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 Tennis Elbow. It Beats Steroid, and ItDoes Not Beat Placebo

14 Sept

Written By Guest User

Both are true. Across 26 randomised trials, PRP beat a steroid injection beyond 6 months. A 2026 meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials found PRP no better than saline at any point up to 26 weeks. Steroid makes tennis elbow worse in the long run, so PRP wins by not being steroid, and the loading programme does the rest.

Key points

A 2025 meta-analysis in Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow of 26 randomised trials and 1,877 patients foundcorticosteroid better in the first 2 months, no difference between 2 and 6 months, and PRP statisticallyand clinically better beyond 6 months.
A 2026 meta-analysis in the American Journal of Sports Medicine of randomised trials comparing PRPwith placebo found no improvement in pain or function with PRP at 4 weeks, 8 to 12 weeks, or 24 to 26weeks.
A 2013 randomised trial of 165 patients in JAMA found corticosteroid injection quadrupled the risk ofrecurrence at 1 year compared with placebo or physiotherapy, and a 2002 trial in The Lancet found 83percent of patients on a wait and see policy had recovered at 1 year without any injection.
A 2021 network meta-analysis of 31 trials and 1,948 patients found that at 3 months only botulinum toxinoutperformed placebo, with neither steroid nor PRP ahead at that point.

If you have had tennis elbow for more than 3 months and are deciding what to do, message us on WhatsAppor email team@thewellnesslondon.com and a doctor will tell you where the evidence lands for your elbow.

What tennis elbow is and how it usually ends

Lateral epicondylitis is a degenerative change in the tendon that anchors the wrist extensor muscles to theoutside of the elbow, most often the extensor carpi radialis brevis. Despite the name it has little to do withtennis and little to do with inflammation. It affects around 1 to 3 percent of adults, peaks between 45 and 54,and is as common in people who type and grip as in people who play. The pain sits over the bony point on theoutside of the elbow, is provoked by gripping, lifting with the palm down and shaking hands, and is often worstin the morning.

The natural history matters more here than in almost any other condition treated with PRP. In the 2002 Lancettrial that compared a steroid injection, physiotherapy and a wait and see policy, 83 percent of the wait and seegroup had recovered at 1 year with no treatment at all. Tennis elbow mostly gets better. The question everyinjection has to answer is whether it beats that, and the honest reading of the trials is that most do not, whileone of them makes it worse.

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Why steroid is the wrong injection, and why that flatters PRP

The 2013 JAMA trial randomised 165 patients with tennis elbow to a corticosteroid injection, a placeboinjection, or either with physiotherapy, and followed them for a year. Steroid gave the best relief at 4 weeksand the worst outcome at 12 months, with a significantly higher recurrence rate and slower complete recoverythan placebo, and adding physiotherapy did not rescue it. The 2021 network meta-analysis of 31 trials foundthe same shape, with steroid ahead of placebo at 1 month and no longer ahead by 3.

That is the context for every PRP versus steroid comparison. The 2025 meta-analysis of 26 randomised trialsand 1,877 patients found steroid better in the first 2 months, though below the minimal clinically importantdifference, no difference between 2 and 6 months, and PRP better beyond 6 months. A 2020 network meta-analysis of 20 trials and 1,271 patients ranked steroid first short term and PRP first long term. Read on theirown, those results look like a case for PRP. Read against the placebo evidence, they are a case against steroid,with PRP holding the ground steroid gives up.

Tell us how many steroid injections you have had on WhatsApp and a doctor will tell you whether the elbowhas been made worse and what to do about it.

What the placebo trials say

The 2026 meta-analysis in the American Journal of Sports Medicine pooled only the randomised trials thatcompared PRP with a placebo injection in tennis elbow, and assessed pain and function at 4 weeks, 8 to 12weeks and 24 to 26 weeks. At none of those points did PRP improve pain or function compared with placebo.The individual trials point the same way. A 2013 double-blind trial in the American Journal of Sports Medicinerandomised 60 patients to PRP, saline or steroid and found no difference in pain at 3 months. A double-blindtrial of autologous conditioned plasma for recent epicondylitis in Rheumatology found it ineffective at 1 year.

There is a wrinkle worth knowing. A separate meta-analysis has found that saline injections themselvesimprove tennis elbow symptoms, which is one reason placebo arms do well. Putting a needle into the tendon,with or without anything in the syringe, appears to do something, and so does the rehabilitation that trials giveboth arms. PRP may add nothing measurable on top of that. A 230-patient multicentre trial did find PRP aheadof dry needling alone at 24 weeks, which is the strongest single result in PRP’s favour, and it is one trial againsta pooled negative. A clinic that quotes the 26-trial steroid comparison and not the placebo meta-analysis istelling you half the evidence.

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What actually treats tennis elbow

The treatment with the most consistent evidence is time plus a progressive loading programme, and the trialsthat favour PRP gave both arms exactly that. Eccentric and isometric wrist extensor exercises over 8 to 12weeks, a counterforce brace during provoking activity, and modification of the grip and the load that started it.The 2013 JAMA trial found physiotherapy on its own produced good recovery at 1 year with low recurrence.For the patient who has had symptoms for 3 to 6 months and done none of that properly, that is the firstprescription, not an injection.

Where an injection has a place is the elbow that has failed 3 months of loading and bracing and is stoppingsomeone working or sleeping. The choice then is between a steroid, which will help for 6 weeks and raise therisk of recurrence, a needle-based treatment such as dry needling or PRP, which may help through the needleand the rehabilitation that follow it, and shockwave, which has mixed evidence. A doctor here would put PRPthird on that list, behind loading and behind a proper explanation of the natural history, and would not offer itto anyone who has not done the first.

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A 12 week elbow plan you can start before any injection

This is the programme the trials gave both arms. It costs almost nothing and it is the treatment.

Reduce the provoking load. Change grip size, lift with the palm up, split heavy loads, and stop the oneactivity that flares it for 2 weeks.
Wear a counterforce brace, the strap just below the elbow, during gripping and lifting for the first 6 weeks.
Weeks 1 to 2. Isometric wrist extension holds, 5 holds of 45 seconds, twice daily, at a load that isuncomfortable but tolerable.
Weeks 3 to 8. Eccentric wrist extension with a light weight, 3 sets of 15, once daily, lowering the wristslowly over 3 seconds and lifting with the other hand.
Weeks 9 to 12. Add heavier slow resistance, grip strengthening and forearm rotation, and return to theprovoking activity in stages.
Throughout. Paracetamol rather than anti-inflammatories if you may have PRP later, since anti-inflammatories interfere with platelet function.
At 12 weeks. If pain and function are unchanged, that is the point to consider an injection, and PRP ratherthan steroid if you want a needle.

Our doctors put it this way. Tennis elbow gets better on its own in most people. Steroid gets in the way ofthat. PRP does not get in the way, and that is most of what it does. The loading programme is thetreatment, and we would rather teach it than sell it.

Message us on WhatsApp with how long the elbow has hurt, what loading you have done, and any injectionsso far, and a doctor will give you a straight answer.

What PRP does not do for tennis elbow

PRP does not outperform a placebo injection for pain or function at any point up to 26 weeks in the pooledplacebo-controlled evidence. It does not shorten the natural course, in which most people recover within ayear without any injection. It does not replace the loading programme that every positive trial gave both arms.Its advantage over steroid is real, and it is largely steroid’s failure. For golfer’s elbow, the inner elbowequivalent, the evidence is thinner still, and a clinic offering PRP there is extrapolating from a condition wherethe placebo evidence is already negative. PRP is not routinely commissioned by the NHS for tennis elbow andprivate medical insurance rarely covers it.

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What elbow injections cost in London, and what the money is better spenton

Specialist central London clinics commonly charge from around £780 to £900 or more per image guidedtendon PRP injection including assessment, with a course of 2 to 3 taking a plan past £2,000. Image guidedsteroid injections in central London are commonly quoted between £250 and £475. Outside central LondonPRP is advertised from around £250 to £500, often as a course, which the tennis elbow trials do not support.

The reframing is the natural history. Most tennis elbow resolves within a year, a loading programme and a £20brace speed that up, and a steroid injection slows it down. A PRP injection is a reasonable purchase for theelbow that has failed 12 weeks of the programme and needs a needle that will not cause recurrence. It is anexpensive purchase for the elbow that has not yet tried the programme, because the trials say the programmeis where the benefit comes from.

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 elbow has hadthe first-line treatment and still needs more.

Ask about the cost for your elbow 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 planthat includes the loading programme and realistic expectations drawn from the placebo evidence rather thanthe steroid comparisons, or you are not approved, with an honest explanation of what would serve you better,which for most elbows is 12 weeks of the programme above.

We decline a meaningful share of the people who enquire. For tennis elbow that share is high, because thetreatment with the strongest evidence is one we teach rather than inject.

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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 tennis elbow

Against steroid, yes beyond 6 months across 26 randomised trials. Against placebo, no. A 2026 meta-analysisfound PRP no better than a saline injection for pain or function at any point up to 26 weeks. Its advantage oversteroid is largely that steroid causes recurrence.

Is PRP better than a steroid injection for tennis elbow

In the long run, yes. Steroid gives better relief in the first 2 months, then a 2013 JAMA trial of 165 patientsfound it quadrupled recurrence at 1 year. PRP is ahead beyond 6 months across 26 trials. Neither beats aloading programme, which is the treatment with the most consistent evidence.

Will tennis elbow go away on its own

Usually. In a 2002 Lancet trial, 83 percent of patients on a wait and see policy had recovered at 1 year with noinjection. A loading programme and a counterforce brace speed that up, and a steroid injection slows it downby raising recurrence.

How many PRP injections do you need for tennis elbow

Most trials used a single injection into the tendon under ultrasound guidance. A course of 2 or 3 is notsupported by the tennis elbow evidence, and a clinic selling one should be asked which trial it is based on.

Does PRP work for golfer’s elbow

There is far less evidence for medial epicondylitis than for tennis elbow, and the tennis elbow placeboevidence is negative. The same loading principles apply to the wrist flexors, and a clinic offering PRP forgolfer’s elbow is extrapolating from a condition where PRP did not beat placebo.

Is PRP for tennis elbow available on the NHS

PRP is not routinely commissioned by the NHS for tennis elbow or other tendon conditions, and privatemedical insurance rarely covers it. Physiotherapy, bracing and steroid injections are available on the NHS.Almost all PRP is self-pay.

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References

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/
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026. Antunes Júnior et al. Platelet-rich plasma does not improvepain or function in patients with lateral epicondylitis as compared with placebo, a meta-analysis ofrandomised clinical trials. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03635465251383039
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
The Lancet, 2002. Smidt et al. Corticosteroid injections, physiotherapy, or a wait and see policy for lateralepicondylitis, a randomised controlled trial, as cited with the 1 to 3 percent prevalence figure athttps://ctv.veeva.com/study/prp-versus-saline-in-lateral-epicondylitis
1. Clinical efficacy of local injection therapies for lateral epicondylitis, a systematic review and networkmeta-analysis of 31 trials and 1,948 patients.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9301214/
1. Platelet-rich plasma vs autologous blood vs corticosteroid injections in the treatment of lateralepicondylitis, a systematic review, pairwise and network meta-analysis of 20 randomised trials.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7187193/
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2013. Krogh et al. Treatment of lateral epicondylitis with platelet-rich plasma, glucocorticoid, or saline, a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 60 patients.Summary at https://myorthoevidence.com/AceReport/Report/4822
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014. Mishra et al. Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for chronic tenniselbow, a double-blind prospective multicentre randomised controlled trial of 230 patients. Cited athttps://medscimonit.com/abstract/table/idArt/939309/id/t6-medscimonit-29-e939309
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 elbow.

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

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