What is PRP treatment for hair loss?

PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatment for hair loss uses your body's own natural growth factors to revive thinning hair, strengthen follicles and boost new growth. The London PRP Clinic offers doctor-led PRP treatments for hair, scalp, and beard growth with proven results.

Does PRP work for beard growth?

Yes, PRP beard growth treatment is highly effective for filling patchy areas, enhancing beard density, and promoting thicker facial hair. Our doctor-led PRP beard treatment at £395 per session uses platelet-rich plasma to stimulate dormant hair follicles in the beard area.

How much does PRP treatment cost in London?

PRP treatment prices at The London PRP Clinic range from £395 for PRP Hair Signature or Beard PRP single sessions, to £545 for comprehensive treatments. We offer package discounts - for example, 3 PRP Hair sessions cost £1,085 (save £100).

What PRP services are available at The London PRP Clinic?

We offer PRP treatments for hair loss, beard growth, facial rejuvenation, under-eye treatment, knee joint pain, and scalp health. All treatments are doctor-led and evidence-based, delivered at our Marylebone, Canary Wharf, and Belgravia London locations.

How much does PRP cost for hair loss in London?

At The London PRP Clinic, PRP hair treatment costs £545 per session including Viviscal™ supplements and organic oils. Most patients need 3-4 initial sessions (package available at £1,500, saving £135). ExoRevive exosome treatment is £445 per session.

Does PRP really work for hair loss?

Yes, clinical studies show PRP is 70-90% effective for androgenetic alopecia. At our clinic, 87% of patients report significant improvement with an average 32% increase in hair density after 3-4 sessions. Results are best for Norwood stages 1-4.

What's better PRP or hair transplant?

PRP is ideal for early-stage hair loss (Norwood 1-4): non-surgical, no downtime, £545 per session. Hair transplants suit advanced loss (Norwood 5-7): permanent but surgical, 2-week recovery, £3,000-15,000. Many combine both for optimal results - PRP strengthens existing hair and enhances transplant survival.

How long do PRP results last?

PRP results typically last 12-18 months with proper maintenance. After initial 3-4 sessions, maintenance treatments every 6 months sustain results. Some patients using our combined protocol (PRP + supplements) report results lasting up to 2 years.

Is PRP painful for hair?

PRP involves minimal discomfort. We use topical numbing cream 30 minutes before treatment. Most patients rate pain as 2-3/10, describing it as 'mild pinching.' The entire procedure takes 60 minutes with no downtime - you can return to work immediately.

Can I wash my hair after PRP?

Wait 24 hours before washing your hair after PRP. Use lukewarm water and gentle shampoo for the first wash. Avoid swimming pools, saunas, and intense exercise for 48 hours. We provide detailed aftercare instructions and organic hair oil for optimal healing.

What are the newest hair loss treatments in 2025?

The newest effective hair loss treatments in 2025 include low-dose oral minoxidil (2.5-5mg daily), topical finasteride (0.25%), platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, and low-level laser therapy devices. Emerging treatments like JAK inhibitors and topical androgen receptor antagonists are showing promising results in clinical trials.

Does oral minoxidil work for hair loss?

Yes, low-dose oral minoxidil (2.5-5mg daily) has proven highly effective for both male and female pattern hair loss. Studies show it's particularly effective for overall thinning, with manageable side effects primarily limited to mild hypertrichosis (extra hair growth).

Is PRP effective for hair restoration?

Yes, PRP therapy has demonstrated significant improvement in hair count and thickness in clinical trials. Most patients see noticeable results after 3-4 sessions, using the body's own growth factors to stimulate dormant hair follicles.

What's the best hair loss treatment in London?

The best hair loss treatment depends on your specific condition, but combination therapy often yields optimal results. The London PRP Clinic offers personalised treatment plans combining PRP therapy with other evidence-based treatments. Book a free consultation to determine the best approach for your hair loss pattern.

How much does PRP hair treatment cost in London?

PRP hair treatment costs vary based on the number of sessions needed. The London PRP Clinic offers competitive pricing with free initial consultations. Contact us via WhatsApp for a personalised quote based on your specific treatment needs.

Does PRP Work for Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain

12 Sept

Written By Guest User

For plantar fasciitis that has lasted more than 3 months, PRP gives better pain and function than a steroid injection at 3 and 6 months across 24 randomised trials, with no difference at 1 month or 12 months. Steroid works faster and fades. Neither replaces stretching, load management and footwear, and not all heel pain is plantar fasciitis.

Key points

A 2025 meta-analysis in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of 24 randomisedtrials and 1,653 participants found PRP gave significantly better pain scores than corticosteroid at 3 and 6months, with no significant difference at 1 month or 12 months, and better American Orthopaedic Footand Ankle Society scores at 3 and 6 months.
A 2017 meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials and 430 patients found no difference between PRP andcorticosteroid at 4 and 12 weeks, and PRP more effective at 24 weeks.
A Cochrane review found no long-term benefit of corticosteroid injection over placebo at 6 months, andrepeated steroid injections into the plantar fascia carry a recognised risk of rupture and fat pad thinning.
A 2023 randomised trial in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found PRP reduced plantar fascia thickness onultrasound from 4.58 to 3.53 mm at 6 months compared with steroid, alongside better pain and functionscores.

If you have heel pain that has not settled with stretching and rest, message us on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com and a doctor will look at your history before recommending anything.

What plantar fasciitis actually is, and why the name misleads

The plantar fascia is a thick band running from the heel bone to the toes that supports the arch. Plantarfasciitis is pain where it attaches to the heel, classically worst with the first steps in the morning or after sitting,easing with movement and returning after long standing. The suffix suggests inflammation, but biopsy andimaging studies show a degenerative process in the fascia, thickening and disorganisation rather than acuteinflammation, which is why many clinicians now call it plantar fasciosis.

That distinction explains the injection evidence. An anti-inflammatory steroid gives fast relief because itnumbs a sensitised attachment, and then the relief fades because the underlying degeneration is unchanged.A treatment that aims to change the tissue takes longer and, where it works, lasts longer. Risk factors areweight, reduced ankle flexibility, prolonged standing on hard floors, and a sudden increase in walking orrunning load. Most cases settle within 12 months with conservative treatment alone, which is the context forevery injection decision that follows.

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What the trials show against steroid

The largest synthesis is the 2025 meta-analysis in the American Journal of Physical Medicine andRehabilitation, which pooled 24 randomised trials and 1,653 participants comparing PRP with corticosteroidinjection. On pain, PRP was significantly better at 3 months and at 6 months, with no significant difference at 1month or at 12 months. On the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society function score, PRP wassuperior at 3 and 6 months. The authors concluded PRP offers better pain control in the medium term but notthe short term or at 1 year.

That pattern is consistent across the literature. A 2017 meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials and 430 patientsfound no difference at 4 and 12 weeks and a PRP advantage at 24 weeks. A 2020 meta-analysis of 21randomised trials and 1,356 patients found lower pain scores with PRP at 6 and 12 months and no differenceat 1 and 3 months. A 2023 randomised trial in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found PRP gave better pain andfunction at 6 months and reduced fascia thickness on ultrasound from 4.58 to 3.53 mm, a structural changesteroid did not produce.

The honest limit is the 12-month picture. In the largest analysis the two treatments were level at a year, whichfits a condition that mostly settles on its own. PRP appears to shorten the middle of that year rather thanchange its end.

Send us your heel pain history on WhatsApp and a doctor will tell you whether your timeline matches thepatients who benefited.

Why a steroid injection is not the easy answer

A steroid injection into the heel is cheap, fast and widely available on the NHS, and for a patient who needs toget through the next 6 weeks it is reasonable. The evidence against it is longer term. A Cochrane review foundno benefit of corticosteroid over placebo at 6 months. Steroid also carries structural risks specific to this site.Repeated injections into the plantar fascia are associated with rupture of the fascia and thinning of the heel fatpad, both of which cause a different and harder to treat heel pain. Most guidelines limit steroid injections hereto 1 or 2, and a 2012 randomised trial in the BMJ showed that ultrasound guidance improves the result of thesteroid injection itself, which is a reason to decline any heel injection done by feel.

The case for PRP is the patient who has done 3 months of proper conservative treatment, has a confirmedthickened fascia on ultrasound, has had a steroid injection that faded or wants to avoid one, and wants atreatment with a better 6-month record. It is not the first thing to do, and a clinic offering it before stretchingand footwear have been tried has skipped the treatment with the strongest evidence.

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What comes before any injection

First-line treatment for plantar fasciitis is not an injection, and the trials that favour PRP gave both groups thesame conservative programme. Calf and plantar fascia stretching, done several times a day, addresses thereduced ankle flexibility that drives the condition. Supportive footwear with a firm heel and arch, and avoidingflat shoes and barefoot walking on hard floors, reduces load on the attachment. Weight reduction whererelevant changes the force through the fascia with every step. Night splints, taping and heel cups help somepatients. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is supported by NICE interventional procedures guidance forrefractory cases and is a reasonable step before or alongside an injection.

The usual reason a heel that should have settled has not is that the programme was done for 2 weeks ratherthan 3 months, or the shoes did not change. A doctor here will ask about that before offering anything else,because an injection into a heel that is still being overloaded every day treats the symptom and leaves thecause.

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A heel pain self-check before any injection

Not all heel pain is plantar fasciitis, and PRP into the wrong structure is money wasted. This does not replacean examination, but it tells you which conversation to have.

Pain under the heel, worst with the first steps in the morning or after sitting, easing as you walk andreturning after long standing. That is the classic plantar fasciitis pattern, and the one the PRP trialsstudied.
Pain in the centre of the heel pad that is worse walking barefoot on hard floors and feels like bruising, withno morning pattern. That fits fat pad atrophy, which steroid makes worse and PRP does not treat.
Burning, tingling or numbness spreading into the sole or the inner ankle. That suggests a nerve, eitherBaxter’s nerve at the heel or tarsal tunnel at the ankle, and needs a different assessment.
Pain at the back of the heel where the Achilles attaches, worse going up stairs or on tiptoe. That is Achillesinsertion, not the plantar fascia.
Heel pain after a sudden increase in running or walking, worse with every step, tender to squeeze the heelfrom both sides, with swelling. That can be a stress fracture and needs imaging before any injection.
Heel pain with fever, redness, or in a child or teenager. Those need a doctor promptly and not an injectionclinic.

Our doctors put it this way. PRP earns its place in the heel that has done 3 months of the boring work andstill hurts. Before that, the boring work is the treatment, and no injection replaces new shoes.

Message us on WhatsApp with how long the heel has hurt, what you have tried, and any imaging, and adoctor will give you a straight answer.

What PRP does not do for the heel

PRP does not help fat pad atrophy, nerve entrapment, Achilles insertion pain or a stress fracture, and a doctorshould exclude those before injecting. At 12 months it is no better than steroid in the largest analysis, so itchanges the middle of the recovery rather than its end. It does not remove the need for stretching, footwearand load management, and the trials that favour it gave both groups that programme. It is not routinelycommissioned by the NHS for plantar fasciitis and private medical insurance rarely covers it. The injectionitself is uncomfortable, since the fascia is sensitive and the heel is tight, and the heel is often sore for severaldays afterwards.

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What heel PRP costs in London

Specialist central London clinics commonly charge from around £780 to £900 or more per image guidedtendon or joint PRP injection including assessment, with a course of 2 to 3 taking a plan past £2,000, thoughmost plantar fasciitis trials used a single injection. Image guided steroid injections in central London arecommonly quoted between £250 and £475. Outside central London PRP is advertised from around £250 to£500, often without an ultrasound to confirm the fascia is the problem, which for a heel is the step thatseparates a treatable fascia from a nerve or a fat pad.

The reframing that matters is that most plantar fasciitis settles within a year with conservative care. What PRPbuys, where it works, is a shorter middle of that year. For someone standing all day or unable to run, that hasreal value. For someone whose heel has hurt for 6 weeks, it is a purchase made too early.

Care at The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness is doctor-led and priced below flagship central London rates,with your exact figure confirmed at the free suitability review once a doctor has confirmed the diagnosis onultrasound.

Ask about the cost for your heel on WhatsApp and we will explain what the review covers.

The free suitability review

Every enquiry here starts with a free, doctor-led suitability review rather than a booking. A GMC-registereddoctor assesses you and gives one of two answers. Either you are approved for treatment, with a clear planand realistic expectations for your heel, or you are not approved, with an honest explanation of what wouldserve you better, whether that is a proper 3-month conservative programme, shockwave, a single guidedsteroid injection, or imaging to look for something other than the fascia.

We decline a meaningful share of the people who enquire. For heel pain that share is high, because most ofthe people who ask have not yet done the treatment with the best evidence.

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Why people choose The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness

An 87 percent patient success rate across treatments.
More than 187 five star reviews.
Every treatment performed by a GMC-registered doctor.
100 supervised treatments completed by every clinician before they treat a patient here unsupervised.
A 32 percent average density increase reported in our hair restoration programme.

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Frequently asked questions

Does PRP work for plantar fasciitis

Across 24 randomised trials and 1,653 participants, PRP gave better pain and function than a steroid injectionat 3 and 6 months, with no difference at 1 month or 12 months. It works for chronic cases that have failed 3months of conservative treatment, and it is not a first-line option.

Is PRP better than a cortisone injection for heel pain

Cortisone works faster, with no difference in the first month. PRP is better at 3 and 6 months, and the two arelevel at 12 months. Cortisone carries a risk of fascia rupture and fat pad thinning with repeated use, which PRPdoes not.

How many PRP injections do you need for plantar fasciitis

Most trials used a single ultrasound-guided injection into the thickened fascia, with the same stretching andfootwear programme as the comparison group. A course of 2 or 3 is rarely supported by the plantar fasciitisevidence and should follow a doctor’s assessment, not a package.

How long does PRP take to work for plantar fasciitis

Slower than steroid. Trials show no advantage at 1 month, a clear advantage by 3 months and the largestdifference at 6 months. The heel is often sore for several days after the injection, and stretching and footwearchanges continue throughout.

What should I try before PRP for heel pain

At least 3 months of calf and plantar fascia stretching several times daily, supportive footwear with a firm heel,avoiding barefoot walking on hard floors, weight reduction where relevant, and shockwave therapy, which NICEguidance supports for refractory cases. Most plantar fasciitis settles within a year on this alone.

Is PRP for plantar fasciitis available on the NHS

PRP is not routinely commissioned by the NHS for plantar fasciitis or other tendon and fascia conditions, andprivate medical insurance rarely covers it. Steroid injections, physiotherapy and in some areas shockwave areavailable on the NHS. Almost all PRP is self-pay.

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References

American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2025. Platelet-rich plasma versuscorticosteroids in the treatment of plantar fasciitis, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 24randomised trials. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39778212/
American Family Physician, 2021, summarising the 2017 meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials and the2019 review of corticosteroid versus PRP for plantar fasciitis.https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0301/p307.html
Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 2020. Platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroids in the treatment ofchronic plantar fasciitis, a meta-analysis of 21 randomised trials.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1067251619303953
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2023. Sharma et al. Effect of platelet-rich plasma versus steroid injectionin plantar fasciitis, a randomised clinical trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9989576/
Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020. Platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroids for plantarfasciitis, a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, citing the Cochrane finding of no long-termcorticosteroid benefit at 6 months. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7222276/
Central London clinic price lists for image guided PRP and steroid injections, accessed September 2026.

This article is for general information and does not replace a medical assessment. Speak to one of our doctorsbefore deciding whether PRP is right for your heel.

Reviewed by [GMC-REGISTERED DOCTOR NAME, GMC NUMBER TO CONFIRM], The London PRP Clinic byThe Wellness. Last updated September 2026.

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