Treatment
PRP, using your own platelets as the signal
PRP adds no foreign material and no volume. It concentrates the growth factors already in your blood and puts them where you want the tissue to behave differently.
- Appointment
- 60 minutes including the draw and spin
- Anaesthetic
- Topical
- Onset
- Gradual; visible change from 6 to 8 weeks
- Course
- Usually 3 sessions, 4 to 6 weeks apart
- Downtime
- Redness for 24 hours; pinpoint bruising possible
What it is
Platelets are not only clotting cells. Their alpha granules hold a set of signalling proteins — PDGF, TGF-beta, VEGF, EGF, IGF-1 among them — that direct the repair response after tissue injury. Concentrating platelets from your own blood and delivering them into skin or scalp presents those signals at a density the tissue would not otherwise see.
The practical consequence is that PRP does not do what filler does. It adds no volume and produces no immediate change. What it can influence is tissue quality: dermal collagen, vascularity, the behaviour of the hair follicle. If your concern is a hollow, PRP is the wrong treatment. If it is skin texture, crepiness, tone, or early hair thinning, it is a reasonable one.
It is also worth being straightforward about the evidence. PRP preparation is not standardised between clinics — platelet concentration, leucocyte content, activation method and volume all vary, and so do published results. The evidence is strongest for androgenetic alopecia, reasonable for skin quality and periorbital texture, and weaker elsewhere. Anyone presenting it as reliably effective for everything is overstating it.
What is assessed
Because PRP is autologous, the quality of the preparation is limited by the quality of your blood on the day and by the system used to spin it. Anaemia, recent NSAID use, systemic steroids and active smoking all affect platelet function or yield, and are asked about for that reason rather than as routine paperwork.
The other half of assessment is deciding whether the target tissue can respond. A hair follicle that has miniaturised is a different proposition from one that has been scarred out and lost. PRP influences follicles that still exist. Where a scalp shows established scarring alopecia, the honest answer is that this treatment will not restore it.
- What you are actually trying to change — texture, tone, laxity or hair density are different targets with different likelihoods of response.
- Blood count and relevant medication — anticoagulants, NSAIDs and systemic steroids are asked about specifically.
- Scalp examination where hair is the concern — pattern, miniaturisation and whether follicular openings are preserved.
- Whether a different modality fits better — some skin concerns respond more predictably to resurfacing or to a peel.
- Realistic timeline — nothing visible happens quickly, and a course takes months rather than weeks.
Where it applies
- Face — overall skin quality, fine texture, tone and dermal thickness.
- Periorbital skin — crepiness of the lower eyelid, where the skin is too thin for most alternatives.
- Neck and décolletage — early crepe texture.
- Hands — dorsal skin quality.
- Scalp — androgenetic alopecia and diffuse thinning, where the evidence base is strongest.
The appointment
Blood draw
Venous blood is taken from your arm into tubes appropriate to the system used, typically 10 to 20 ml depending on the area to be treated.
Preparation
The sample is centrifuged in-clinic to separate the platelet-rich fraction from red cells and platelet-poor plasma. It never leaves the room and is prepared in a closed system.
Delivery
Topical anaesthetic first. The plasma is delivered into the dermis by fine needle, by microneedling, or by both, depending on the target.
Course and review
Three sessions spaced four to six weeks apart is the usual starting course. Response is reviewed with standardised photographs at three months, and maintenance is decided from that rather than booked in advance.
Before and after
Photographs, unretouched
Each pair below shows the same person, photographed in the same position, under the same lighting and with the same lens. No retouching or filtering has been applied. Drag the handle to compare.
Before
After
/assets/before-after/prp-dubai-case-01-before.jpg
/assets/before-after/prp-dubai-case-01-after.jpg
- Treatment
- PRP
- Interval
- Add the interval between the two photographs
- Note
- There is no guarantee that the result will be the same, as it might vary from one individual to another.
Before
After
/assets/before-after/prp-dubai-case-02-before.jpg
/assets/before-after/prp-dubai-case-02-after.jpg
- Treatment
- PRP
- Interval
- Add the interval between the two photographs
- Note
- There is no guarantee that the result will be the same, as it might vary from one individual to another.
Before
After
/assets/before-after/prp-dubai-case-03-before.jpg
/assets/before-after/prp-dubai-case-03-after.jpg
- Treatment
- PRP
- Interval
- Add the interval between the two photographs
- Note
- There is no guarantee that the result will be the same, as it might vary from one individual to another.
Please read. There is no guarantee that the result will be the same, as it might vary from one individual to another. These photographs record outcomes in specific individuals and are not a prediction of what any treatment will achieve for you. Anatomy, skin type, age, medical history and healing all differ between people.
Every procedure described on this page carries risks, which are set out in full below and are discussed with you in person before consent is taken. No result is guaranteed, and some people are advised at assessment that a treatment is not appropriate for them.
All photographs are published with the written consent of the individual concerned. Consent can be withdrawn at any time by contacting the clinic.
Risks and limits
These are discussed with you individually before consent is taken. The list is not exhaustive, and it is not a substitute for that conversation.
- Redness and mild swelling for 24 to 48 hours.
- Pinpoint bruising at injection sites, and bruising at the venepuncture site.
- Tenderness of the treated area for a day or two.
- Infection, uncommon given the material is autologous and prepared in a closed system, but possible with any skin puncture.
- Temporary increased shedding in the first weeks of scalp treatment, which precedes rather than contradicts a response.
- No response. A proportion of people do not respond meaningfully, and this cannot be predicted in advance.
When this treatment is not appropriate
- Platelet disorders, thrombocytopenia and other haematological disease.
- Active systemic or local infection.
- Anticoagulant therapy, which requires individual assessment.
- Active malignancy.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- Recent systemic corticosteroid use, which may need the session deferred.
After treatment
- Leave the skin alone for the rest of the day. No make-up for 12 hours after microneedling delivery.
- Avoid strenuous exercise, saunas and hammams for 24 hours.
- Do not wash the scalp for 24 hours after scalp treatment.
- Avoid NSAIDs for 48 hours afterwards, since the inflammatory response is part of the mechanism.
- Daily broad-spectrum sun protection, which matters more in Dubai than most places.
Questions
Asked often
When will I see something?
Not quickly. Skin changes become apparent from around six to eight weeks and continue over the course. Hair responses are typically assessed at three to six months. Anyone promising a visible result in days is describing swelling.
Does it hurt?
The blood draw is a standard venepuncture. Delivery into the skin is done under topical anaesthetic and is generally well tolerated; the scalp is more sensitive than the face.
How many sessions will I need?
Three is the usual starting course, spaced four to six weeks. Whether maintenance follows is decided from your response at three months, not agreed in advance.
Is it safe, given it is my own blood?
Being autologous removes the risk of allergic reaction and of transmitted infection, which is a genuine advantage. It does not remove the risks that come with any needle: bruising, tenderness, and a small infection risk.
Will it work for my hair?
It has the strongest evidence in androgenetic alopecia where follicles are miniaturised but present. It does not restore follicles that have been lost to scarring. Your scalp is examined before this is answered, and results vary between individuals.
Can I combine it with other treatments?
Frequently, yes — with microneedling in the same session, or sequenced with resurfacing. What suits you is decided at assessment.
Also relevant
Related treatments
Consultation
Every face is read before it is treated
A consultation establishes whether this treatment is the right one for you. Sometimes the answer is that it is not.