rather than a single treatment.

At the lower end you will see PRP advertised from £150 to £300. That price usually reflects a shorter appointment, a different preparation protocol and no diagnosis of what is actually causing your hair loss. The relevant cost is not the fee but the months lost, because follicles respond while they are shrinking and not once they have closed.

Our care is doctor-led and priced below flagship central London rates, with the figure for your plan confirmed after your free suitability review. PRP is not funded by the NHS for hair loss and private insurance does not cover it, so this is a self-pay treatment.

The suitability review

Every enquiry begins with a free doctor-led suitability review rather than a booking. A GMC-registered doctor examines your scalp, uses dermoscopy to assess follicle viability area by area, reviews or arranges your blood tests, and gives one of two answers.

Approved for treatment, with which areas can respond and which cannot, how many sessions, what to expect at 3, 6 and 12 months, what maintenance looks like and the cost before you commit.

Or not approved, in which case we say so plainly and explain what would serve you better. Sometimes that is correcting a deficiency and reviewing in 6 months. Sometimes it is urgent treatment for a scarring alopecia. Sometimes it is a surgical opinion because the follicles in the area concerned have gone.

We decline a meaningful share of enquiries, and that selectivity is the reason our reported outcomes hold.

Why people choose The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness

The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness is a doctor-led, blood-test-first clinic treating from 10 Portman Square in Marylebone and the Light Centre in Belgravia. Every treatment is performed by GMC-registered doctors, and no clinician treats a patient here until they have completed 100 supervised treatments, because PRP outcomes are technique dependent in ways patients cannot see.

Diagnosis, blood testing, prescribing and the full regenerative range sit under one roof, so the recommendation follows your scalp rather than a single product line. Across our work we report an 87 percent patient success rate, a 32 percent average density increase in hair restoration and more than 187 five-star reviews. We also train other clinicians in these techniques through our Academy.

Book your free suitability review. Message us on WhatsApp, email team@thewellnesslondon.com, or call +44 20 3951 3429.

Frequently asked questions about PRP hair treatment

Does PRP work for hair loss?

Yes, for follicles that are miniaturising rather than gone. A 2025 meta-analysis of 43 randomised controlled trials and 1,877 participants found PRP increases hair density in pattern hair loss.

How many PRP sessions do I need?

A starting course of 3 sessions spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, then maintenance every 6 to 12 months. Trial data show more treatments per month are associated with greater density gains.

How long until I see results?

Reduced shedding often within 1 to 2 months, visible thickening from around 3 months, and the fullest result between 6 and 12 months as new hairs mature.

Does PRP hurt?

The scalp is numbed first and the injections use fine needles, so most people describe brief pinches rather than pain. Mild tenderness afterwards usually settles within 24 to 48 hours.

Is PRP safe?

It is made from your own blood, so allergic reaction is very unlikely and reported side effects are mild and confined to the scalp. It is avoided with a very low platelet count, platelet disorders and active infection, which are screened for.

How much does PRP for hair cost in London?

Flagship clinics commonly charge £600 to £850 or more per session, with a course of 3 plus maintenance. Our care is doctor-led and priced below those rates, confirmed after your free suitability review.

This article is for information and does not replace personal medical advice. PRP preparation is not standardised and individual results vary. All treatments at The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness are performed by GMC-registered doctors. Reviewed by Dr Shah, The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness. Last updated September 2026.