Hair Loss and Thinning Hair: Med Spa Treatments That Can Help

Hair loss is not one condition.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) lists several types, among them male and female pattern hair loss, alopecia areata, traction alopecia, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia and frontal fibrosing alopecia — and each of these causes requires different treatment.

That is why AAD stresses getting a dermatologist diagnosis before any treatment: other causes of hair loss can look a lot like pattern hair loss.

Because each cause requires different treatment, no single "hair loss treatment" fits every head, and a med spa menu that starts at the device rather than the diagnosis is running its own order backwards.

The diagnosis also decides which evidence even applies to you.

The studies behind the treatments below name the condition they treated: the PRP meta-analysis covered androgenetic alopecia, and the red light trials covered hereditary hair loss.

A result from one condition does not transfer to another, which is the pattern to keep in mind through the rest of this page.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) starts with your own blood.

AAD describes the process for hair: blood is drawn, the plasma is separated out, and the platelet-rich plasma is injected into the scalp — the injection part takes about 10 minutes.

The schedule AAD describes is typically a return visit once a month for the first 3 months, then once every 3 to 6 months.

PRP is not a one-time fix.

AAD states it directly: PRP is not a permanent solution, and maintenance treatments can help maintain results.

The controlled-trial evidence we found is a 2023 meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials with 238 patients.

It found PRP injections increased hair density at 3 and 6 months versus placebo in androgenetic alopecia.

Two limits belong right next to that finding: hair count and hair diameter were not significantly different from placebo, and the trials' protocols — session counts and intervals — varied, so this research does not establish a standard session count.

No serious adverse reactions were reported in those trials.

For women, AAD says the evidence for PRP is early and more study is needed.

Exosome products are marketed for hair regrowth, and they are the clearest case on this page for checking FDA status before you pay.

FDA's consumer alert, with content current as of April 2024, states there are currently no FDA-approved exosome products, and that as a general matter, exosome products intended to treat diseases or conditions in humans require FDA approval.

In other words, no exosome product is FDA-approved, FDA-cleared or proven for hair regrowth.

What does the hair-loss evidence look like?

A 2025 systematic review of exosomes for hair loss reported no serious adverse events and called the results promising, but said the evidence is limited by small samples, heterogeneous designs and varying follow-up, and that high-quality randomized trials are needed.

A 2026 systematic review of microneedling plus exosomes — 8 studies with 3 to 60 participants each, covering androgenetic alopecia, skin aging, hyperpigmentation, scarring and enlarged pores — concluded more evidence is needed before the safety and efficacy of the combination can be established.

FDA advises patients considering an exosome treatment to ask whether FDA has reviewed it and to ask for the product's FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) number; legitimate trials require signed informed consent overseen by an Institutional Review Board.

Our exosomes guide covers the products, the FDA record and the skin-side evidence in depth.

Scalp microneedling uses the same device family used on facial scars, with one practical difference AAD points out: devices made for hair loss contain longer needles than the ones used to treat the skin.

The evidence AAD describes is modest and combination-based: a few studies show scalp microneedling can help stimulate hair growth, mainly when it is combined with minoxidil, PRP or a topical corticosteroid.

The authorization status matters here.

FDA has authorized microneedling devices to improve the appearance of facial acne scars, facial wrinkles and abdominal scars in patients aged 22 or older.

Hair loss is not on that list — the scalp use is off-label, meaning it is not an authorized indication of these devices even though it is commonly done.

There is also a delivery question.

FDA states that microneedling devices are not approved for delivering cosmetics, topical medications, vitamin solutions, drugs or blood products such as platelet-rich plasma into the skin — so pairing a device with the very substances in the studies (minoxidil, PRP, a corticosteroid) is not an approved delivery route either.

One more caution from AAD: microneedling can worsen some scalp conditions.

Our microneedling guide covers the authorized uses, sterile technique and pricing in depth.

The honest answer: red light therapy produced some regrowth in randomized trials for hereditary hair loss, but AAD says it won't regrow a full head of hair and it needs ongoing use.

The devices are FDA-cleared, not approved.

The first laser hair-growth device was the HairMax LaserComb, cleared through the 510(k) process on January 18, 2007 (K060305).

AAD notes FDA has cleared some at-home red-light devices for skin aging and for hair regrowth, and that "FDA cleared" tells you the device is low risk — it does not tell you anything about how effective the device is.

AAD also points out that the requirements for getting cleared are much less stringent than for getting approved.

What the studies show: AAD calls a few studies promising, including a 26-week sham-controlled study of a laser comb in 200+ people, but not everyone regrows hair and long-term safety is unknown.

A 2017 meta-analysis of randomized trials in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found low-level laser therapy superior to placebo for hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia — with high heterogeneity between studies, and because the analysis covered men, its finding does not extend to women.

A 2018 systematic review found the therapy stimulated hair growth versus sham devices but urged caution and called for larger, independently funded studies.

Our red light therapy guide covers the skin-side evidence, the cleared categories and how to check a device's clearance.

Of the treatments on this page, the two with the strongest FDA standing are not med spa procedures at all.

For male pattern hair loss, AAD names two FDA-approved medications: topical minoxidil, available without a prescription, and oral finasteride, which is prescription.

AAD says finasteride has been shown to slow further hair loss in about 80% to 90% of men taking it, with results in about 6 months — and the benefits stop when the medication is stopped.

Finasteride's approval is men-only.

Finasteride 1 mg (Propecia) is FDA-approved to treat male pattern hair loss in men only; it is not indicated for women, it is contraindicated in pregnancy, and women who are or may be pregnant should not handle crushed or broken tablets.

For female pattern hair loss, AAD calls minoxidil the most-recommended treatment.

The over-the-counter minoxidil label in our sources (Men's Rogaine 5%) is written for regrowing hair on the top of the scalp; that label says results may take 2 to 4 months of twice-daily use, it will not work for everyone, and continued use is needed or hair loss resumes.

And when the option is surgical: AAD describes a modern hair transplant as an effective, permanent, natural-looking option for pattern baldness in men or women.

That is a referral to a transplant surgeon, and per AAD it refers to pattern baldness — not to every type of hair loss, which is the diagnosis point this page keeps returning to.

MedSpaStandard's med spa directory and its treatment-by-city listings are not live yet, so we cannot point you to a specific practice here.

What "vetted" means for hair loss: the first appointment should be a diagnosis.

AAD stresses seeing a dermatologist to identify the type of hair loss before treatment, because other causes can look like pattern hair loss — and the PRP meta-analysis and red light trials on this page named the conditions they treated, androgenetic alopecia and hereditary hair loss, before they measured anything.

AAD's question list before any cosmetic procedure:

• Are you board-certified?
• How many times have you done this exact procedure?
• How often do you treat patients with my skin tone and type?
• What results can I realistically expect — ask for before-and-after photos of similar skin tones?
• What are the risks, recovery time, number of treatments and cost?

Three hair-loss-specific additions come straight from the facts above: how many sessions a quoted price covers and what maintenance looks like, because PRP is not permanent and AAD's described course continues every 3 to 6 months; which product would be used and what its FDA status is, because there are no FDA-approved exosome products; and for red light, which clearance covers the device, because cleared means low risk rather than proven effectiveness.

Our guide to skin and body concerns maps the other concerns med spas treat, and the treatment guides this page routes to — non-surgical hair restoration, exosomes, microneedling and red light therapy — cover what the evidence supports for each.