Hair thins for a lot of reasons, and the reason matters more than the treatment. We start by working out what is driving it, then talk through what a medical aesthetics practice can honestly offer, what belongs with a physician, and what would take surgery. There is no single answer that suits everyone.
What this treatment can and cannot do
Nothing offered here is a hair transplant. Injections and topical treatments work on follicles that are still alive and producing thinner, shorter hairs than they used to. Where a follicle has stopped entirely, no injection brings it back, and surgery is the only route to moving hair from one part of the scalp to another. That boundary is worth understanding before you spend anything, because it decides whether the plan in front of you is realistic.
Concerns we see most
- Gradual thinning
- A widening part
- Receding hairline
- Less scalp coverage
- More hair in the brush
- Postpartum hair shedding
- Hormonal shedding
- Thinning along the temple area
- Scalp showing through in photos
- Early stage thinning
What a treatment session is like
A platelet treatment starts with a small blood draw. The sample is spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelet rich portion, and that portion is injected across the thinning areas of the scalp with a fine needle.
Some visits pair that with microneedling, which passes fine needles through the scalp surface and can help topical treatments reach further. A fibrin preparation, often called PRF, uses the same blood draw with a gentler spin and no additive. Your provider will explain which suits you.
What happens after a session
- Some tenderness at the injection sites
- Mild scalp swelling
- Most people go back to work
- Wash your hair tomorrow
- Skip the gym for a day
- Keep the scalp clean
- Avoid direct sun
- Photographs at each visit track progress
- Any change shows over months, not weeks
Questions we hear often
Is platelet rich plasma the same as a hair transplant?
No. A transplant is surgery: follicles are moved from an area with dense growth to one without. A platelet treatment moves nothing. It places a concentrate made from your own blood into the scalp in the hope of supporting follicles that are still working. Some people respond, some do not, and the published research is genuinely mixed rather than settled. It is also not FDA approved for hair loss.
How many sessions does a course of treatment involve?
Protocols differ from one practice to the next, and there is no agreed standard. Most plans run a short series spaced several weeks apart, then spread visits out from there. Your provider will set the schedule at consultation based on what is causing the thinning.
Will I need to keep using minoxidil or finasteride too?
Possibly. Topical minoxidil is approved by the FDA for pattern hair loss in both women and men, and oral finasteride is approved for men. Those medicines are the foundation most plans are built on, and in-office treatments are usually added alongside them. Prescribing is a physician decision, so we coordinate.
How much downtime is there?
Very little. The scalp is usually tender for a day or two and can look slightly pink where the injections went in. Most people go back to their usual routine the same afternoon. Heavy exercise and strong sun are worth avoiding for a day.
Start with a conversation
Bring anything that helps: photographs from a few years ago, a list of medicines you take, recent blood work if you have it. A consultation covers what is likely causing the thinning, whether a medical workup should come first, what treatment could reasonably do, and what it would cost. If nothing here suits you, we will say so.