PRP for face and hair: why I chose my own blood over filler

I’ve had PRP on my face. I’ve never had it on my scalp, because my hair was never something I had to think about. So this page has two halves. The first half happened to me. The second half is what I’ve heard from the people who had it done on their scalp. I’ll tell you which half you’re reading as we go.

Jump to: Why I chose it · What it is · What I noticed · The day itself · The list I was given for the face · What nobody mentions · Do I still do it · The scalp: the part I haven’t done · What people tell me · The questions I get · Who this isn’t for · What I was told it does

Why I chose it

Filler was never an option for me. Not because of how it looks. It’s because of one risk I wasn’t willing to take: a blood vessel in the face getting blocked by the filler itself, which is called vascular occlusion. I was told that in rare cases it can kill the skin it cuts off, or damage your sight, and that filler can also leave lumps under the skin. Some people weigh that and go ahead. I didn’t. I’m not going to trade how I look for that risk. That was my decision, and it doesn’t have to be yours.

The explanation I was given for the difference is simple. Filler fills. It adds volume to the hollow parts of the face. PRP doesn’t fill anything. It’s meant to prompt the skin to rebuild itself. They’re different tools for different jobs. I just knew which one I’d let near my face.

What I wanted was something safe and natural, and there isn’t much that’s more natural than your own blood.

What it is

This is the explanation I was given, not my own.

PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. A small amount of your blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge, a machine that spins fast enough to separate the blood into layers. The layer rich in platelets is taken off and put back into your skin or scalp.

Platelets are the tiny blood cells that help stop bleeding and repair damaged vessels. When they meet tissue, they release proteins called growth factors. Someone described them to me as little powerhouses. Because it’s your own blood, I was told your body doesn’t reject it.

There’s also a close relative called PRF, platelet-rich fibrin. You get to choose which one you have. I was also told that orthopaedic and wound-care doctors had been using PRP to help tissue heal for years before anyone put it on a face.

What I noticed

It didn’t hurt. My face was red for a few hours, then it wasn’t.

Within a few weeks my skin looked fresher. That’s the honest size of it. It wasn’t dramatic, and nobody stopped me in the street. It was there when I looked, and it kept being there.

That’s one face and one account. Other people describe it differently, and I’ve put some of what they told me further down. I was fine is not the same sentence as you’ll be fine.

The day itself

Numbing cream goes on first, and it’s left for about half an hour to work. While that happens, a small amount of blood is drawn and spun. Then the PRP goes back into your skin, either by microneedling (very fine needles moving across the surface of the skin), by injection, or both. The doctor decides which, depending on your face. The whole thing takes 45 to 60 minutes.

The list I was given for the face

This is the clinic’s list, not mine. I’m passing it on as I got it.

Before: eat a clean, healthy meal and drink plenty of water. Don’t come in fasting. I was told that an empty stomach plus a lot of small needles is how people end up feeling faint.

Straight after, and what it can look like: your skin can look like a sunburn and feel warm and tight for a while. Mine didn’t last long, but I was told to expect it. Bruising can happen, especially around the eyes, and depending on the size it can take one to two weeks to clear. If there’s a lot of injecting around the temples, you can feel tight or get a headache for up to 24 hours.

After:

That night, before bed, wash your face with cold water and no soap, and gently rinse off whatever serum and dried blood is left.
No sunscreen and no makeup for 12 hours. Normal makeup is fine from the next day.
Use a generous amount of moisturiser for sensitive skin, often, for 7 to 10 days.
No exercise for 24 hours. No swimming for at least 5 days.
For at least 3 days, nothing active on the skin: no alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), retinol, or vitamin A or C products.
For the first two weeks, use only products made for sensitive skin. Avoid alcohol-based toners and whitening products for 10 to 14 days.
Keep out of direct sun for the first 24 to 48 hours, avoid heavy sun for 10 days, and wear sunscreen every day, SPF 25 or higher.
Go easy on sugar, and get enough protein and vitamin C. I was told those are the building blocks of new collagen.
Don’t smoke, and keep away from other people’s smoke for as long as you can. I say that as someone who used to smoke heavily.

What nobody mentions

Nobody tells you that the first few days don’t show you anything. I was told the skin can look worse before it looks better, and that the change comes in the weeks after. So if you judge it on day two, you’re judging the wrong thing.

The other thing is the needle. I don’t mind a drip or an injection into a muscle. But a face full of small needles is the thing I keep putting off. I tried it and I liked it. It’s a man thing. I think of the needle and I say next month.

Do I still do it

Not often. Partly I’m busy. Partly it’s the needle, as above. It’s always there for me, and that’s exactly why I keep putting it off. That’s the honest version, and it isn’t a verdict on PRP.

The scalp: the part I haven’t done

From here on, it’s other people’s experience, not mine.

On the scalp, the platelet-rich layer goes in by hand injection across the areas that are thinning, and the appointment is about half an hour. The drawing and spinning of the blood takes around 15 minutes of that.

The thing I say about hair on every page applies here too. The explanation I was given is that PRP works better when the hair loss is recent. Follicles that have been dormant a long time are much harder to wake. Earlier is better. I’ve written more about that on the stem cells for hair page.

I was also told that hair loss is rarely one thing, and that it usually does better when it’s approached from more than one direction at once than with any single treatment on its own. Someone put it to me as soil and a tree: if the soil is poor, the tree struggles. So your general health is part of the picture, not a separate one. Which combination fits your scalp is a question for a doctor who has looked at it.

The list I was given for the scalp. It’s the same list I passed on for the stem cells for hair page.

Before: drink enough water the day before. On the day, eat something light and not oily. If you colour your hair, do it at least seven days before. Wash your hair on the morning of the appointment.

After: stay out of direct sun for at least 24 hours. Rest somewhere clean the next day, and don’t wash your hair the evening after. Be gentle with your hair and scalp for the next few days: no hard brushing and no hot styling. Nothing strenuous or sweaty for 24 hours. Keep drinking water. Leave harsh chemical products alone for a few days.

How long it takes, as I was told it: the first thing people tend to notice is less hair coming out, usually within the first month. New growth is slower and depends on how far things had gone. Noticeable change generally takes six months to a year. One treatment helps, but it’s meant to be a series, and how many sessions and how far apart are set by a doctor after seeing you.

What happens if you stop: I was told the effect fades gradually. Unlike some medicines, stopping doesn’t make the hair fall out in a rush.

What people tell me

These are the things people have said to me or written about their face and scalp. I’ve taken out anything that could identify them.

A woman with sensitive skin expected to look burnt for a week. Two hours later the redness was gone. Two days later she said her skin felt smooth and soft.
Someone who’d been sceptical about PRP told me she saw a difference straight away.
A woman who’d been nervous before her first time said her skin looked fresher a month later.
A man who does it regularly has been back for a third session. So has a woman who told me after her third that it had surprised her.
A man who admits he hates needles didn’t realise the blood had already been taken until the treatment started.
A woman did her face and her scalp in the same visit. She’d had it done somewhere else before. After a month she said she was seeing good results.
People who come for a few days often add it to something else. One woman on a three-day visit did it on the same day as her other treatments.

Nobody promised any of those people what would happen, and I’m not promising it to you.

The questions I get

Is PRP the same thing as stem cells?

No. The explanation I was given is that PRP concentrates the growth factors already in your blood, while stem cell treatment uses the cells themselves. People call both regenerative. They’re not the same thing and not at the same level. My own stem cell story is on the stem cells page.

Is it a filler?

Not in the sense of filling. When PRP is injected into the face or neck, people sometimes call it plasma filler, but I was told it doesn’t add volume the way filler does. What it’s meant to do is prompt the skin to build its own collagen over the following weeks.

How soon will I see anything?

For me it was a few weeks. What I was told is that the skin keeps building as the collagen comes in. On the scalp it’s much slower, as above.

Does it hurt?

It didn’t hurt me. The numbing cream does most of the work. Other people have told me the same, including a few who were scared of needles.

Can it go wrong?

This is what I was given. Because it’s your own blood, the body doesn’t treat it as foreign, so there’s nothing to reject and nothing to be allergic to. Sterile technique matters: every needle is used for one person and thrown away. I was also told that the serious complications people hear about generally come from PRP mixed with something else, such as filler, not from PRP on its own. Bruising, swelling, and a tight, sunburnt feeling for a day or so are the common side effects.

Do the platelets have to be “activated” first?

People who’ve read a lot ask me this. The explanation I was given is that recent work found it isn’t necessary, because the platelets release what they carry once they’re put back in.

Can I do it with other things?

Most people I talk to do it alongside something else. I was told that microneedling and PRP push in the same direction, so they tend to be done together. If you have active acne, the doctor may pair PRP with something other than microneedling. Which combination suits you is a doctor’s call.

Who this isn’t for

This is the screening list as it was given to me.

Anyone on blood thinners, or with a clotting or other blood disorder.
Supplements that make you bleed more easily, such as fish oil or ginkgo, need to be mentioned before, not after.
Active acne changes how it’s done, so tell the doctor beforehand.
Very loose skin or heavy sun damage. I was told this may not do enough on its own, and that other options can do more. That’s worth hearing before you start, not after.

What I was told it does

I’m not going to explain the biology in my own words, because it isn’t mine to explain.

For the face, the explanation I was given is that the growth factors in PRP prompt the skin to make new collagen and elastin, and more of its own hyaluronic acid. What people usually judge it by is fine lines and wrinkles, texture and tone, pore size, scars, stretch marks, the area under the eyes, firmness, and how well the skin holds moisture. I was also told there’s published work on sun damage, the part of ageing that has more to do with the sun than the calendar. In laboratory and animal studies, PRP helped protect against the breakdown of collagen that UV causes, and helped damaged skin cells recover. Skin samples examined under the microscope after PRP have shown new collagen. And the reviews that pull many studies together found improvement, while also saying that methods differ and more standardised trials are needed. I’d rather you hear that part too.

For the scalp, the explanation I was given is that growth factors in PRP, such as PDGF and VEGF, push resting follicles back into their growth phase and improve blood flow in the scalp. The figures I was handed are these. Signals of hair loss dropped significantly between the first and the fourth treatment. Hair count went up 20 to 30% on average. The hair pull test, a simple check of how much hair comes away in the hand, dropped by 90%. In one study, ten men with male-pattern hair loss who hadn’t used any other treatment for the previous 12 months had one side of the scalp treated and the other left as a comparison. After three months, the treated areas gained an average of 27.7 hairs per square centimetre, while the untreated areas lost three. Terminal hair density (the thick, full-grown hairs) improved by 27 ± 15.3 in the treated areas and fell by 2.1 ± 12.4 in the untreated ones.

That’s the list of what it’s said to do. What I can put my own name to is shorter: a face that looked fresher within a few weeks, and a needle I still put off.

It’s your own blood, and that’s why I let it near my face.

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References

Hesseler MJ, Shyam N. Platelet-rich plasma and its utility in the treatment of acne scars: a systematic review. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019.
Rodríguez-Castro MJ, Cortés-Rodríguez AE. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in facial rejuvenation: a systematic review. Enfermería Clínica (English Edition). 2025.
Abuaf OK, Yildiz H, Baloglu H, et al. Histologic evidence of new collagen formulation using platelet rich plasma in skin rejuvenation: a prospective controlled clinical study. Ann Dermatol. 2016.
Platelet-rich plasma alleviates skin photoaging by activating autophagy and inhibiting inflammasome formation. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology. 2025.
Platelet-rich plasma regulating the repair of ultraviolet B–induced acute tissue inflammation: adjusting macrophage polarization through the activin receptor–follistatin system. Bioengineered. 2021.
The anti-photoaging effects of pre- and post-treatment of platelet-rich plasma on UVB-damaged HaCaT keratinocytes. PubMed ID 33174201.
Lam KWP, et al. Use of platelet rich plasma for skin rejuvenation. Skin Research and Technology. 2024.
Majewska L, Kijowski J, Dorosz K. Effect of patient age on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and fibrin treatments for skin density and thickness: a single-center ultrasound study. Life. 2025.
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I’m George. Thirty years in business, then ten years trying this whole field on myself before offering it to anyone else.
This is where I write down what I use, what I stopped using, and what I’d never do again. More about me →

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