Non-Surgical Hair Restoration at Med Spas: PRP, Exosomes and Laser

Hair restoration is the umbrella term for treatments meant to slow hair loss, regrow hair, or both.

At a med spa it means the non-surgical side of that: PRP injections, exosome products, low-level laser (red light) therapy, scalp microneedling, and prescription and over-the-counter medications that a provider manages alongside them.

Most of the research behind this page is about one condition: androgenetic alopecia, or pattern hair loss, which is the condition most PRP hair studies treat.

A 2019 review in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology notes that the FDA-approved treatments for pattern hair loss are oral finasteride and topical minoxidil.

PRP is not among them, FDA states that no exosome product is approved, and the laser devices are cleared rather than approved.

A hair transplant is the surgical alternative, and it is a different decision with its own candidacy, cost and recovery questions.

This page covers it only to draw the contrast, in a section near the end.

Everything before that is the non-surgical side a med spa works in.

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) starts with your own blood: blood is drawn, the plasma is separated, and the result is injected into the scalp.

The injection part takes about 10 minutes, per the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

The AAD describes a typical schedule of monthly sessions for the first 3 months, then every 3 to 6 months, and a 2019 review proposes a first-year plan of six sessions at months 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 — while stating plainly that there is no established standard for how PRP is prepared, administered or evaluated for hair loss.

The trial record is narrower than the marketing.

A 2023 meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials (238 patients) found PRP injections increased hair density at 3 and 6 months versus placebo in androgenetic alopecia, but hair count and hair diameter were not significantly different from placebo.

No serious adverse reactions were reported in those trials.

In the studies the 2019 review examined, the most common side effect of PRP scalp injections was temporary pain at the injection site, and no major adverse effects were reported.

Two qualifications matter.

PRP is not a permanent fix — maintenance treatments are needed to keep any result, and the AAD says the evidence in women is early.

And the 2019 review positions PRP as an add-on rather than a replacement: it advises continuing minoxidil, spironolactone or finasteride, because PRP does not suppress the hormonal component of pattern hair loss.

On the regulatory question, our research could not verify PRP's device rules directly — PRP preparation kits are widely described as regulated devices and the hair-loss use as off-label — so treat any clinic that markets PRP as approved by FDA for hair loss with caution.

The 2019 review's wording is the safe one: PRP is not among the FDA-approved treatments for pattern hair loss.

Exosome products are those marketed as containing exosomes — particles that, in the human studies of topical exosomes for skin examined by a 2026 scoping review in Aesthetic Surgery Journal, were derived from human cells or plants.

They are marketed for hair restoration as well as for skin.

Our Exosome Treatments guide covers the facial and microneedling uses.

The regulatory picture is the part to hold onto.

FDA states there are currently no FDA-approved exosome products, and that exosomes used to treat diseases or conditions are regulated as drugs and biological products requiring premarket review.

FDA issued a public safety notification on December 6, 2019, after serious adverse events in Nebraska patients treated with unapproved products marketed as containing exosomes.

The hair evidence is early.

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 clinic that describes exosomes as proven for hair regrowth is going further than the published reviews we found do.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is the red light branch of hair restoration: devices that emit low-level laser or light, with the laser comb as the original — this is not laser hair removal, the treatment for unwanted body hair.

Laser hair-growth devices are FDA 510(k)-cleared, not approved; the first clearance was the HairMax LaserComb (K060305) on January 18, 2007.

FDA has also cleared some at-home red-light devices for hair regrowth, and 'FDA cleared' indicates low risk, not proven effectiveness.

The AAD's assessment: a few studies are promising, including a 26-week sham-controlled study of a laser comb in more than 200 people, but not everyone regrows hair and long-term safety is unknown.

A 2017 meta-analysis of randomized trials found low-level laser light therapy superior to placebo for hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia, with high heterogeneity between studies.

Where regrowth happens, red light therapy for hereditary hair loss won't regrow a full head of hair and needs ongoing use.

For the broader evidence, see our red light therapy guide.

Scalp microneedling uses devices with longer needles than those used to treat the skin in facial microneedling.

A few studies show it can help stimulate hair growth, mainly when combined with minoxidil, PRP or a topical corticosteroid, and microneedling can worsen some scalp conditions.

The FDA-authorized uses of microneedling devices are facial acne scars, facial wrinkles and abdominal scars in people 22 and older — hair loss is not one of them, so the scalp use is off-label.

The medications are the anchor of the category.

For male pattern hair loss, the FDA-approved medications are topical minoxidil, sold without a prescription, and oral finasteride, a prescription drug (Propecia).

The AAD calls minoxidil the most-recommended treatment for female pattern hair loss.

Finasteride is approved for men only: it is not indicated for women, it is contraindicated in pregnancy, and women who are or may become pregnant should not handle crushed or broken tablets.

The label also names its most common side effects: decreased libido, erectile dysfunction and ejaculation disorder.

Start with a diagnosis, not a treatment menu.

There are several types of hair loss — male and female pattern hair loss, alopecia areata, traction alopecia, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia and frontal fibrosing alopecia among them — and each needs different treatment.

The AAD stresses getting a dermatologist diagnosis first, because other causes can look like pattern hair loss, and it lists hair loss among the concerns to see a dermatologist about rather than treat cosmetically first.

Candidacy then follows the evidence.

Pattern hair loss affects 45% of men and 35% of women by age 60, according to the 2019 review.

Finasteride is approved for men only, and the AAD calls minoxidil the most-recommended treatment for female pattern hair loss.

Where PRP, exosomes, laser or microneedling fit for your specific scalp is a medical question for the licensed provider who examines it — this page can't answer it for you.

The straight answer: we could not confirm a reliable national price for any of these treatments.

Clinic and blog figures disagree, and no tier-1 or tier-2 source in our research gives a standard price for PRP for hair.

Treat any single 'average cost of PRP for hair' figure you see online as marketing until a clinic confirms its own price in writing.

The closest national figure we have is not a hair figure: on its page about PRP for younger-looking skin, the AAD estimates that US cosmetic PRP sessions cost about $250 to $1,500 each and says insurance does not cover them — a dated estimate for skin PRP, not for PRP for hair and not a med spa price survey.

We could not verify hair PRP, exosome or laser-hair pricing in this research at all.

Local prices vary by provider and city, so the number that matters is the one a clinic quotes you for your specific plan.

For a closer look at pricing, see the cost for hair restoration.

What moves the number you are quoted: how many sessions the provider recommends and at what interval, whether the clinic prices per session or as a package, whether prescription medication is included, and how often maintenance visits are expected.

Ask what the fee covers — for PRP, that includes the blood draw and processing — and what a full first year costs, not just a single visit.

One more money fact: IRS Publication 502 treats cosmetic procedures that improve appearance without promoting proper body function or treating disease as generally not deductible medical expenses, naming hair transplants as an example.

By the same IRS definition, cosmetic med spa treatments are generally not HSA/FSA-eligible; the exception is a procedure needed to fix a deformity from a congenital abnormality, accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease — check your plan's rules before counting on reimbursement.

One principle first: none of these is one-and-done.

The minoxidil label says continued use is needed or hair loss begins again, the finasteride label says stopping reverses the effect within 12 months, and PRP needs maintenance treatments to keep results.

Read every cell as a measurement or a label statement, not a promise: a trial average is not what any one person gets, and our research found no standard source behind the timelines clinics advertise.

A hair transplant is the surgical alternative to everything on this page.

The AAD describes a modern hair transplant as an effective, permanent, natural-looking option for pattern baldness in men or women.

The labeled medications, PRP and laser devices are not permanent: finasteride's benefits stop when the drug is stopped, minoxidil requires continued use, PRP needs maintenance treatments to keep results, and laser use must be ongoing.

The trade-offs are real too, and this guide doesn't try to score them: a transplant is surgery, with its own candidacy, cost and recovery questions, and IRS Publication 502 names hair transplants among the cosmetic procedures that are generally not deductible medical expenses.

If you want to weigh surgery, that conversation belongs with a licensed physician who evaluates transplant candidates.

If you are already working with a med spa, ask how a non-surgical plan would change after a transplant.

Hair restoration is a category worth shopping carefully.

Before you book anything, ask four questions and write the answers down.

• Who performs each treatment, and what license and training do they hold for it?
• What type of hair loss do they think you have, and how was that confirmed?
• What does the first year cost all-in — sessions, medications, maintenance — and what happens if you stop?
• How will results be measured: standardized photos, hair counts, or nothing at all?

Our guides to choosing a med spa and to injector credentials walk through the full checklists, including how to verify a license.

Two red flags are worth naming.

One: any claim that a PRP treatment or exosome product carries FDA approval for hair — FDA states that no exosome product is approved, and the 2019 review cited earlier puts PRP outside the approved pattern-hair-loss treatments.

Two: a treatment package sold at a first visit that never asks about diagnosis — the AAD's position is that hair loss should be diagnosed by a dermatologist first, because other conditions can look like pattern hair loss.

Finally, remember the shape of the commitment: the medication, PRP and laser options are all ongoing treatments.

Whatever a clinic proposes, ask what month 13 looks like — what continues, what it costs, and what happens to your hair if you stop.