PRP therapy

How it is prepared

A sample of your blood is taken and spun in a centrifuge to separate and concentrate the platelet fraction. Platelets carry growth factors involved in tissue repair. The concentrate is then injected into the treatment area. Because it comes from you, there is no risk of allergy to the material itself.

Preparation technique varies considerably between clinics and affects what is actually delivered. Ours uses a closed sterile system with a defined protocol.

Hair loss

This is where the evidence is strongest. PRP has reasonable published support in androgenetic alopecia, particularly earlier in the process while follicles are miniaturised rather than lost. It works best alongside medical treatment, not instead of it, and hair loss should be properly diagnosed first — autoimmune, nutritional, thyroid and hormonal causes need identifying before anything is injected into the scalp.

Skin quality

For facial skin, PRP is used to improve texture, tone and fine lines, often combined with microneedling. The evidence here is more modest than for hair, and results are subtle and gradual. Anyone describing it as transformative for facial ageing is overstating it.

Realistic expectations

PRP requires a course, then maintenance. It slows and partially reverses rather than cures. In hair loss it does not regrow follicles that have been lost entirely, which is why timing matters and why early assessment is worth more than late treatment.

Risks and limitations

No treatment is without risk, and you are entitled to the full picture before you decide rather than a summary afterwards. These are discussed with you individually at consultation, in the context of your own history.

• Discomfort during scalp injection, which can be considerable
• Bruising, swelling and tenderness for several days
• Bleeding or bruising at the blood draw site
• Infection, uncommon
• Temporary increased shedding early in scalp treatment
• Variable response, with some people not responding
• Modest evidence base for facial rejuvenation compared with hair loss
• Not suitable with certain blood disorders, active infection or some medications

Where you would be seen

Assessment and treatment are available at CLNQ Manchester at Deansgate Square in the city centre, and at CLNQ Knutsford on King Street in Cheshire — convenient for patients across Greater Manchester, Altrincham, Hale, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and Macclesfield.

Both sites hold hyaluronidase on the premises with a written protocol for its use, which is the relevant question to ask any clinic offering filler. Complications arising from treatment performed elsewhere in the North West are also assessed here.

• CLNQ Manchester — Deansgate Square 11 Owen Street, Manchester M15 4YB Ground floor of the South Tower at Deansgate Square, Manchester city centre.
• CLNQ Knutsford — Cheshire 49-51 King Street, Knutsford WA16 6DX King Street, Knutsford, serving Cheshire and the surrounding area.

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