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PRP hair restoration for Arlington Heights men: what happens, visit by visit
PRP hair restoration at our Arlington Heights office starts with three visits, four to six weeks apart. Each takes 45 to 60 minutes: a blood draw, a spin in the centrifuge, numbing, and injections across the thinning area. After that, you’ll come in for a maintenance visit every three to six months. The first thing you’ll notice is slower shedding, and density changes show up after month three.
Visit one: consult first, then treatment
The first visit starts with a look at where the thinning is (crown, temples, hairline), how long it’s been going on, and what you’re already using. If a doctor has you on minoxidil or finasteride, please keep taking it. We don’t prescribe either one, and PRP doesn’t replace them. PRP doesn’t block the hormone that drives pattern hair loss, so it works as an add-on: PRP plus minoxidil beat either one alone in a meta-analysis of six studies, per Xiao and colleagues in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Next is the blood draw, a few tubes from your arm. The tubes spin for 10 to 15 minutes while numbing cream goes on your scalp. What comes out is your own plasma with the platelets concentrated. It’s not a drug, and no PRP product is FDA-approved for hair loss. The only FDA-approved treatments for pattern hair loss are finasteride and minoxidil, per Stevens and Khetarpal’s review in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology.
The injections take 15 to 20 minutes, using a fine needle across the thinning area. You’ll feel pressure and a sting with each one, and any pinpoint bleeding stops before you leave the room. Door to door, plan on about 45 to 60 minutes. The full protocol is on our PRP hair restoration page.
Microneedling with PRP uses the same blood draw on the face to treat acne scars and sun damage, and you can ask about it at your visit.
After your visit: what to expect the next two days
Your scalp will feel tight and tender, which is normal. A clean, loose cap is fine on the way out. You’ll be parked in the free lot right outside the building, with no meters and no garage.
Wait until the next morning to wash your hair. It’s best to avoid hair dye or harsh products for a few days, and to avoid heavy sweating or swimming for 24 to 48 hours, so plan to skip the gym for two days. Skip ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatories around the visit if the nurse agrees, since they can blunt platelet function. And keep taking your minoxidil or finasteride as usual.
Days 1 to 3 can bring soreness, a bit of swelling, and in some men small bruises at the injection sites. A first-day headache can happen too, per RealSelf, patient-reported. By day 3, most men feel back to normal.
Booking a Thursday or Friday afternoon puts the no-wash night and the two days without the gym on the weekend. We’re open 10 to 6, Monday through Friday.
Visits two and three, and what you’ll notice
Visits two and three are the same routine, at weeks 4 to 6 and weeks 8 to 12. Keeping them on schedule matters. A network meta-analysis found results improved with more sessions and shorter gaps between them, per Gupta and Bamimore in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
At the third visit the nurse may suggest adding PRF, which is PRP spun slower and without an anticoagulant so it sets into a gel that releases growth factors over days instead of hours. The head-to-head evidence for hair is early and doesn’t show PRF beats PRP, per Shrestha and colleagues’ 2024 review. If you’d like the longer version, it’s in PRP vs PRF for hair.
The first sign of progress is usually less hair in the shower drain. Density changes were “most commonly reported after the third month” in the reviewed trials, and RealSelf members are told to allow four months. We judge the change at month six.
The evidence supports a modest improvement. A 2023 systematic review of 27 controlled trials found PRP increased hair density by a mean of 25.6 hairs per square centimeter over saline, and rated the evidence low quality, per Cruciani and colleagues in Blood Transfusion. So the realistic goal is more density in thinning areas, not regrowth. Individual results vary.
A PRP hair course at Arlington Heights, visit by visit
- Visit 1 Consult, blood draw, spin, numbing, injections, about an hour
- Weeks 4 to 6 Visit 2, same routine
- Weeks 8 to 12 Visit 3, PRF add-on if the nurse recommends it
- Month 4 Density shifts start to show after month three
- Month 6 Judge the change, then a maintenance visit
- Months 9 to 12 Maintenance every three to six months
Maintenance, and how long your results hold
PRP doesn’t stop the process thinning your hair, so what you gain drifts back without upkeep. In one series, density “decreased at 6 and 12 months post-treatment but remained above baseline,” which is why maintenance visits are part of the plan. The protocol Stevens and Khetarpal proposed from the trials is monthly for the first three months, then every three months through the first year. Three monthly sessions followed by a visit every six months has also worked. Either way, that’s four to six visits in year one. The schedule is laid out in how many PRP treatments you need for hair.
Who PRP hair restoration is for, and when another option is better
PRP is a good fit if you have early to moderate pattern thinning with follicles still there, ideally while you’re already on minoxidil or finasteride. A fully bald, shiny area has no follicles for PRP to work on, and that’s a transplant conversation, so we’d refer you to a hair transplant specialist. Scarring hair loss, a scalp infection, platelet or clotting disorders, active cancer, blood thinners that can’t be paused, and severe anemia are reasons we don’t treat. If your thinning comes from a thyroid problem, low iron, or a medication, the cause needs to be treated first, so we’d recommend seeing your doctor.
We’re on the east side of Arlington Heights Road, about 200 yards south of Dundee Road, a block and a half south of Buffalo Grove High School, in the single-story brown brick building, Suite C, not the wellness studio at the front of the complex. Buffalo Grove is next door, and Palatine, Wheeling, and Schaumburg are close by too. You’ll find directions and parking on our Arlington Heights office page.
Your questions, answered
Can I go back to work after PRP for hair?
Yes, you can go back the same day. Your scalp will be tender, and the pinpoint bleeding stops before you leave the room. RealSelf members report no downtime. Skip the gym for two days and wait until the next morning to wash your hair.
Can I wear a hat after PRP?
Yes. A clean, loose cap is fine on the way out. Keep it loose while the scalp is tender, and go easy with anything that rubs the injection sites.
Do you honor a Groupon voucher for PRP?
Yes, we honor existing vouchers. A voucher usually covers one session, and one session isn’t a full course. The trials that showed a difference used a series, and the more sessions with shorter gaps, the better the results. At your first visit, we’ll go over the schedule and the cost of the remaining sessions. Affirm, Afterpay, and Klarna can help spread it out.
Do you treat women's hair loss too?
Yes. PRP treats pattern thinning in women as well as men, most often widening at the part line. A network meta-analysis found PRP worked better in women and in younger patients. Shedding after a pregnancy or an illness is a different problem, so we’d assess it at a consult before treating it.