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 Runners and Athletes. Achilles,Jumper’s Knee and Ligaments

12 Sept

Written By Guest User

Less often than the marketing suggests. A 240-patient UK trial in JAMA found PRP no better than sham forAchilles tendinopathy, a trial in athletes found it no better than saline for jumper’s knee, and 16 trials found it added nothing to ACL reconstruction. It earns its place in tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis and some cuff problems.

Key points

The 2021 ATM trial in JAMA, run across 24 UK sites, randomised 240 adults with midportion Achillestendinopathy of more than 3 months to a single PRP injection or a sham needle and found no significantdifference in the VISA-A score at 6 months. Around 150,000 people a year in the UK experience thiscondition.
A 2019 randomised trial in the American Journal of Sports Medicine gave 57 athletes with patellartendinopathy ultrasound-guided leukocyte-rich PRP, leukocyte-poor PRP or saline, all followed by 6weeks of supervised loading. By 12 weeks 58 percent had improved with no difference between groups,and the leukocyte-rich group did worst.
A systematic review of 16 randomised trials and 1,025 patients found PRP added nothing to function,laxity, motion or pain when used with ACL reconstruction.
Where the evidence is positive it is in tendons compared against steroid. A 2025 meta-analysis of 26 trialsand 1,877 tennis elbow patients found PRP better beyond 6 months, and a 2025 meta-analysis of 24 trialsand 1,653 plantar fasciitis patients found it better at 3 and 6 months.

If you are an athlete weighing up PRP, message us on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com and a doctor will tell you which of these your injury is before anyone talks about injections.

Why athletes are sold PRP harder than anyone

PRP arrived in sports medicine through professional athletes, and the association has stuck. The logic soundsright. Growth factors from your own blood, injected into a tendon that will not heal, in a patient who ismotivated and otherwise healthy. The problem is that the athlete is also the patient most likely to improve withtime and a good loading programme, which is exactly the effect that a placebo-controlled trial strips out andan unblinded case series does not.

The result is a literature with many positive small studies and few positive large blinded ones. That gap is thereason this article exists. Athletes are also the group most likely to have an injection done quickly, withoutimaging, in the middle of a season, and then to keep training through the window when the tendon needsrelative rest. Every one of those choices lowers the odds of success before the biology has a chance.

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The Achilles evidence is negative, and it is British

Midportion Achilles tendinopathy is the commonest tendon problem in runners, and around 150,000 people ayear in the UK experience it. The best trial of PRP for it is the ATM trial, published in JAMA in July 2021 and runby the University of Warwick across 24 UK sites. It randomised 240 adults with painful midportion Achillestendinopathy confirmed on ultrasound or MRI and lasting more than 3 months to a single injection of PRP intothe tendon or a sham injection, a subcutaneous dry needle that did not enter the tendon. The primary outcomewas the VISA-A score at 6 months, a composite of pain, function and activity, with a minimal clinicallyimportant difference of 12 points.

There was no significant difference between PRP and sham at 6 months. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery pooled the placebo-controlled Achilles trials, including a2011 double-blind trial and a 2017 three-arm trial in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, and the patternacross them is the same. For the runner with a thickened, painful midportion Achilles, the treatment withevidence is a progressive loading programme over 12 weeks, and a clinic offering PRP first should be askedwhy it is ignoring the largest trial in the field.

Send your Achilles scan report on WhatsApp and a doctor will tell you where the evidence does and doesnot support an injection.

Jumper’s knee and the tendons that respond to loading

Patellar tendinopathy, jumper’s knee, is the other tendon athletes are most often offered PRP for. The best trialis from 2019 in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. It enrolled 57 athletes with symptoms for more than6 months despite physiotherapy and tendinopathy confirmed on ultrasound, and randomised them toultrasound-guided leukocyte-rich PRP, leukocyte-poor PRP or saline, all followed by 6 weeks of supervisedconcentric and eccentric loading. By 12 weeks 58 percent had improved on the VISA-P score with nosignificant difference between groups. The leukocyte-rich group did worst, with 35 percent improved against72 percent for leukocyte-poor and 71 percent for saline.

A 2014 double-blind trial in the same journal found no long-term benefit of PRP over dry needling. One trialusing 2 consecutive injections reported benefit, which is the thin thread the case for patellar PRP hangs on.The honest reading is that for jumper’s knee the loading programme did the work in every arm, and theinjection added nothing measurable. That is the same lesson as the Achilles, and it is worth noticing that inboth conditions the trials gave everyone rehabilitation, which most clinics selling the injection do not.

message us on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com

Ligaments, muscles and the injuries PRP does not help

The clearest negative in sports medicine is ACL reconstruction. A systematic review of 16 randomised trialsand 1,025 patients found no improvement in function scores, knee laxity, range of motion or pain when PRPwas added to the operation. Some imaging studies showed changes in how the graft remodelled, but thosechanges did not translate into a better knee. For ankle ligament injuries there is no good trial evidence eitherway, and for acute muscle injuries the trials that exist have not shown faster return to play.

Where PRP has real evidence in athletes is in a narrower list than the marketing. Tennis elbow, where 26randomised trials and 1,877 patients show PRP beats steroid beyond 6 months and a 2013 JAMA trial foundsteroid quadrupled recurrence. Plantar fasciitis, where 24 trials and 1,653 patients show PRP beats steroid at 3and 6 months. Rotator cuff tendinopathy, where 10 trials and 591 patients show a modest advantage oversteroid at 6 months. In each of those the comparison is steroid, not placebo, and the message is that PRP isthe better injection when an injection is warranted, not that it beats doing the rehabilitation.

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Six questions before any athlete has PRP

This applies whichever clinic you see, including ours. The sport does not change the evidence.

Which tendon or ligament is it, confirmed on ultrasound or MRI, and is the scan finding actually the sourceof the pain.
Have I done at least 12 weeks of a structured loading programme with a physiotherapist, and did I do itproperly.
Which trial supports PRP for this specific injury, and was that trial compared with placebo or with steroid.
If the answer is Achilles, patellar tendon, ACL or an ankle ligament, why is the clinic recommending itagainst the trials.
Will I be asked to stop anti-inflammatories beforehand and to rest from the sport for at least 48 to 72hours afterwards, then rebuild over weeks.
What is the return to sport plan, and who is managing it.

If the clinic answers the third question with a knee arthritis trial or a hair loss study, that is your answer.

Our doctors put it this way. For most running injuries the rehabilitation is the treatment and the injection isthe marketing. PRP has a place in sport, but it is a smaller one than the clinics selling it to athletes wouldlike.

Message us on WhatsApp with the injury, how long it has lasted, what rehabilitation you have done, and anyimaging, and a doctor will give you a straight answer.

What PRP does not do for athletes

PRP does not outperform sham for midportion Achilles tendinopathy in the largest trial, does not outperformsaline for patellar tendinopathy, and does not improve ACL reconstruction. It does not shorten return to playfrom muscle injury in the trials that have tested it, and it does not substitute for the 12 weeks of loading thatevery positive tendon trial gave alongside it. It requires relative rest afterwards, which in a season is a cost initself. It is not routinely commissioned by the NHS for sports injuries and private medical insurance rarelycovers it. Where a tendon has torn rather than degenerated, the question is surgical and no injection changesthat.

message us on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com

What sports PRP costs in London, and the cost of the wrong injection

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. Outsidecentral London PRP is advertised from around £250 to £500, often marketed directly to athletes and oftenwithout the scan and the rehabilitation that the trials with positive results included.

The reframing for an athlete is time, not money. A PRP injection into an Achilles that the largest trial says willnot respond costs the fee, the 72 hours of rest, and the weeks of believing something has been done while theloading programme that would have worked is delayed. For a runner in a training block that is the expensivepart.

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 injury is one theevidence supports treating.

Ask about the cost for your injury 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 plan, areturn to sport timeline and realistic expectations, or you are not approved, with an honest explanation of whatwould serve you better, whether that is a structured loading programme, a different injection, or a surgicalopinion.

We decline a meaningful share of the people who enquire. For Achilles and patellar tendinopathy that share ismost of them, because the trials say the rehabilitation is the treatment and we are not going to pretendotherwise.

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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 Achilles tendinopathy

Not in the largest trial. The 2021 ATM trial in JAMA randomised 240 UK patients with midportion Achillestendinopathy to a single PRP injection or a sham needle and found no significant difference in the VISA-Ascore at 6 months. A progressive loading programme over 12 weeks remains the treatment with evidence.

Does PRP work for jumper’s knee

A 2019 trial of 57 athletes found no difference between leukocyte-rich PRP, leukocyte-poor PRP and saline at12 weeks when all groups did supervised loading, and the leukocyte-rich group did worst. The loadingprogramme did the work. PRP is not supported as a first-line treatment for patellar tendinopathy.

Can PRP help an ACL injury heal

No. A systematic review of 16 randomised trials and 1,025 patients found PRP added nothing to function,laxity, range of motion or pain when used with ACL reconstruction. Imaging changes in the graft did nottranslate into a better knee.

Which sports injuries does PRP actually help

Tennis elbow, where PRP beats steroid beyond 6 months across 26 trials, plantar fasciitis, where it beatssteroid at 3 and 6 months across 24 trials, and rotator cuff tendinopathy, where it gives a modest advantageover steroid at 6 months. In each case the comparison is steroid, and rehabilitation is still the foundation.

How long after PRP can I run or train

Relative rest from the provoking activity for 48 to 72 hours, then a graded return over weeks alongside theloading programme. The tendon is usually sore for several days. Full benefit in the positive trials appears at 3to 6 months, so the injection does not shorten a return to sport in the way it is often sold.

Is PRP for sports injuries available on the NHS

PRP is not routinely commissioned by the NHS for tendon or ligament injuries, and the largest UK trial for theAchilles was negative. Physiotherapy and steroid injections are available on the NHS. Almost all sports PRP isself-pay.

message us on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com

References

JAMA, 2021. Kearney et al. Effect of platelet-rich plasma injection vs sham injection on tendondysfunction in patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy, the ATM randomised clinical trial.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8278266
BMJ Open, 2020. ATM trial protocol, including the UK incidence of midportion Achilles tendinopathy.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044811/
Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 2026. Platelet-rich plasma vs placebo injections in Achillestendinopathy, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.https://www.jfas.org/article/S1067-2516(26)00101-8/abstract
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019. Scott et al. Platelet-rich plasma for patellar tendinopathy, arandomised controlled trial of leukocyte-rich PRP or leukocyte-poor PRP versus saline. Summarised inOchsner Journal, 2021. https://www.ochsnerjournal.org/content/21/3/232
Orthopaedic Surgery, 2022. Cao and Wan. Systematic review of 16 randomised trials of PRP in ACLreconstruction, cited via https://www.jeremyburnhammd.com/prp-injections-what-they-actually-do-and-dont-do/ Primary paper to be confirmed before publication.
Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow, 2025. Maroun et al. Platelet rich plasma versus corticosteroids for lateralepicondylitis, a meta-analysis of 26 randomised clinical trials. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40077872/
JAMA, 2013. Coombes et al. Effect of corticosteroid injection, physiotherapy, or both on clinical outcomesin patients with unilateral lateral epicondylalgia, a randomised controlled trial. https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/items/8eb56ec1-9503-45fd-9b4f-543d673d816d
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/
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 2026. Yuwarungsikul et al. Platelet-rich plasma providesmodest but durable functional benefit over corticosteroid for rotator cuff tendinopathy, a systematicreview and meta-analysis of 10 randomised trials.https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.70416
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 doctors,or a sports physician, before deciding whether PRP is right for your injury.

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

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