PRP and PRF are treatments that use your own blood. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. PRF stands for platelet-rich fibrin. Both concentrate the platelet-rich part of your blood and return it to the skin. Both start with a small, simple blood draw from your arm, much less than you would give at a blood donation. We place the sample in a centrifuge, which spins it to separate the platelet-rich part. That concentrate is what we use. Because it comes from your own body, there is nothing foreign in it.
PRP is the original: liquid, and it releases its contents quickly. PRF is a newer version, spun more gently and without additives, so it forms a soft, natural scaffold and releases more slowly. PRF can also be prepared as a soft gel. Neither is simply better. Which one we use depends on your skin and your goal. PRF clots quickly, so it asks for more precise timing during preparation and injection.
Patients most often ask about PRP and PRF for skin texture, for the under-eye area, alongside microneedling, and for thinning hair. What is reasonable to expect differs a great deal between those, and it is worth talking through rather than reading off a page.
A visit is straightforward. First we draw a small sample of your blood. While the centrifuge spins it, we prepare your skin, usually with a numbing cream. Then we apply or inject the concentrate, depending on your treatment plan. Most visits take 30 to 60 minutes. PRP and PRF do not work overnight. If there is a change, it builds slowly over weeks and months, and it varies a great deal from person to person. When they are used, it is usually as a short series, often three to six sessions spaced a few weeks apart, with occasional maintenance after.
An Honest Word on the Evidence
PRP and PRF are not FDA-approved for cosmetic use. The centrifuge systems used to prepare them are cleared as devices, but using the concentrate to treat skin or hair is an off-label use.
The published research is mixed. Studies differ in how the concentrate is prepared, how much is used, and how results are measured, which makes them hard to compare. Hair loss has the more consistent supporting evidence. For skin texture and tone the picture is less settled.
Where published evidence is thin, judgment matters more. Drs. Gambhir will talk through whether this is a reasonable thing to try for you, and what to expect and not expect from it.
Because the material is your own, there is no foreign substance, so the risk of an allergic reaction is very low. Side effects are usually mild: redness, swelling, or a little bruising for a day or two. There is also an honest point to make: because these treatments use your blood, they must be done with strict, sterile, medical care. You may have heard the nickname “vampire facial.” A few years ago, a non-medical spa that stored and handled blood unsafely caused serious harm and made national news. We mention it for one reason: it shows exactly why a treatment that uses your own blood belongs in a licensed physician’s office, with single-use supplies and proper sterile technique. That is how we do it, every time.
PRP and PRF are simple in idea but exact in practice. Which one we choose, and how we deliver it, depends on your skin, your goals, and what your body responds to. We will tell you honestly what to expect.