Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · 3 min read
Published 13 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a concentrate of a patient's own platelets, prepared on the day from a small blood draw and injected into thinning zones of the scalp, where activated platelets release growth factors. For androgenetic alopecia it has several randomised trials and meta-analyses behind it, though preparation methods differ, so one PRP is not comparable with another. It is an adjunct to an assessed plan, not a substitute for medical therapy, and does not revive follicles that have gone.
Key facts
What it is
Concentrated platelets from the patient's own blood, prepared on the day and injected into the scalp
Evidence
Several randomised trials and meta-analyses in androgenetic alopecia; concentration, activation and spacing vary between protocols
Role
An adjunct to an assessed plan; prescription medical therapy remains the guideline foundation
At this practice
The core regenerative plan combines Regenera Activa micrografting, fractional laser stimulation and medical therapy; PRP is considered where the plan calls for more support
Where PRP matters on this site
On this site PRP appears almost entirely in the hair pages, as an adjunct considered after diagnosis rather than as the centre of a plan.
PRP can support a follicle that is still there; it cannot replace the medicine that deals with why it is shrinking.— Dr Sin Yong
Hair loss treatment: the options by diagnosis, and when transplant referral is the honest conversation.
Regulatory status. PRP is not a manufactured product with a fixed formulation to look up on a register. It is prepared from your own blood on the day, so what is injected depends on the preparation method and protocol. That is why asking how it is prepared, and whether it is activated, tells you more than the name.
Not to be confused with
Several regenerative treatments for the scalp are discussed together and are easily blurred.
Autologous micrografting. Small samples of your own scalp processed into micrografts and returned to thinning areas. It is tissue, not a blood concentrate, and is the regenerative arm used here.
Polynucleotides. A sterile manufactured product, so no blood draw is needed; fish or salmon allergy rules them out. Scalp studies are fewer and smaller than for PRP.
Exosomes. A topical product applied after laser, not an injection of your own platelets.
Medical therapy. Prescription medicines act on the cause of pattern loss; PRP does not.
The same letters are also used in other specialties for injections into joints and tendons. Those uses have their own evidence and are not discussed here. On the scalp, the useful comparison is not between brand names but between what each option is made of, how it is given and what evidence stands behind it.
What decides whether PRP matters for you
Whether PRP has any place depends on what the hair loss is, how far it has gone, and what is already in place.
The diagnosis. Pattern thinning, telogen effluvium and alopecia areata are different conditions, and an injectable for the wrong one only delays the right treatment.
The stage. PRP supports follicles that are miniaturised but alive. A bald, shiny zone has lost its follicles.
Medical therapy. It remains the foundation, started after assessment and used continuously, with adjuncts layered around it.
Your medical history. Because PRP begins with a blood draw, general health and any bleeding tendency are reviewed first.
How progress will be measured. Hair changes slowly, so baseline trichoscopy and photographs are taken before anything starts.
Dr Sin Yong considers PRP where the plan calls for more support, not as a first step. A clinic that answers a hair question with a package rather than a diagnosis has not yet assessed you.
Where it fits
PRP does not treat the cause of pattern hair loss, which is inherited follicle sensitivity to DHT; that is the job of medical therapy, started only after a doctor has assessed the scalp and history. Dr Sin Yong's regenerative plan is not built on an injectable of this kind: it combines autologous micrografting with Regenera Activa, fractional laser stimulation of the scalp and medical therapy where indicated, sequenced by stage, with low-level laser as a drug-free first-line option. PRP and polynucleotides are considered as adjuncts where more support is wanted. Full comparison: PRP and polynucleotides for hair; the micrografting procedure on Regenera Activa; the programme on hair regrowth treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because it is prepared on the day rather than supplied as a fixed product. Protocols differ in how concentrated the platelets are, whether the plasma is activated before injection and how injections are spaced, so one PRP is not automatically comparable with another, or with the preparations used in trials. Asking how it is prepared, and who performs the injection, is a reasonable part of any consultation.
It can be considered as an adjunct once the diagnosis is clear. Women lose hair for a longer list of reasons than men, so blood tests are often ordered before any scalp treatment, and pattern thinning is staged on the Ludwig scale. Where pattern loss is confirmed, medical therapy remains the foundation, and PRP or another regenerative option may be layered around it after assessment.
No. It is an adjunct that supports follicles still present; it does not address DHT sensitivity and does not revive follicles that have gone. Diagnosis and staging, usually with trichoscopy, come first, and medical therapy remains the foundation.
PRP has several randomised trials and meta-analyses in androgenetic alopecia, with preparation methods that vary. Scalp studies of polynucleotides are fewer, smaller and sometimes uncontrolled. Both are adjuncts rather than substitutes for an assessed plan.
References
Evidence-Based (S3) Guideline for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia in Women and in Men. Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft (PubMed), 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Androgenetic Alopecia (Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss). DermNet. dermnetnz.org
Female Pattern Hair Loss: A Clinical, Pathophysiologic, and Therapeutic Review. PMC. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
