Treatment guides
How many PRP treatments do you need for hair? The schedule we use
Plan on three sessions, then maintenance. Most people need three PRP sessions four to six weeks apart, then one maintenance session every three to six months, which puts your first year at four to six visits. A single session, the kind a voucher covers, is a start rather than a full course, because the trials that showed a difference all used a series.
Why three PRP sessions, and why close together
This schedule comes from a review of the PRP hair trials by Stevens and Khetarpal, which proposed “monthly sessions for the first 3 months, then every 3 months for the first year,” six sessions in all at months 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12, and noted that “three monthly sessions followed by sessions at 6-month intervals have also been effective,” per the review in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology.
Close spacing at the start matters. A network meta-analysis of PRP protocols found that results improved with more sessions and shorter intervals between them, and were better with chemically activated, double-spun PRP and in younger and female patients, per Gupta and Bamimore in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. You can spread the first three sessions over six months instead of three, but it will likely work less well.
Platelets release growth factors that act on the stem cells in the follicle, extend its growth phase, and build new blood vessels around it. None of that blocks the hormone that’s shrinking the follicle in the first place, which is why PRP is an add-on to minoxidil or finasteride, not a replacement. PRP plus minoxidil beat either alone in a six-study meta-analysis, per Xiao and colleagues. We don’t prescribe either drug, but if your doctor has prescribed one, stay on it.
You’ll find the visit-by-visit version, including what happens at each appointment, on our PRP hair restoration page.
What your first year of PRP looks like
PRP hair sessions in the first year, by schedule
Your first three sessions, four to six weeks apart, are your course. At month 4 we’ll check your progress together, since density changes show after month three, and we judge the full result at month 6. Then comes maintenance: month 6 on either schedule, and months 9 and 12 as well if you’re on the quarterly plan. Which plan suits you depends on how much thinning there was to begin with and how your scalp responded, so we decide that at the month-four check.
There’s no sun restriction after PRP, and you’ll only need to avoid heavy sweating or swimming for 24 to 48 hours, so a course can start in any season. Individual results vary.
When you’ll start to see a difference
Shedding slows first. Density changes were “most commonly reported after the third month” in the trials Stevens and Khetarpal reviewed, and RealSelf members are told to allow four months, per RealSelf, patient-reported. So little visible change at week six is expected.
The expected improvement is modest. A 2023 systematic review of 27 controlled trials found PRP increased hair density by a mean of 25.6 hairs per square centimeter compared with saline, and rated the evidence low quality, per Cruciani and colleagues in Blood Transfusion. A meta-analysis of nine randomized trials found higher density at 3 and 6 months than placebo, but no significant difference in hair count or hair thickness, per Zhang and colleagues in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. So a realistic goal is more density in thinning areas, judged at month six, rather than a new hairline.
Does PRF change how many sessions you need?
It doesn’t. PRF is PRP spun slower and without an anticoagulant, so it sets into a gel that releases growth factors over days instead of hours. It’s the same material we inject under the eyes. For hair, the evidence is early: a case series of 11 women had three monthly PRF sessions and improved at 3 and 6 months, per Sharma and colleagues, and a 2024 review of five clinical studies found a real effect but “no consensus regarding the preparation of PRF” and no proof it beats PRP, per Shrestha and colleagues.
That case series also used three monthly sessions. Adding PRF doesn’t shorten the course. It’s a slower-release version some clients add at the nurse’s suggestion, and you can read the full comparison in PRP vs PRF for hair.
What happens if you stop PRP
Over time, density drifts back. In one series, hair density “decreased at 6 and 12 months post-treatment but remained above baseline,” per the Stevens and Khetarpal review. The gains don’t disappear overnight, but the hormonal process that thins the hair never stopped, so without maintenance you head back toward where you started.
That’s why we recommend maintenance visits: they help the result from your first three sessions hold.
For a visit-by-visit guide, including aftercare and parking, see PRP hair restoration for Arlington Heights men.
Your questions, answered
What happens if I stop PRP after the first course?
Density drifts back down. In one series, density had decreased at 6 and 12 months after treatment but stayed above baseline. Nothing drops off suddenly, but the hormonal process that thins the hair never stopped, so what you gained fades over months without a maintenance visit every three to six months.
Can I space PRP sessions further apart?
We’d recommend keeping the first three close together if you want the best result. A network meta-analysis found PRP worked better with more sessions and shorter gaps between them. Maintenance is where you can space things out: every three months in the first year on the published protocol, or every six months on the lighter schedule.
Does PRF change how many sessions I need?
It doesn’t. The PRF case series used three monthly sessions, the same as PRP. PRF is a slower-release version some clients add, and the evidence that it beats PRP for hair is early and unsettled.
When do I start maintenance?
Maintenance starts after your third session. On the published protocol the next visits are at months 6, 9, and 12. On the lighter schedule it’s a visit every six months. We’ll decide which suits you at the month-four check, based on how your scalp responded.