Is platelet rich plasma “PRP” a scam? Many hair transplant clinics promote platelet rich plasma as a means to regrow the hair you have lost. I have seen many patients in my office who have spent thousands of dollars on such treatments without any success. Naturally the patients are frustrated as to why their previous physician would promote and charge them for such treatments.

The fact is there are no double-blind controlled studies documenting the value of PRP in hair regrowth. It Is promoted by unscrupulous clinicians on the basis that PRP has a lot of growth factors and this should reinvigorate the hair follicles. While it is true that PRP has a lot of growth factors there is no evidence that injecting it into patients with male pattern baldness is of any benefit. The pseudoscience of PRP is exposed by the fact that centrifuging vials of blood will remove the red blood cells and the remainder is plasma. This simple process does not make the plasma rich in platelets so even calling it PRP is a misnomer. In androgenic alopecia the hair cells that have become miniaturized and eventually ceased to produce hair cannot be coaxed back into producing hair. Even if the plasma injected was rich in platelets. The loss of hair has been an ongoing process for many years and in fact, when patients have noticeable, visible hair loss they have already lost 50% of the follicles in that area. Injections of plasma are not going to do anything to reverse that situation. It will only lighten your pockets and enrich the unscrupulous clinician offering these treatments for male pattern baldness!!