PRP, or platelet rich plasma, is a non surgical treatment for hair loss that uses your own blood to strengthen thinning hair and slow hair fall. A small sample of your blood is concentrated to gather its natural growth factors, which are then injected into thinning areas of the scalp to wake up weak follicles and improve the hair you still have. It works best when hair is thinning rather than fully gone.
Performed personally by Dr. Rajesh Vasu, plastic surgeon, at Apollo Hospitals, Financial District. Dr. Vasu holds an international fellowship in hair restoration from the Knudsen Clinic, Sydney, which is the training behind every assessment.
45 to 60 minutes
Topical numbing only
None, drive yourself home
3 to 6 months
PRP uses a small sample of your own blood. Nothing foreign, no medication. The blood is spun in a machine to separate and concentrate the platelets, which are rich in natural growth factors. This concentrate is then injected into thinning areas of your scalp. The growth factors improve blood supply to the follicles and push weak, miniaturising hair back into a healthier growth phase.
It is important to be clear about what PRP does and does not do. It strengthens hair that is thinning and supports follicles that have become weak. It cannot create new hair where the follicle is already dead and the scalp is fully bald. This is why PRP works best in the early to moderate stages of hair loss, and why an honest assessment of your scalp comes first.
The same growth factor concentrate is also used in skin treatments, sometimes called a vampire facial, where it is applied to the face rather than the scalp. That is a separate treatment with a separate purpose.
The single biggest factor in whether PRP works for you is how much hair you still have. PRP strengthens living follicles. It cannot revive dead ones. So the honest picture looks like this
Dr. Vasu examines your scalp, looks at your hair loss pattern, and tells you honestly whether PRP suits your case before any treatment is started. If your scalp tells him PRP will not work, he will say so.
The single biggest factor in whether PRP works for you is how much hair you still have. PRP strengthens living follicles. It cannot revive dead ones. So the honest picture looks like this
| PRP | Pure Growth Factors (PGF) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is made | Standard centrifuge spin separates and concentrates platelets from your blood. | An additional step further isolates and purifies the pure growth factors from the platelets. |
| Concentration | Good concentration of platelets and growth factors. | Higher concentration of pure growth factors, with the platelet cells removed. |
| Cost per session | Generally lower. | Generally higher, reflecting the more refined processing. |
| Evidence base | Larger and longer evidence base in published research. | Newer, with growing evidence. |
| Course length | Typically a course of sessions about a month apart. | Similar course pattern. |
| Comfort during session | Mild discomfort during scalp injections. | Mild discomfort during scalp injections. |
Can they be combined or alternated? Yes, and some patients do. The right choice depends on your scalp, your budget, and what Dr. Vasu finds on examination. Neither is a magic upgrade over the other, both rely on the same biology of your own body.
There is no cut, no stitches, and no recovery time. Most patients drive themselves home and return to work the same day.
Dr. Vasu reviews your scalp and confirms the areas to be treated. This is also when any questions you have are answered.
A small sample of your blood is taken from your arm, like a routine blood test. No more than what is needed for a standard health check.
Your blood is placed in a centrifuge that separates and concentrates the platelets and growth factors. The treatment area is gently cleansed and numbing applied.
The concentrated growth factors are injected into the thinning areas of your scalp using very fine needles. Most patients feel only mild pressure or pinching, not real pain.
A short rest, and you are free to leave. No dressings, no stitches, no recovery time. Drive yourself home, return to work the same day if you wish.
Most patients notice less hair coming out in the shower, on the pillow, and on the brush. This is often the first sign that PRP is working. The treated area may feel mildly tender for a day or two after each session.
Thinning areas may start looking slightly fuller. Some patients see new fine hair (called vellus hair) starting to grow in. The change is gentle, not dramatic. Continued sessions per the plan.
The main visible change happens in this window. Hair looks thicker, the parting often narrows, and patients tell us the hair feels stronger when handled. This is when before-and-after photographs typically capture the difference.
The course is reviewed and a maintenance schedule begins, typically a session every few months. This holds the result. Without maintenance, hair loss gradually continues since the underlying cause is still there.
Patients who maintain PRP regularly hold their hair density well. Combined with medication (if appropriate) and lifestyle support, the long-term result is meaningfully better than not treating at all.
PRP is not a one-time treatment. It works as a course of sessions to begin with, followed by occasional maintenance to hold the result. A typical plan looks like this.
Because PRP uses your own blood and nothing foreign, the risk of a reaction is very low. The common after-effects are minor and settle quickly.
Most patients describe PRP as more uncomfortable than painful. With numbing applied to the scalp before the injections, most patients feel mild pressure or pinching during the injection passes, not real pain. The most uncomfortable moments are usually around the central scalp where the skin is tightest, lasting a few seconds at a time.
Mild tenderness in the scalp for a day after is normal. Most patients are back to their routine the same evening, including normal sleep with no special pillow needed.
Compared to a hair transplant or any surgical procedure, PRP is significantly more comfortable. Compared to standard scalp dermatology procedures, it is broadly similar.
PRP is offered almost everywhere now, from salons to small clinics to chain hair restoration centres. The treatment is only as good as the assessment behind it and the hands giving it. Reading a scalp honestly, judging whether PRP will actually help or whether you would be wasting money, and placing the injections correctly, is the difference between a real result and a false promise.
Performed in a fully accredited tertiary care hospital with full anaesthesia support, sterile theatres, and advanced monitoring. The safety infrastructure that surgery of this length and depth calls for.
Performed personally by Dr. Vasu, with plastic surgery technique applied to every lift, deep-layer repositioning, hidden incisions, and the conservative judgement that produces a natural result, refined over 30 years.
Dr. Rajesh Vasu has 30+ years of clinical experience and 5,000+ procedures performed. He is a member of ISAPS, internationally trained in aesthetic surgery at one of Europe’s most respected institutes.
PRP hair treatment cost in Hyderabad depends mainly on three things: how many sessions your hair needs (more thinning usually means more sessions), whether you choose PRP or the more concentrated GFC (which costs more), and the size of the area being treated.
Dr. Vasu gives you a clear plan and the cost upfront, before anything begins. There are no hidden charges and no pressure to buy a package you do not need. If PRP is not the right treatment for your stage of hair loss, you will be told that honestly rather than sold sessions that will not help.
For NRI and international patients, PRP and GFC in Hyderabad deliver internationally trained expertise at a meaningful fraction of the cost of the same treatment abroad.
Real patients. Real repairs. All photographs published with written consent.
Patient 1 · Female, 34 3 months post
Patient 2 · Female, 34 3 months post
Patient 3 · Female, 34 3 months post
Individual results vary. Photographs are representative, not guaranteed outcomes. Consultation required to assess suitability.
For the right candidate, yes.If your hair is thinning but the follicles are still alive, PRP can meaningfully slow hair fall and strengthen what you have. If your scalp is already fully bald in large areas, PRP is not worth it, and an honest consultation will tell you so rather than take your money.
No treatment stops hair fall permanently because hair loss is an ongoing process driven by genetics and hormones. PRP slows the fall and strengthens existing hair while you continue treatment and maintenance. Stop entirely, and the underlying hair loss gradually continues.
It is usually not an either-or choice. PRP and minoxidil work in different ways and are often used together for a stronger combined result. Dr. Vasu advises the right combination for your hair after examining your scalp.
No. PRP strengthens and supports follicles that are still alive. Where the scalp is fully bald and smooth, the follicles are gone and PRP cannot bring them back. For those areas, a hair transplant is the honest option, and PRP can support the transplanted and surrounding hair.
PRP works as a course to begin with, typically a few sessions about a month apart, followed by occasional maintenance. The exact number depends on your hair and how it responds, which Dr. Vasu assesses as you go.
Most patients notice less hair fall within the first few weeks. Visible thickening usually begins around the three month mark, with fuller results assessed between three and six months. It is gradual by nature, following your hair’s growth cycle.
The scalp is numbed before the injections, so most patients feel only mild pressure or pinching rather than real pain. There is no cut and no stitches. Mild tenderness for a day afterwards is normal.
Yes. PRP is commonly used alongside hair transplant surgery to support the health of both the transplanted grafts and your existing hair. Dr. Vasu advises on timing if you are planning or have had a transplant.
Yes. PRP is used for both men and women with thinning hair. Female pattern thinning, where the hair gets finer and the parting widens, often responds well because the follicles are usually still alive. A consultation confirms whether it suits your pattern of hair loss.
Both use your own blood to deliver growth factors to the scalp. GFC is a newer, more refined step that isolates a higher concentration of pure growth factors and usually costs more. PRP has the larger research base. Dr. Vasu helps you choose what suits your hair and budget.
PRP loses its effectiveness once the follicles in the treated area have died completely, which is what makes the scalp look smooth and shiny. If you can still see fine hair on the area, even very thin, the follicles are likely alive and PRP may still help. Once those follicles are gone, only a hair transplant can restore hair in that area.
Side effects of PRP are typically mild and short-lived: redness, tenderness, slight swelling at injection sites, and occasionally a mild headache on the day of treatment. Because the treatment uses your own blood and nothing foreign, the risk of allergic reaction is very low.
If your hair is thinning and you are wondering whether PRP could help, the most useful first step is an honest assessment of your scalp. Dr. Vasu can tell you whether PRP suits your stage of hair loss, whether PRP or GFC makes more sense for you, what realistic results would look like, and how many sessions you would need. A short consultation at Apollo Hospitals, or virtually, is the simplest place to start. No pressure to proceed, just honest expert advice.