I last updated my main platelet-rich plasma post (does PRP work for hair loss) in 2020. In there, I list over 50 studies that support the benefits of PRP scalp injections for hair growth.
I have written many other posts on platelet-rich plasma. Among the highlights include: a summary of key growth factors in PRP; rare instances of hair darkening; and Dr. John Cole’s interesting experiments with activated and sonicated PRP.
However, most readers are justifiably very skeptical about platelet-rich plasma. We see very few positive testimonials and reviews on hair loss forums, while studies suggest otherwise. One possible reason is that the methods used for PRP treatments are all over the place and impact success rates significantly.
Doctors who are totally inexperienced with hair loss treatments often start injecting PRP into patient scalps without any training. Many use the cheapest possible centrifuges and never even try to measure platelet counts.
In this post, I attempt to describe platelet-rich plasma treatment methodologies used by various leading hair transplant surgeons. Note that some physicians often combine PRP treatments with one or more of: ACell, exosomes and microneedling.
Update: December 2022
Two patients in Croatia got great platelet-rich plasma hair growth results via a novel protocol. Make sure to check out both the before and after photos. Each received an initial injection that contained a large volume of concentrated PRP (cPRP) solution activated by calcium (via the Arthrex Angel System). this was followed by a second, small-volume booster without activation. The Arthrex Angel System achieves a high concentration of thrombocyte cells.
PRP Hair Growth Treatment: Platelets per Microliter
- Perhaps the most experienced doctor in the US when it comes to using platelet-rich plasma for hair growth is Dr. Joseph Greco. I have covered him a few times. Besides using PRP, he also uses a purified version of PRP called CRP (Cytokine Rich Plasma). See this chart on his site for a comparison of differences between the two.
- Dr. John Cole who I mentioned earlier is also among the most experienced American physicians when it comes to using PRP for hair growth. Dr. Cole also uses CRP. On his site, he has a very interesting article titled “Dr. Cole discusses differences in PRP.” He notes that most PRP kits in use today lack when it comes to ultimate platelet concentrations and platelet yields. In his opinion, the best benefit for hair growth comes at platelet-rich plasma concentration levels of 1 million platelets per milliliter.
- Dr. Cole uses a Hemoccult machine that uses light to differentiate cells and quantify them accurately. One interesting thing that Dr. Cole told me was that “What I can tell you for sure on platelet-rich plasma is that you want a reddish PRP. Not a yellow PRP. The best and youngest platelets are on the surface of the red cells. Hence, you want a little flash of red in the final spin to capture those platelets.”
- Dr. Joseph Yaker shared with me an interesting series of slides he made for a presentation on the need to standardize PRP dosing. Since 2018, he has been using the TruDose™ system at his practice for platelet-rich plasma dosing accuracy. Dr. Yaker offers his own version of platelet-rich plasma called Precision PRP™️.
- The foremost expert on platelet-rich plasma for hair growth in the world might be Dr. Pietro Gentile from Italy. Especially when it comes to number of study publications. Dr. Yaker in his aforementioned slides mentioned a 2015 study from Dr. Pietro Gentile that found an ideal PRP dosage of 1.5 million platelets per microliter. The exact quote from this study:
“A mean of 1,484,555.6 platelets per microliter in the PRP preparation could effectively stimulate follicular and perifollicular angiogenesis (blood vessel formation), which is suggested to be one of the major factors in active hair growth.”
- Another leading US based hair transplant surgeon Dr. Aron Nusbaum published a study in 2018 titled: “Examining the Variability of PRP with Different Preparation Systems.” Him and his partner found that the concentration of platelets produced by four different commercially available systems demonstrated wide variance. Also, while most systems only require blood collection of 15-22cc, the Arthrex System uses over 120ml of blood. Dr. Nusbaum told me that his clinic uses the Angel System by Arthrex. They found this device leads to the highest platelet concentration. He also adds ACell during the procedure, and they recommend PRP treatments every 6 months.
- Dr. Jerry Cooley is yet another highly experienced platelet-rich user. In one of his past comments he stated the following:
“There a lot of different ways to ‘do’ PRP. Adding ACell is just one variable. Some of these other variables are: the device used to centrifuge the blood; the concentration of platelets achieved; the total volume injected; the size of the syringe and needle used to do the injecting; the depth level in the scalp it is injected; whether the PRP is ‘activated’ or not; the use of microneedling; etc. All of these can affect the result in my opinion.”
Make sure to see Hair Transplant Mentor Joe Tillman’s video of his platelet-rich plasma treatment with Dr. Cooley in 2016.
Activated versus Non-Activated
Many researchers recommend differentiating between autologous activated versus non-activated platelet-rich plasma. The former entails “activation” to induce growth factor secretion via the addition of calcium gluconate (or sometimes calcium chloride or thrombin). In the above video, Dr. Cooley injects calcium thrombin during the activation process.
A new January 2022 paper titled “Lasers, lights, and compounds for hair loss in aesthetics” contains a detailed section on platelet-rich plasma. It includes a discussion of autologous activated PRP (AA-PRP) versus non-activated autologous PRP (NA-PRP). The full version of the paper can be read via Sci-Hub (whose link keeps changing, so I am not posting here).
Among the most relevant quotes in this paper:
“The number of centrifugations, revolutionary speed, and spin time can affect platelet activity, degranulation, and growth factor viability. For example, longer or faster spin cycles more effectively separate the erythrocytes, buffy coat, and plasma, but this may also damage platelets and cause premature release of growth factors.”
“Preparation parameters should include the presence or absence of an anticoagulant, volume of blood drawn, presence or absence of leukocytes, spin method (speed and duration), activator used, and fraction of plasma collected. Authors should also report the mean platelet concentration, total volume, and volume per area used in treatment. This level of detail will allow for improved standardization that can be applied to real-world dermatology practice.”
Leukocytes and Fibrin Matrix
A proposed classification system that the above paper outlines would break out platelet-rich plasma into five categories:
- Pure or leukocyte-poor PRP (P-PRP).
- Leukocyte-rich PRP (L-PRP).
- Leukocyte-poor platelet-rich fibrin matrix (P-PRF).
- Platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM),
- Leukocyte-rich fibrin and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF).
Thanks for the article Admin. My direct experience with one of the docs you listed in the article (not inexperienced, high quality equipment) leads me to conclude that PRP does very little or even next to nothing for anyone who’s not in the VERY early stages of Androgenic Alopecia. Probably has some effect for women, guys just starting to thin. Certainly not worth what’s charged, I paid $5k for four sessions over the course of a year. Like most hair surgeons these guys are marketing machines, promising to turn straw into gold, with some subtle disclaimers. Buyer Beware!!!
I agree Yoda. I’ve spent around that much as well and I don’t think it did anything. The doctor hyped it up so much on his website/YouTube channel. Saying it’s better than Min. Yeah it’s definitely NOT.
So ppl listen to Yoda and BEWARE!
Yep. Totally agree with Yoda and MasterV. The Doc who did my PRP session here in OZ was a close colleague of Greco’s too. Spent a lot of time in the States learning from him. Only problem, (and I’ve said this 100 times now) it didn’t do a damn thing for me. Better off dipping your head in a bucket of possum p*ss for what it’s worth. Avoid like a cocktail from Bill Cosby.
Haha Summy you’re one funny son of a gun! I’ve yet to read anyone (especially male) who’s had reasonable results (at least on par with fin/min) from PRP. I got an email from a doc who’s known for PRP that he now offers oral minox. There’s a results photo that shows it being used in conjunction with his PRP regime…gee, I wonder which truly caused the positive effect? We know, it ain’t the PRP…such BS!
Cheers mate. Yeah, I’ve yet to see conclusive evidence also. Of coarse it’s the oral min over PRP. Ha. A doc from Sinclair Dermatology (in Melb Aust) told me they trialed PRP years ago. She said the reason they don’t recommend it is…bc it doesn’t work!
I wish Elton John would donate 25 million dollars to dnovo or junji Fukuda or even Dr tsuji. He clearly cares about his hair. Thus another year with no hope in sight for hair cloning. And I want to believe in junji Fukuda starting human trials in 2023 for hair cloning, but he also said that French frie oil can regrow hair. So I mean what does that say about the prospects of him actually cloning hair, not too good : (
Only hope we have is Bayer for near term hair loss treatment. 5 to 8 years. All this Fukuda, stemson stuff is decade a away at the very least. I won’t repeat myself on why but just look at the progress and timelines the past 20 yrs….. hop on big 3 and get an fue. Everything else is years away or scam.
This PRP stuff is absolute garbage. Maybe it has some other application, but none for AGA. I started very early on as I am very obsessed with my hair, and quickly noticed I have DUPA in a NW7 pattern. I immediately jumped on dut+minox in the very beginning. Then after some time tried 4 PRP sessions. I also later tried FGF7 injections. I can safely conclude I wasted about 5k USD with these. Dut works, but the best was oral minox, unfortunately the effect does not last passed 3-4 years. And at .5mg daily, which was the most effective dose for me, my face didn’t look good with huge dark circles…
I am happy to reach 40 years of age with some decent amount of hair left, but I will clearly have to buzz in the following 5 years, unless something comes up…
Georges what norwood are you? I started propecia at a nw1.5 20 yrs ago. Now im a nw 2.5 or so. Diffuse but still able to hide it well without anyone knowing. Hairline is what I can’t stop from going back lol. I might do fue to get back to nw1.5. I’m also on rogaine foam the past 7 yrs. It works but not that great.
hello Admin .
please look into Verteporfin and the below interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWRolWBjM84
Great Article! Thanks.