Who Is a Good Candidate for Hair PRP?

PRP gives its best results when hair loss is recent or moderate and the follicles are still alive. If your hair has started thinning recently, you're probably in the right window. If some areas have been completely bare for years, PRP alone won't be enough.

Maybe you look in the mirror and wonder whether you should have acted sooner, or whether it's your fault. No. Hair loss affects anyone, at any age, for reasons that almost never come down to willpower. No guilt needed.

Here we explain what a good PRP candidate looks like, the situations where we advise against it, and why it's better to come in early.

Can PRP help you?

The stage: recent or moderate loss

The best results are seen when loss is recent or moderate.

Recent loss, less than two or three years:

• Follicles are still very responsive
• Miniaturization can still be reversed
• The response to treatment is quick

Moderate loss, at stages 1 to 3 on the Hamilton and Ludwig scales:

• An area is thinning, without outright baldness
• There are still viable follicles to stimulate
• You can hope to gain density
• You can slow what comes next

Why that window? PRP wakes dormant follicles and pushes back their miniaturization. So there need to be some left to wake.

What is a viable follicle?

• A follicle that's present but miniaturized, producing fine, fragile hair
• A root that's still active, just slowed down
• It can respond to growth factors
• It's visible on a scalp examination

Signs your follicles are still there:

• Vellus hair, small fine hairs, in the thinning areas
• Hair that grows but falls out quickly
• Areas that are thinner, but not completely bare
• A scalp that reacts to stress and to the seasons

Where PRP gives the best results:

• The frontal hairline receding
• The vertex, the crown, thinning
• The temples
• Diffuse loss in women

The typical profile

In men:

• Between 25 and 50, with a clear advantage before 45
• Stages 1 to 3 on the Hamilton-Norwood scale
• Early recession at the temples or crown
• Hair getting finer

In women:

• At any age, especially between 25 and 55
• Stages 1 to 2 on the Ludwig scale
• Diffuse loss, general thinning
• After childbirth, in perimenopause or after a stressful period

Does PRP work for women too?

Yes, as much as for men

People often think PRP is mostly for men. It suits women just as well, and they often respond very well.

Why:

• Loss is more often diffuse than localized
• Follicles are generally better preserved
• Shedding is often tied to reversible factors, like hormones or stress
• The response is often faster

For women, we first check iron, thyroid and hormones, because a follicle restarted without correcting the cause responds much less well. That's step 1 of our path for women.

From the first signs

What you notice:

• Hair getting finer
• Shedding of more than about a hundred hairs a day for more than three months
• A widening part, more visible scalp
• Less volume after washing
• More styling product for the same effect

What people close to you say:

• "Your hair looks thinner"
• "I can see more of your scalp"

What you live with:

• Confidence dropping because of your hair
• Hairstyles you avoid
• Photos you turn down
• A mirror that has become a worry

Should you wait until it's more visible before coming in? No. A follicle that disappears doesn't come back, so we advise coming in as soon as you notice a change.

Your general health matters too

Why

PRP uses your blood to restart your hair. The quality of your plasma therefore depends directly on your health.

Good-quality plasma contains:

• A good platelet concentration
• Active growth factors
• Nutrients
• Little of what disrupts all that

The ideal profile

• No chronic illness
• A balanced diet
• Decent sleep, 7 to 8 hours
• Regular physical activity
• No smoking
• Moderate alcohol
• Manageable stress

What each habit contributes:

• Diet gives plasma rich in nutrients
• Sleep allows growth hormone production
• Exercise improves circulation
• Not smoking oxygenates tissue better
• Managed stress spares hair the hormones that harm it

What if your habits aren't perfect?

We figured, and that's the case for most people. PRP can still help you even if:

• You have a few bad habits
• Your diet could be better
• You're going through a stressful period
• You're carrying a little extra weight
• You take medication that isn't contraindicated

You just need to be willing to improve your habits a little during treatment. Nobody expects perfection.

When PRP isn't recommended

Firm contraindications

On the blood side:

• A clotting disorder
• Thrombocytopenia, meaning too few platelets
• Blood cancer, leukemia or lymphoma
• Heavy anticoagulant treatment

On the physiological side:

• Pregnancy, at any stage
• Breastfeeding
• Fever or an active infection

On the skin side:

• Scalp infection
• Severe inflammation, such as active seborrheic dermatitis
• An open wound on the area to be treated

Situations assessed case by case

Chronic conditions: poorly controlled diabetes, active autoimmune disease, uncontrolled hypertension, severe liver disease.

Medication: light anticoagulants, long-term corticosteroids, certain psychiatric treatments, chemotherapy in progress.

Habits: heavy smoking, problem drinking, severe chronic stress.

These lists aren't meant to be read alone at home. The nurse goes through them with you, with your list of medications in hand.

When we refer you elsewhere

PRP isn't right if:

• Areas have been completely bare for several years
• There's no viable follicle left to wake
• Loss is at stage 6 or 7 on the Hamilton-Norwood scale
• The scalp is fibrosed or scarred

In those cases, we'll talk to you about:

• A hair transplant for the bare areas, with a medical referral
• PRP in support on the areas still covered
• Exosomes, if plasma quality is the issue

The cases where we hesitate

Past 50, with long-standing loss, a thorough assessment is needed. Results are slower, but they exist, often by combining approaches.

If you smoke heavily, PRP loses effectiveness. Exosomes become a better option, since they don't depend on the quality of your blood.

With a stable chronic condition, like mild controlled diabetes or treated hypertension, PRP is often possible. The medical assessment remains essential.

With unmanaged chronic stress, effectiveness is limited. Sometimes we'll advise you to postpone treatment and work on something else first.

What if PRP isn't right for you?

We'll tell you. We'd rather say no today than disappoint you in six months, and we'll explain where to turn:

• Exosomes, when plasma is the limiting factor
• Habit changes before starting, if they could change the result
• A transplant, for completely bare areas
• A combination, when one approach won't be enough

We won't point you toward finasteride or minoxidil. It's not our approach: we'd rather bet early on your own follicles than on a drug taken every day, for life.

Why come in early

What do you lose by waiting?

The longer you wait, the more you lose:

• Follicles, which disappear for good
• Areas PRP can no longer recover
• Confidence
• Treatment options

Acting early lets you:

• Get the most from the treatment
• Keep the hair you still have
• Slow what comes next
• Pay less, because the protocol is shorter

The right moment, for your situation

Right now, if:

• You notice a change
• People close to you mention it
• Your reflection is starting to bother you
• There's a family history

Without delay, if:

• Shedding is sudden and heavy
• Areas are thinning fast
• You're coming out of major stress or a hormonal change
• The thinning is accelerating

Your assessment

Your age, the type of loss, your health and your expectations all count. The whole picture determines whether PRP is right for you.

The scalp assessment includes the 3D skin analysis, at no charge, and ends with a clear answer: yes, no, or not yet. To place your case before coming in, start with our hair page.