PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is a nonsurgical hair-loss treatment during which platelets extracted from your own blood are injected into areas of your scalp with thinning hair. While PRP is not yet FDA-approved for hair loss, the research done so far finds PRP to be effective for both age-related hair loss and alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair loss in young and otherwise healthy people. It’s considered a safe, relatively inexpensive, and less invasive alternative to surgery, and the doctors who perform it say it can stimulate the follicles and slow down the rate of hair loss. In some cases, it can regrow hair.

Platelets in your blood play a role in clotting and healing. They are the cells that contain the cell signaling agents that quarterback, or orchestrate, the human body’s tissue rejuvenation and healing systems. Plasma is the liquid in blood that carries the platelets, along with red blood cells and white blood cells.

What happens during a PRP treatment for hair loss?

To start, your Nurse Practitioner or Physician’s Assistant will draw a small amount of your blood. You’ll wait for about 10 minutes while your blood is run through a centrifuge to separate red blood cells from the plasma and concentrate the platelets.

The entire process should take about 10 to 20 minutes, and you should be fine going back to work right after.

What are the risks and side effects of PRP for hair loss?

PRP injections are nonsurgical and present no significant safety risks. The most common side effects are mild pain, redness, and pinpoint bleeding during the injections. You might also have some discomfort or minor swelling for a few days.

In a 2015 study titled “The Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Hair Regrowth” the safety and clinical efficacy of PRP for hair loss was investigated. The study found that “injection of PRP preparations has a positive therapeutic effect on male androgenic alopecia without major side effects.”