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 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.

Is PRP Available On The NHS

17 Sept

Written By Sama Samy

PRP is not routinely funded by the NHS. For hair loss it is regarded as a cosmetic treatment and is not commissioned anywhere. For joint and tendon conditions a small number of local policies allow it in restricted circumstances, usually after other treatments have failed, and most people do not meet the criteria. Private medical insurance rarely covers it either, so PRP is almost always self-pay.

Key points

PRP for hair loss is not funded by the NHS anywhere in the UK, because hair loss is classed as a cosmetic concern.
For joint and tendon conditions, PRP is not routinely commissioned, and where local policies mention it the criteria are narrow.
Private medical insurance rarely covers PRP even where it covers other treatment for the same condition.
NICE describes the efficacy evidence for PRP in knee osteoarthritis as limited in quality, which is a large part of why funding has not followed.

Want to know what private treatment would involve? Message a GMC-registered doctor on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.

Why the NHS does not fund it

For hair loss

Hair loss is classified as a cosmetic condition rather than a medical one for funding purposes, which places almost all treatment for it outside NHS provision. Your GP can investigate the cause, and that part is worth doing, because blood tests for iron, thyroid function and other contributors are available on the NHS and a scarring alopecia should be referred to dermatology. What is not available is treatment aimed at improving density, including PRP, and in most areas including minoxidil on prescription.

This distinction matters and is often misunderstood. The investigation of why your hair is falling out is a legitimate NHS matter. The treatment to grow it back is not.

For joints and tendons

Here the reasoning is about evidence rather than category. Commissioners fund treatments where the evidence of benefit is strong enough to justify the cost across a population, and PRP sits unevenly on that test. The evidence is good for tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis, mixed for hip osteoarthritis and Achilles tendinopathy, and genuinely contested for knee osteoarthritis, where a large 2021 randomised trial published in JAMA found PRP no better than placebo and NICE describes the evidence as limited in quality.

Where local commissioning policies do mention PRP, usually for refractory tennis elbow, Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis, access is restricted to patients who have exhausted other options, and the thresholds are set so that few people qualify.

How to check your own position

Your local NHS policy

Funding decisions are made by Integrated Care Boards rather than nationally, so policies differ by area. Search for your ICB's name alongside the phrase treatment policy or procedures of limited clinical value, and look for the section covering injection therapies. If PRP appears at all, the criteria will be listed. Your GP can also tell you whether an individual funding request is worth making, though these are rarely successful for PRP.

Your private insurance

Ask your insurer one specific question rather than a general one. Do not ask whether they cover treatment for your condition, because the answer will often be yes while the injection itself is excluded. Ask whether they cover platelet-rich plasma injection for your named condition, and get the answer in writing.

Many policies will cover the diagnostic consultation and the imaging while excluding the PRP itself, which is still useful, because it means the assessment and scan can be funded even when the treatment cannot.

Not sure what you are entitled to? Ask our doctors on WhatsApp.

What the NHS does offer, and when to use it

Being useful here means pointing you to free care where it exists.

For hair loss, your GP can arrange blood tests covering iron studies, thyroid function, vitamin D and B12, and should refer you to dermatology if a scarring alopecia is suspected, which is urgent because those conditions destroy follicles permanently. Take that route first. It costs nothing and it answers the most important question, which is what you actually have.

For joint and tendon pain, the NHS provides physiotherapy, corticosteroid injection and, at the far end, surgery. Progressive loading rehabilitation is the first-line treatment for tendinopathy and it resolves the problem for a large proportion of people, so it is worth doing properly before paying for anything. A great many people who believe rehabilitation failed them had an incomplete programme rather than a treatment-resistant tendon.

Come to private care when the NHS pathway has been followed and has not worked, or when waiting is itself the problem.

What private PRP costs

For hair, flagship Harley Street and Mayfair clinics commonly charge £600 to £850 or more per session, with a course of around three and maintenance every six to twelve months. London practices generally charge 50 to 70 percent more than the rest of the UK.

For joints and tendons, specialist central London clinics commonly charge from around £780 to £900 or more per image-guided injection including assessment, with a course of two to three taking a plan past £2,000. Outside central London the range is roughly £250 to £500, though cheaper injections are frequently performed without image guidance.

At The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness, care is doctor-led and priced below flagship central London rates, with the figure for your plan confirmed after your free suitability review. We would rather quote you accurately once we know the diagnosis than attach a number to a condition we have not assessed.

Ask what your plan would cost. Message us on WhatsApp.

The suitability review

Every enquiry begins with a free doctor-led suitability review rather than a booking. A GMC-registered doctor assesses you, reviews any NHS results or imaging you already have, arranges what is missing, and gives one of two answers.

Approved for treatment, with the diagnosis, where your condition sits on the evidence, how many sessions and why, what to expect and the total cost before you commit. Or not approved, in which case we say so and explain what would serve you better, which is sometimes completing an NHS pathway you have not yet exhausted.

We decline a meaningful share of enquiries. Given that the evidence in knee osteoarthritis is contested and that severe arthritis does not respond to injection, treating everyone who asks would be both poor medicine and quickly visible in our outcomes.

Why people choose The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness

We are doctor-led and blood-test-first, treating from 10 Portman Square in Marylebone and the Light Centre in Belgravia. Every treatment is performed by GMC-registered doctors using image guidance for joint and tendon work, and no clinician treats a patient here until they have completed 100 supervised treatments.

We are candid about evidence, including where it does not favour us, and we will tell you when the NHS route is the right one. Across our work we report an 87 percent patient success rate, a 32 percent average density increase in hair restoration and more than 187 five-star reviews.

Book your free suitability review. Message us on WhatsApp, email team@thewellnesslondon.com, or call +44 20 3951 3429.

Frequently asked questions about PRP and the NHS

Can I get PRP on the NHS?

Not routinely. It is not funded for hair loss anywhere, and for joint and tendon conditions only a small number of local policies allow it in restricted circumstances after other treatments have failed.

Why is PRP not funded for hair loss?

Because hair loss is classified as a cosmetic condition for funding purposes, which places treatment aimed at improving density outside NHS provision, even though investigation of the cause is available.

Does private health insurance cover PRP?

Rarely, even where the policy covers other treatment for the same condition. Ask your insurer specifically about platelet-rich plasma injection for your named condition and get the answer in writing.

Can my GP refer me for PRP?

Your GP can investigate the cause of hair loss and refer to dermatology where a scarring condition is suspected, and can refer for musculoskeletal assessment, but they cannot generally refer for NHS-funded PRP.

What can I get on the NHS instead?

Blood tests and dermatology referral for hair loss, and physiotherapy, corticosteroid injection and surgery for joint and tendon problems. Progressive loading rehabilitation is first-line for tendinopathy and worth completing properly.

How much is PRP privately?

Flagship London clinics commonly charge £600 to £850 or more per hair session and £780 to £900 or more per image-guided joint injection, with courses often exceeding £2,000.

This article is for information and does not replace personal medical advice. NHS funding policies differ by Integrated Care Board and change over time, so confirm your local position directly. All treatments at The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness are performed by GMC-registered doctors. Reviewed by [GMC-REGISTERED DOCTOR NAME, GMC NUMBER TO CONFIRM], The London PRP Clinic by The Wellness. Last updated July 2026.

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Sama Samy