AIR TRANSPLANTISTANBUL
PRP

PRP Hair Treatment

Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy injects a concentrate of your own blood platelets into the scalp to stimulate existing follicles. It's a non-surgical option, often used alongside a transplant rather than instead of one.

PRP Hair Treatment
Illustrative image for reference only; the person shown is a model, not a patient.

Cost

€150

Duration

30–45 minutes per session

Candidacy

Best suited to early-stage thinning with follicles that are still active, or as a supportive therapy alongside a transplant; it does not regrow hair where follicles are already gone.

Written by Sedef Özdemir · Content Specialist

Dr. Muhammet

Reviewed by Dr. Muhammet, Anatomist; Hair Transplant Specialist

Last medically reviewed: 21 August 2026

Source quality

Based primarily on clinical guidelines and peer-reviewed literature. Commercial sources are used only for labelled price observations. Where the evidence is limited or outcomes vary by individual, we say so in the text rather than stating a single number.

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Does PRP actually work?

This is the question most people want answered before anything else, so it’s worth answering directly before getting into mechanism. For the right candidate, early-stage thinning where follicles are miniaturising but still biologically active, the evidence points to yes, PRP can meaningfully slow shedding and improve density, though not dramatically and not for everyone. It works by acting on follicles that already exist; it cannot reactivate a follicle that’s already stopped producing hair entirely. Whether it’s worth doing for a specific case depends on how early the thinning is and what the patient is actually trying to achieve, which is why this is a conversation, not a default add-on.

What PRP actually is

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy involves drawing a small sample of the patient’s own blood, spinning it in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, and injecting that concentrate into the scalp. Platelets contain growth factors, most notably platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), thought to act on the follicle’s dermal papilla (the structure that regulates hair growth cycling) to improve local blood supply and extend the active growth phase of follicles that are still alive but miniaturising.

It’s a non-surgical treatment: no grafts are moved, and no incisions are made. It doesn’t add new follicles to the scalp; it aims to improve the function of follicles that are already there but shrinking.

Preparation protocol and why it varies between clinics

Not all PRP is prepared the same way, and the differences matter more than marketing often suggests. Centrifugation speed and duration determine the final platelet concentration, typically targeted at roughly three to five times baseline blood concentration, and also determine whether white blood cells are retained in the final preparation (leukocyte-rich PRP) or spun out (leukocyte-poor PRP), a distinction some researchers believe affects the balance between growth stimulation and inflammation. Some protocols also activate the sample with an agent such as calcium chloride before injection, intended to trigger earlier growth-factor release. None of this is standardised across the industry, which is a genuine limitation when comparing “PRP” results between different providers or different published studies, they aren’t always describing the same preparation.

Walking through a session, step by step

  1. Blood draw. A small sample of your own blood is taken, much like a routine blood test, usually from the arm.
  2. Centrifugation, while you wait. The sample is spun in a centrifuge for several minutes to separate and concentrate the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood. The speed and duration of this spin is what determines the final platelet concentration and leukocyte content, so this brief waiting period is doing real clinical work, not just processing time.
  3. A numbing cream, if you’d like one. Some clinics apply a topical anaesthetic to the scalp beforehand, since the injections themselves are the only uncomfortable part of the appointment.
  4. Scalp injection. The concentrated plasma is injected into the scalp across the thinning areas, typically at a shallow subdermal depth, using a fine needle across multiple closely spaced points to distribute the growth factors evenly rather than pooling them in one spot.
  5. You leave the same day, no real downtime. The whole appointment, including the wait for centrifugation, usually takes well under an hour, and most patients go straight back to normal activity afterward.

What results look like, month by month

Because PRP works gradually on follicles that are still alive rather than doing anything immediate, the timeline is slower than patients often expect. In the first few weeks after a session, mild scalp tenderness or redness at injection points is normal and settles quickly; visible hair changes aren’t expected yet. Around month 3, a 3-month photo typically shows little to no dramatic difference, at most, some patients notice reduced shedding or slightly finer new growth. The more visible effect of a full course usually appears around month 4 to 6, once the second or third session in the protocol has had time to act. This is a meaningfully slower and gentler timeline than a transplant’s growth cycle, which is worth knowing before judging whether “it’s working” too early.

What the evidence actually supports

It’s worth being direct about this: PRP has moderate clinical evidence behind it for early-stage androgenetic (pattern) hair loss, not the strong evidence base of an established surgical technique. A meaningful part of the difficulty in interpreting that evidence is the protocol variation described above: trial sample sizes tend to be small, and preparation methods differ enough between studies that pooling their results into a single confident conclusion is genuinely difficult. Results depend on the concentration protocol, the number of sessions, and individual biology, and not every patient responds the same way. It is a reasonable option to slow thinning or support a transplant, but it should not be marketed or understood as a guaranteed fix, and it will not restore hair to areas with no active follicles left.

Typical cost in Istanbul

A single PRP session in Istanbul typically costs €150 to €300, with most clinics recommending a course of three to four sessions. Combined with a hair transplant, PRP is sometimes offered as part of a package rather than priced separately; ask for an itemised breakdown so you know exactly what you’re paying for.

Who it suits

PRP tends to make the most sense for:

  • Early-stage thinning where follicles are miniaturising but still active
  • Patients wanting to slow further loss alongside medical treatments (like minoxidil or finasteride)
  • Support alongside a transplant, to help the surrounding native hair

It is not a substitute for a transplant in areas with established, stable baldness, since there are no follicles left there to stimulate.

Recovery

There is essentially no downtime. Mild redness or tenderness at injection points typically resolves within a day or two, and most patients return to normal activity immediately.

Frequently asked questions

Does PRP regrow hair on a fully bald scalp?

No. PRP stimulates follicles that are miniaturised but still alive; it cannot produce new growth where follicles have already been lost entirely. That's why it's typically used for early thinning or as a supplement to a transplant, not as a stand-alone fix for advanced baldness.

How many sessions are needed?

A typical protocol is a course of three to four sessions spaced four to six weeks apart, followed by maintenance sessions roughly every six to twelve months to sustain the effect.

What does the evidence actually show?

Clinical studies show moderate evidence for PRP improving hair density in early androgenetic alopecia, but results vary between patients and protocols aren't fully standardised. It's a reasonable adjunct treatment, not a guaranteed fix, and it's worth discussing realistic expectations before starting a course.

What's actually in the injection?

A concentrate of the patient's own platelets, typically aiming for roughly three to five times the platelet concentration of normal blood, suspended in a small volume of their own plasma. Platelets release growth factors including PDGF, VEGF, EGF, and TGF-beta, which are thought to act on the follicle's dermal papilla to extend the active growth (anagen) phase and improve local blood supply, rather than creating any new biological structure.

Is there a difference between PRP protocols used by different clinics?

Yes, and it's one of the harder things for a patient to verify from outside. Protocols vary by centrifugation speed and time (which affects platelet concentration and whether white blood cells are included, so-called leukocyte-rich versus leukocyte-poor PRP), whether the sample is activated with an agent like calcium chloride before injection, and injection depth and spacing across the scalp. This variation is part of why cross-study comparisons of PRP evidence are difficult, different trials are often not really testing the same preparation.

Is PRP sometimes combined with microneedling?

Yes, some protocols pair PRP injections with microneedling (creating controlled micro-injuries with fine needles) on the theory that the additional, separate wound-healing response may improve how well the growth factors are taken up locally. Evidence for the combination specifically is even less standardised than for PRP alone, so it's worth asking what protocol a clinic actually follows rather than assuming more steps means more effective.

What's a realistic success rate for PRP?

There's no single agreed figure, and be wary of any clinic quoting one precisely, since study protocols vary too much to produce a clean industry-wide number. What the evidence more consistently shows is a meaningful minority-to-majority of appropriately selected patients (early-stage thinning, still-active follicles) seeing a measurable increase in hair density or reduced shedding, rather than universal, dramatic regrowth. It's realistic to expect a visible improvement in a good candidate, not guaranteed thickness comparable to a transplant.

What do results actually look like at 3 months?

Three months is early. Growth factors act gradually on existing follicles rather than producing an immediate change, so a 3-month photo typically shows, at most, early signs like reduced shedding or slightly finer new growth, not a dramatic density difference. Most protocols expect the more visible effect of a full course to show around month 4–6, after the second or third session has had time to act.

Related reading

How the procedure actually worksAm I a suitable candidate?See the full cost guide