PRP Hair Restoration

PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. We draw a small amount of your own blood, concentrate the platelets in a centrifuge, and inject that platelet-rich plasma into the areas of the scalp where hair is thinning. Because the plasma comes from your own body, the risk of an allergic reaction is very low.

Platelets are rich in growth factors – signaling proteins such as PDGF and VEGF that your body normally uses to repair tissue. Concentrated and placed at the level of the hair follicles, those growth factors are used to stimulate the follicles, improve their blood supply, and support thicker, healthier hair.

In pattern hair loss, follicles do not disappear overnight. They gradually shrink in a process called miniaturization, producing finer, shorter, weaker hairs with each growth cycle. PRP aims to intervene while those follicles are still active: prolonging the growth phase of the hair cycle, strengthening existing follicles, and reducing shedding. New to PRP? Our PRP Hair Restoration 101 guide walks through the procedure step by step.

PRP is injected across the areas of the scalp where hair is thinning. The most commonly treated zones include:

• The hairline – the frontal edge where a receding pattern often begins
• The part line – where widening is usually noticed first
• The crown – the vertex at the back of the scalp
• Diffuse thinning areas – broader zones where overall density has dropped

The pattern of thinning guides where the plasma is placed. In men, hair loss is most often androgenetic – the classic receding hairline and thinning crown – so PRP is concentrated in those zones to support the follicles that are still active there.

Women more often see diffuse thinning and a widening part rather than a receding hairline, with triggers that can include female-pattern hair loss, the months after pregnancy, and the hormonal shifts of menopause. In these cases the plasma is distributed across the diffuse thinning areas, and because PRP uses your own platelets it is a comparatively gentle, low-downtime option.

Express Med Spa offers both PRP and PRF. Both use your own blood, and both work by delivering concentrated growth factors to the hair follicles. The difference is in how the sample is prepared.

PRF stands for platelet-rich fibrin. It is a newer preparation spun at a lower speed and without an anticoagulant. That leaves a fibrin matrix that releases growth factors more slowly over time, and it captures a higher concentration of certain cells. PRP, by contrast, is ready to use immediately after a standard spin.

In practice, PRP and PRF are closely related, and most people do well with either. Stefanie Drozd, MSN, APRN will recommend the preparation that best fits your scalp and your goals at your free consultation.

PRP works gradually, in step with your natural hair-growth cycles. Many people notice less shedding first, over the first couple of months, with visible thickening developing over three to six months as new growth cycles catch up.

Results are not permanent. After an initial series of about three to four sessions, most people need maintenance a few times a year to hold their results, because the underlying causes of thinning continue over time.

The evidence supports improvement – less shedding and gradual thickening – for many people with early-to-moderate pattern hair loss. PRP is not a guarantee, though, and individual results vary. At your free consultation we look honestly at your scalp and tell you what PRP is realistically likely to do for you.

Your appointment begins with a brief consultation and a small blood draw, similar to routine bloodwork. That sample is spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets while you wait.

Your provider then injects the platelet-rich plasma across the thinning areas of the scalp. A topical numbing option is available, and most people find the injections quick and tolerable. The visit takes about 30 to 60 minutes, and downtime is minimal – some tenderness, slight redness, or mild swelling that settles within a day or two. Most people return to normal activities right away.

PRP is a series, not a one-time fix: most plans begin with about three to four sessions before moving to maintenance. Every treatment at Express Med Spa is performed by a licensed nurse practitioner. Our locations in Frankfort, La Grange, Shorewood, and Mount Greenwood are easy to reach from across the Chicago southwest suburbs, including patients traveling from the Naperville area.