PRP for Hair Loss: What a Year Costs and What Women Get

PRP for hair loss costs around $1,000 a session, according to Harvard Health, and it takes a series of three before improvement may show. Then come maintenance visits every few months, usually out of pocket, for a benefit in women that ranges from modest to none.

Maybe your part looks wider than it did a year ago, and a clinic has quoted you a price per session. That number is the smallest one you'll see. The real cost is a year of appointments. Whether it's worth that depends on what's causing your thinning and on trials that mostly weren't run on women like you.

How Much Does PRP for Hair Loss Cost?

Expect to spend several thousand dollars in the first year. The schedule is what drives it. The AAD says most patients return once a month for 3 months and then once every 3 to 6 months.

Here's that schedule priced at Harvard Health's figure of around $1,000 a session. Treat it as a rough estimate in US dollars, since that figure dates from 2020 and prices vary by city and clinic.

• First three months: three sessions, about $3,000.
• Rest of year one: one to three maintenance sessions, so roughly $4,000 to $6,000 for the whole first year.
• Every year after: two to four sessions, about $2,000 to $4,000 a year, for as long as you want to keep the result.

Cleveland Clinic calls PRP relatively expensive because of the process involved in producing it. Like other biologics, the clinic says, PRP can't be mass-produced because it comes from your own body.

Is PRP for Hair Loss Covered by Insurance?

Usually not. Harvard Health says these treatments are generally not covered by insurance. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains why: PRP is considered investigational and has not been officially approved by the FDA for most uses, so insurers may not pay.

Ask your plan anyway, and ask whether a health savings account will reimburse it. Get the answer in writing before you sign up for a package.

Does PRP Work for Hair Loss in Women?

Sometimes, for early pattern thinning. The trials in women are fewer and smaller than the headlines suggest, and they don't agree. One of the most cited early trials enrolled only men.

One often cited trial treated 20 men with PRP on half the scalp and a placebo on the other half. Hair counts went up on the PRP side. Over two years of follow-up, four of the men reported hair loss returning, most noticeably about 16 months after their last session, and were treated again.

The women-only trials are small and they disagree. A 2019 review describes a 2016 trial of 26 women where PRP made no statistically significant difference in hair count compared with placebo. A 2020 trial of 30 women found the opposite. On blinded photos at week 24, 57% of women given PRP improved, against 7% given salt water.

A Mayo Clinic trial compared PRP with minoxidil in 19 women with female pattern hair loss. Both treatments regrew hair, though the researchers described PRP's effect as temporary. About 21% of the PRP group had bruising or discomfort, while no side effects were reported with minoxidil.

What the biggest review of women found

A 2021 review pooled 42 studies with 1,569 people, 776 of them women. The authors concluded PRP improved hair density compared with control groups, though the pooled estimate was imprecise. But only seven of those studies recruited women alone, and only 16 were randomized trials.

The clinics weren't doing the same thing, either. Platelet concentrations ranged from 1.5 to 7 times that of whole blood, and follow-up usually ran 12 weeks to nine months. That's too short to show whether results last. The authors called for standard protocols and large randomized trials.

Does PRP Work for Hair Loss in Black Women?

Nobody really knows yet. The 2021 review lists the countries its studies came from, not the women's race or hair type. So there's no clear trial answer for coily or tightly curled hair.

The bigger issue is diagnosis. Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) is a scarring hair loss that the AAD says is more commonly seen in Black women. It usually starts at the crown, often as a small round patch, in middle age. That's the same area where pattern thinning shows.

Many people with CCCA feel burning, stinging or itching, and some feel small raised bumps. The AAD says to treat it early, because once a follicle scars completely, regrowth becomes difficult. Harvard Health adds there isn't enough evidence to judge PRP for types of hair loss other than pattern thinning.

Thinning at the hairline from braids, locs or tight ponytails is usually traction, which needs a different fix. Why your edges are thinning covers what to change. Get any crown thinning checked by a dermatologist before you pay for injections.

Who PRP Is Likely to Help

PRP has been studied mostly in androgenetic alopecia. In women that's female pattern hair loss, where the part widens and the top of the head thins. By age 60, 35% of women develop it, according to the same 2019 review. What female pattern hair loss is explains how it's diagnosed and treated.

The AAD says effective treatment begins with finding the cause, ideally with a board-certified dermatologist. The AAD lists illness, childbirth, low nutrients and thyroid problems among other causes of hair loss, and these can look similar in the mirror. Telling hormonal from nutritional hair loss comes before choosing any procedure.

PRP vs Minoxidil: Which Should You Try First?

Minoxidil, for most women. The AAD says 2% or 5% minoxidil has been approved to treat female pattern hair loss, while PRP's early findings show promise but need more study. Minoxidil takes about six to 12 months of continuous use before you know how well it works.

Harvard Health says PRP may work best when combined with other treatments for pattern hair loss. So it's an add-on, not a swap. If you're tempted to rotate products in and out, why minoxidil is the step not to cycle off is worth reading first.

Clinics often sell exosomes alongside PRP as the newer option. What exosomes do for hair growth covers how thin that evidence is.

How Long Does PRP Take to Work?

Within the first few months, the AAD says, you may notice you're losing less hair. Regrowth is slower. The 2020 trial in women measured results at 24 weeks. So judge it at around six months, with photos taken in the same light and angle each time.

And stopping has a cost too. Pattern thinning is driven by genetic and hormonal factors that PRP doesn't stop, and the AAD's schedule includes maintenance visits every three to six months. The trial in men saw some hair loss return within two years.

Does PRP for Hair Loss Hurt, and Who Should Skip It?

Most people get some discomfort. Harvard Health lists pain, redness, headaches and temporary hair shedding as mild risks. In the 2020 trial in women, side effects included headache, scalp tightness, swelling, redness and some bleeding after injection.

Johns Hopkins adds soreness and bruising at the injection site, with infection, bleeding and nerve injury as less common risks. Have it done in a medical setting by a clinician who takes a full health history.

Harvard Health says PRP may not be appropriate if you have a history of bleeding disorders or autoimmune disease. Cleveland Clinic says providers may ask you to stop blood thinners or NSAIDs first. Don't stop a prescribed blood thinner on your own. Ask the doctor who prescribed it.

See a dermatologist before any procedure if hair loss is sudden, comes out in smooth round patches, or comes with itching, burning, scaling or tenderness. Those signs need a diagnosis first, not a procedure.

What to Ask Before You Pay

• Who diagnosed the cause of your hair loss, and how?
• What is the full cost for 12 months, including the blood draw and numbing?
• How many starter sessions, and how often is maintenance after that?
• How do they prepare the plasma, and what platelet concentration do they aim for?
• How will they track results, and what happens if a prepaid package isn't working?

Frequently Asked Questions

How Often Do You Need PRP for Hair Loss?

The AAD says most patients come once a month for three months, then once every three to six months. The maintenance visits don't have an end date if you want to keep the result.

Is PRP Better Than Minoxidil for Women?

There's no good evidence that it is. In the small Mayo Clinic trial in women, both regrew hair, and only the PRP group reported bruising or discomfort. Minoxidil is the approved treatment, so most dermatologists start there.

Can PRP Regrow Hair Lost to Scarring?

Probably not. Scarring hair loss like CCCA damages the follicle, and the AAD says regrowth becomes difficult once a follicle scars completely. Early diagnosis and treatment by a dermatologist matter more than any injection.