What happens in a session
A nurse or doctor takes a small tube of blood from your arm, as for a blood test. A centrifuge separates the platelet-rich part, which is injected in small amounts across the thinning area. It takes 45 minutes to an hour. The scalp is tender for a day or two. Most people go straight back to work.
How many sessions
The usual plan is one session a month for three or four months, then a top-up every six months or so if it helped. A four-session course costs from about €1,200. Ask whether the price is per session or per course before you compare clinics.
What the evidence says
Trials of PRP for pattern hair loss are small, and clinics prepare it in different ways, so results vary. Several trials show a modest rise in hair count and thickness over three to six months; others show little. It is not one of the treatments the HSE lists for hair loss. It suits early thinning more than bare scalp: it can't wake a follicle that has gone.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
It's offered to men and women with early pattern hair loss, often alongside minoxidil or finasteride. It isn't suitable if you have a blood or platelet disorder, take blood thinners, have an infection on the scalp or are pregnant. A doctor should check that first.
PRP alongside other treatment
Clinics rarely offer PRP by itself for pattern hair loss. The usual plan pairs it with minoxidil, with finasteride for men, or with a transplant, where some surgeons use it to help grafts settle. If you start two things at once you won't know which one worked, so ask the clinic how they will tell.
PRP is sometimes sold next to exosome or polynucleotide injections (€275 to €399 a session). Those are newer still, with very little evidence in hair loss so far.
Questions to ask the clinic
- Who takes the blood and gives the injections, and what is their registration?
- What system do you use to prepare it?
- How will you measure the result: photos, hair counts?
- At what point would you tell me it isn't working?
Hair loss is never an emergency sale. If a clinic pushes you to pay a deposit on the day, walk away and take your time.
Questions people ask
How much is PRP for hair in Ireland?
€225 to €400 a session in our price guide, and from about €1,200 for a course of four.
Does PRP hurt?
The injections sting. Clinics use numbing cream or cooling, and the scalp is tender for a day or two.
How long does PRP last?
Where it works, the gain fades over six to twelve months without top-ups.
Is PRP better than minoxidil?
No. Minoxidil has far more evidence and costs far less. PRP is an add-on, not a replacement.
How many PRP sessions do I need?
Usually three or four, a month apart, then a review. If there is no change by then, more sessions are unlikely to help.