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.

Does PRP Work for TMJ and Jaw Joint Pain. What the Trials Show and What Comes First

19 Sept

Written By Sofian Youssef

For jaw joint disorders that have failed conservative care, PRP is a reasonable injectable after arthrocentesis. A 2024 network meta-analysis of 40 trials and 1,904 joints ranked hyaluronic acid with PRP best at 1 month. Most jaw pain is muscular and needs no injection, and a 31-patient trial found PRP no better than hyaluronic acid at 12 months.

Key points

A 2024 network meta-analysis in BMC Oral Health of 40 randomised controlled trials and 1,904 temporomandibular joints compared the injectables used after arthrocentesis and ranked hyaluronic acid with PRP most effective at 1 month, injectable platelet-rich fibrin at 3 months and bone marrow concentrate at 6 months, on pain and mouth opening.
A 2016 randomised trial in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of 31 patients and 49 osteoarthritic jaw joints compared arthrocentesis with 5 PRP injections against arthrocentesis with 1 hyaluronic acid injection and found no statistically significant difference in pain or mouth opening at 12 months.
A 2024 meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials found hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid gave similar pain and mouth opening results after arthrocentesis, with low quality evidence, which is the standard PRP is compared against.
Most temporomandibular disorders are muscular rather than joint disease, and are treated with education, jaw exercises, a splint and pain management rather than any injection.

If your jaw clicks, locks or aches and you have been offered an injection, message us on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com and a doctor will tell you whether the problem is the joint or the muscles, because only 1 of those is ever injected.

What TMJ disorders are, and why most need no injection

The temporomandibular joint is the hinge in front of each ear where the jaw meets the skull, with a small disc of cartilage between the bones. Temporomandibular disorders cover 3 different problems that are often lumped together. The commonest by far is myofascial pain, an overworked jaw muscle from clenching, grinding, stress or posture, which aches in the cheek and temple, is worse in the morning, and has nothing wrong with the joint itself. The second is internal derangement, where the disc has slipped and the jaw clicks, catches or locks. The third is osteoarthritis of the joint, with grinding, crepitus and joint changes on imaging.

That distinction decides everything. Muscular pain, which accounts for most jaw pain seen in clinic, is treated with education, jaw exercises, a night splint, heat, stress management and short-term pain relief, and improves in most people without any procedure. Injections into the joint are for the joint problems, disc displacement and arthritis, and only when conservative care has failed. A clinic that offers PRP for jaw pain without establishing which of the 3 you have is offering a joint treatment to a muscle problem in most cases. Our wider jaw joint pathway starts with that distinction.

What the trials show

When the joint is the problem and conservative care has failed, the minimally invasive next step is arthrocentesis, washing the joint out through 2 needles under local anaesthetic, usually followed by an injection of something into the cleaned joint. The question the trials answer is what that something should be. The 2024 network meta-analysis in BMC Oral Health pooled 40 randomised trials and 1,904 joints and compared PRP, hyaluronic acid, corticosteroid, bone marrow concentrate, injectable PRF, concentrated growth factor, tenoxicam, microfragmented fat and combinations. On pain and unassisted mouth opening, the top-ranked option was hyaluronic acid combined with PRP at 1 month, injectable PRF at 3 months and bone marrow concentrate at 6 months.

That is a favourable ranking for platelet products, and it comes with the usual caveats. Rankings from network meta-analyses are probabilities, not proof, the trials were mostly small, and the differences between options were often modest. The one direct 12-month comparison is less flattering. The 2016 trial in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery randomised 31 patients with 49 osteoarthritic joints to arthrocentesis plus 5 PRP injections or arthrocentesis plus 1 hyaluronic acid injection and found no statistically significant difference in pain or mouth opening at 12 months. Five injections did not beat 1, which is worth remembering when a course is proposed.

Send us your jaw imaging report on WhatsApp and a doctor will tell you whether the joint findings are the kind the trials treated.

PRP against hyaluronic acid and steroid in the jaw

The comparison that most patients face is between PRP, hyaluronic acid and steroid after arthrocentesis, and the honest reading is that all 3 help and the differences are small. A 2024 meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials in Quintessence International found hyaluronic acid and corticosteroid gave similar pain scores and mouth opening at 1 week, 1 month and 6 months, with hyaluronic acid ahead only at 3 months, and rated the evidence low quality. A study of intra-articular PRP against corticosteroid in temporomandibular dysfunction found PRP more successful in reducing symptoms, which is the same direction as the wider PRP against cortisone picture. The network meta-analysis placed the combination of hyaluronic acid with PRP above either alone in the short term.

The jaw is unusual in that hyaluronic acid has a reasonable record here, unlike in the knee and hip where NICE advises against it, so the combination is a defensible choice rather than a marketing one. Steroid remains reasonable for an acutely inflamed joint and carries the usual caution about repeated use near cartilage. PRP on its own has the advantage of being autologous and the disadvantage of the 12-month trial showing no benefit over a single hyaluronic acid injection. A doctor choosing between them should be able to say why, and for most patients the choice matters less than the arthrocentesis and the conservative programme around it.

What the procedure involves

Arthrocentesis with PRP is done under local anaesthetic, sometimes with sedation, by a clinician who works on the jaw joint regularly, usually an oral and maxillofacial specialist or a doctor with specific training in the joint. Two fine needles are placed into the upper joint space in front of the ear, the joint is flushed with saline to remove inflammatory debris and free the disc, and PRP prepared from a blood sample taken beforehand is injected into the cleaned space. The whole procedure takes around 30 to 45 minutes. The joint is sore and the bite may feel slightly different for a few days, and the jaw is rested with soft food for a week.

The same preparation rules apply as for any PRP, with anti-inflammatories stopped for 2 weeks before and after because they interfere with platelet function. The trials that showed benefit measured it at 1 to 6 months, and a joint that has not improved by 3 months should be reassessed rather than reinjected. Throughout, the splint, the exercises and the management of clenching continue, because a joint that is washed out and then ground on every night will inflame again.

A jaw pain check before any injection

Work through this before booking anything, including here.

Where is the pain. Cheek, temple and side of the head, worse on waking, fits muscle. Directly in front of the ear, worse on chewing, fits the joint.
Does the jaw click, catch or lock, or has it stopped opening as far as it did. That fits disc displacement, a joint problem.
Is there grinding or crunching in the joint, and has imaging shown arthritis. That is joint osteoarthritis.
Do you clench or grind, particularly at night, and have you tried a night splint and jaw exercises for at least 3 months. If not, that comes first for every type.
Has a doctor or maxillofacial specialist examined the joint and imaged it. An injection without that is a guess.
Are you being offered a course of several PRP injections. The 12-month trial found 5 did not beat 1 hyaluronic acid injection.

Our doctors put it this way. Most jaw pain is a muscle that needs a splint and an exercise sheet, not a joint that needs a needle. For the joint that does need one, PRP is a fair choice among several, and the wash-out matters more than what goes in afterwards.

Message us on WhatsApp with where the pain is, whether the jaw clicks or locks, what you have tried, and any imaging, and a doctor will give you a straight answer, including a maxillofacial referral if that is the answer.

What PRP does not do for the jaw

PRP does not treat muscular jaw pain, which is most jaw pain, and it does not stop clenching or grinding. It does not regrow the disc or cartilage in an arthritic joint, and it does not beat a single hyaluronic acid injection at 12 months in the 1 trial that looked. The network meta-analysis rankings are short-term probabilities from small trials. It is a joint injection that should follow arthrocentesis by someone who works on the jaw joint, not a standalone scalp-style injection, and it is not routinely commissioned by the NHS for temporomandibular disorders, where conservative care and, for selected patients, arthrocentesis are. Small joints elsewhere behave similarly, as the thumb base evidence shows.

What jaw joint treatment costs in London

Specialist central London clinics commonly charge from around £780 to £900 or more per image-guided joint PRP injection including assessment, and a course of 2 to 3 takes a plan past £2,000. Arthrocentesis is a separate procedure with its own fee, usually through an oral and maxillofacial specialist, and is available on the NHS for selected patients. A night splint from a dentist costs a fraction of any injection.

The reframing is that the treatment with the best evidence for most jaw pain costs the least. A splint, an exercise programme and 3 months of managing clenching resolve the muscular pain that accounts for most cases, and an injection into the joint of a patient with muscle pain treats the wrong structure at joint prices. For the joint that needs a procedure, the wash-out is the treatment and the injectable is the adjunct, priced accordingly.

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, which for jaw pain starts with deciding whether the joint is the problem at all.

Ask about the cost for your jaw 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-registered doctor examines the jaw and its muscles, distinguishes muscular pain from disc displacement and arthritis, reviews or arranges imaging, and gives one of two answers. Either you are approved for treatment, with a clear plan that says whether the injection follows arthrocentesis and which injectable was chosen and why, or you are not approved, with an honest explanation of what would serve you better, which for most jaw pain is a splint, exercises and time, and for some a maxillofacial specialist.

We decline a meaningful share of the people who enquire. For jaw pain that share is most of them, because most jaw pain is not a joint problem.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Does PRP work for TMJ

For joint disorders that have failed conservative care, yes as an injectable after arthrocentesis. A 2024 network meta-analysis of 40 trials and 1,904 joints ranked hyaluronic acid with PRP best at 1 month. A 31-patient trial found PRP no better than hyaluronic acid at 12 months. Muscular jaw pain, which is most jaw pain, is not treated with injections.

Is PRP better than hyaluronic acid for the jaw joint

In combination, the 2 ranked best at 1 month in the 2024 network meta-analysis. Head to head, a 2016 trial of 31 patients found 5 PRP injections no better than 1 hyaluronic acid injection at 12 months. Unlike the knee, hyaluronic acid has a reasonable record in the jaw, so the combination is defensible.

What is arthrocentesis of the jaw

Washing out the jaw joint through 2 fine needles under local anaesthetic to remove inflammatory debris and free the disc, followed by an injection of hyaluronic acid, PRP, steroid or a combination into the cleaned joint. It is the minimally invasive step for joint disorders that have failed splints and exercises.

How do I know if my jaw pain is the joint or the muscles

Pain in the cheek, temple and side of the head, worse on waking, fits muscle. Pain directly in front of the ear, worse on chewing, with clicking, locking or grinding, fits the joint. Most jaw pain is muscular and needs a splint and exercises, not an injection.

How many PRP injections do you need for TMJ

The evidence does not support a course. In the 2016 trial, 5 PRP injections after arthrocentesis were no better than 1 hyaluronic acid injection at 12 months. A single injectable after the wash-out is the usual protocol, with reassessment rather than reinjection if it has not helped by 3 months.

Can TMJ be treated on the NHS

Yes. Conservative care through a dentist or GP, and arthrocentesis through oral and maxillofacial surgery for selected patients, are available on the NHS. PRP is not routinely commissioned for temporomandibular disorders and is a self-pay addition.

References

BMC Oral Health, 2024. Arthrocentesis for temporomandibular joint disorders, a network meta-analysis of 40 randomised controlled trials and 1,904 joints. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39294620/
International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2016. Kilic and Gungormus. Is arthrocentesis plus platelet-rich plasma superior to arthrocentesis plus hyaluronic acid for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis, a randomised clinical trial of 31 patients and 49 joints.
Quintessence International, 2024. Comparison of outcomes with intra-articular hyaluronic acid vs corticosteroids after temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 9 randomised trials.
Comparison of intra-articular platelet-rich plasma with corticosteroids in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction.
Central London clinic price lists for image-guided joint PRP, accessed September 2026.

This article is for general information and does not replace a medical assessment. Jaw joint procedures should be performed by clinicians who work on the temporomandibular joint regularly. Speak to one of our doctors before deciding on any treatment.

Sofian Youssef