PRP hair treatments are some of the hottest around with thousands of Australians undergoing this non-surgical procedure every month.

A combination of being derived from your own blood, non-surgical, non-medicinal, and with a lower risk of adverse reaction, makes PRP hair treatment very popular.

But what is PRP hair treatment? How does it work? What’s the procedure look like? Are there any PRP hair treatment side effects?

We’re not usually ones to bury the lede but we think it’s important to understand exactly what PRP hair treatment is and how it works before we discuss side effects.

So that’s what we’ll do in this post.

What is PRP hair treatment?

PRP hair treatment is an accessible treatment option for a range of hair conditions

It can be used to treat genetic hair loss, stress-related hair loss, alopecia, thinning hair and many other common hair conditions in both men and women.

It’s derived from your own blood as it uses your own blood as the treatment. It requires no surgery, no pharmaceutical medication, minimal recovery time for most patients and minimal time away from work or friends.

PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma. A solution made up of your own blood.

We draw a small amount of blood, just like a blood test.

We pass that blood through a medical centrifuge to separate the blood plasma we need with the blood we don’t.

We prepare the PRP solution by adding a medical anticoagulant to keep it liquid and the PRP treatment is ready to use.

Aside from a medical anticoagulant, nothing is added to the solution — the PRP is derived entirely from your own blood.

The PRP solution is then administered using a microneedler to the affected area. Once complete, we shine a red LED light onto the treated area to help reduce any swelling and the chances of infection.

Once done, you’re free to get on with your day!

How long does an appointment take?

A PRP hair treatment appointment takes between 45 minutes and an hour. Much depends on what we’re doing and how much area we are treating.

Most appointments will be done within 45 minutes, making them ideal for lunchtimes or just after work.

As there is very little sign you had anything done, you can go about your business with people being none the wiser.

How long will it take to see the results of PRP hair treatment?

How long it takes to see results of PRP hair treatment depends on a number of factors.

This is medicine after all and we are all different!

How long it takes depends on your age, your overall health and wellbeing, the severity of the condition we are addressing and how quickly you heal.

Genetics plays a role here too, so there are no certainties.

What we can say is that on average, the people we treat with PRP hair treatments tend to begin seeing improvements somewhere between 8 – 12 weeks after the treatment.

We can discuss this further at your consultation if you wish.

PRP hair treatment aftercare

The aftercare requirements for PRP hair treatment are minimal.

We recommend keeping the treated area out of direct sunlight for a couple of days and keeping the area moisturized.

We also recommend making sure you’re well hydrated and don’t subject the area to harsh chemicals, too much heat or sweat.

The treated area may tingle or sting a little or be swollen or red for a short time afterwards. This is nothing to worry about and passes quickly.

PRP hair treatment side effects

Now you have a full understanding of what PRP hair treatment is and how it works, we can better answer the original question about side effects.

Are there any side effects of PRP hair treatment?

Significant side effects from PRP hair treatment are uncommon when performed by qualified practitioners in a sterile environment.

We treat many thousands of patients every year.

You may experience tenderness or soreness at the treatment site, itching or mild irritation, redness or mild swelling or some discomfort immediately after the treatment.

This will pass within a few hours and can be addressed with over the counter painkillers or natural moisturizers.

We cover all these potential side effects at the consultation and provide full guidance on what to do if you experience any.

If you’re one of those that do experience these side effects, they should pass within a few hours.

We take every precaution to keep the injection site clean and use a red LED light to help reduce any swelling or redness.

That red LED light also helps reduce the chances of infection.

As long as you keep the treatment site clean and follow our aftercare guidance, the chances of infection are negligible.

Why so few side effects with PRP hair treatment?

The reason why there are so few side effects with PRP hair treatment are because it uses your own blood plasma.

Your own body produces it. It contains your own DNA and your own cells so there’s negligible chance of rejection.

Blood is taken fresh that day (a tiny amount, just a few millilitres) and spun in a medical centrifuge to separate the blood plasma from the rest.

There are no synthetic chemicals except the anticoagulant either. That anticoagulant is tried and tested and used extensively throughout medicine so we know it is well-tolerated by most patients.

The blood is fresh and never stored, which lowers any risk of contamination.

The lack of surgery means low risk of complications and infection.

The lack of medications means low risk of side effects.

Because PRP is derived from your own blood and contains no synthetic additives beyond the anticoagulant, the risk of adverse reaction is low — though as with any procedure involving injections, it is not zero.

Aside from those temporary effects we mentioned earlier, there are minimal downsides to PRP hair treatments.

How to minimize the side effects of PRP hair treatment

As you can see, the chances of side effects from PRP hair treatment are minimal.

You can reduce the chances even further with a few simple tips:

Use a reputable clinic – Work with a clinic with a reputation for delivering safe, hygienic cosmetic treatments and you’re already on your way to reducing side effects.

Follow aftercare guidance – Hair and Skin Science provides full aftercare advice for PRP hair treatment. Follow that guidance and you should experience faultless recovery.

Keep the treatment area out of sunlight – PRP hair treatment slightly damages the skin so we recommend keeping the treatment site out of the sun and away from pollution for a couple of days.

Keep hydrated – Use the natural moisturizers we recommend and drink plenty of water to help your body repair and regenerate.

Minimizing PRP treatment for hair loss side effects

PRP treatments are associated with a low risk of adverse reactions and minimal chances of side effects or complications.

Work with a reliable clinic with a great reputation, look after yourself, follow our aftercare guidelines and you may be able to address your hair loss concerns with minimal downsides.

Contact Hair and Skin Science to arrange your consultation. We’re waiting for your call!