PRP vs Finasteride: Is it worth the Cost? Surgeon Explains

Finasteride vs PRP? Almost every hair loss candidate asks the same question. Why?

Because PRP costs money and Finasteride may show side effects because it decreases DHT androgen sex hormone by about 60-70% in the serum, prostate, and scalp.

In this article I’ll compare PRP vs Finasteride only based on scientific studies.

Bear with me.

PRP vs Finasteride Comparison

In a study (Sharma et al., 2022^[1]) 60 patients were followed for 12 months.

• Group A received PRP
• Group B used topical 5% minoxidil fortified with 0.1% finasteride, 1 ml twice daily

At the end of 12 months:

• In Group A (PRP)
  • 73.3% showed 1–25% improvement
  • 26.7% showed 26–50% improvement
• In Group B (minoxidil + finasteride)
  • 70% showed 1–25% improvement
  • 26.7% showed 26–50% improvement

Hair Growth	PRP	Minoxidil and Finasteride
Patient with No improvement	0	1 (3.3%)
1-25% improvement	22 (73.3%)	21 (70%)
26-50% improvement	8 (26.7%)	8 (26.7%)

So this study finds out that PRP injections =~ Minoxidil + Finasteride combo treatment.

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Another study (Erfan M., 2024^[2]) compared two combination therapies:

• Group A: Monthly PRP injections + oral finasteride 1 mg daily
• Group B: Topical minoxidil 5% twice daily + oral finasteride 1 mg daily

Results showed that Group A performed better.

• Mean hair density in Group A (PRP + oral finasteride): 102 hair/cm²
• Mean hair density in Group (minoxidil with finasteride): 87 hair/cm²

The study concluded that adding PRP with oral finasteride leads to better hair regrowth, higher density, and higher patient satisfaction compared to minoxidil with finasteride.

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In another study (Gupta, M., 2024^[3]), patients are divided into four groups:

• Group 1: Topical minoxidil + finasteride solution
• Group 2: PRP alone
• Group 3: PRP + minoxidil + finasteride solution
• Group 4: Normal saline (control)

After six months:

• Group 3 (PRP + minoxidil + finasteride) showed the best results
  • 73.33% had a negative hair pull test
• Group 2 (PRP alone) second best, showed 60% improvement

This study showed that PRP works better when combined with drug therapy, but PRP alone still gave meaningful results.

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In this study:

• Group 1: Monthly PRP for four months
• Group 2: Minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% lotion, twice daily for four months

Results at six months showed:

• Both groups had similar increases in hair density
• The difference between groups was not statistically significant.

However, one important point was noted:

PRP had a faster onset of action.

The study also showed that microneedling + PRP was as effective as minoxidil + finasteride lotion.

PRP vs Finasteride Costs by Country

Turkey

I charge $200 for a single PRP session in Turkey.

If a patient has a hair transplant surgery with me, the package already includes 2 PRP sessions with no extra cost.

Turkey PRP cost for hair varies between $200 – $500 depending on the clinic and location.

When PRP is bought as a package, the price per session can drop to around 100 USD.

1 year PRP hair therapy cost in Turkey is in between $4800 – $24000.

1 year PRP cost in my clinic is $2000.

USA

USA PRP cost for hair is $400 to $2000 per session.

USA 1 year PRP hair therapy cost is in between 4800$ – 24000$

Canada

Canada PRP cost for hair is CAD 800 to CAD 1,500 per session.

Canada 1 year PRP hair therapy cost is in between CAD 9600 – CAD 18000

England

England PRP cost for hair is £250 to £750 per session.

England 1 year PRP hair therapy cost is in between £3000 – £9000.

Is PRP a good alternative to Finasteride?

Based on these studies, PRP can be a reasonable alternative for some patients.

PRP showed comparable results to minoxidil and finasteride in several studies.

Side effects with PRP were minimal, which may improve patient compliance.

PRP can be especially useful for patients who:

• Having finasteride or minoxidil side effects such as impotence (erectile dysfunction)
• Do not like using topical or oral drugs.

What I recommend as a doctor?

Studies show that combining PRP with finasteride and/or minoxidil usually gives better overall results.

In general, PRP is often best used together with medical therapy, rather than replacing it completely.

Especially with hair transplants, PRP should be done more than once, because it supports the healing process.

Also, it is a good practice to place hair grafts into organ preservation solutions enriched with PRP (bioenhancements) before implantation.

What I usually recommend to my patients is:

• Coming once a month for PRP injections
• Using oral finasteride and carefully checking for side effects. If everything is fine, continuing the treatment
• Doing regular scalp microneedling especially before hair transplant.
• Taking supplements can be heavy on the kidneys, and in most cases they are not necessary if a good Mediterranean diet is followed.

6 months FUE Hair Transplant before after with PRP therapy, no finasteride or minoxidil:

References

1. Sharma HK, Chauhan PS, Mehta KS, Mahajan V, Chandel M, Verma Y, Hooda S, Sharma A. A study to compare the efficacy and safety of platelet rich plasma and topical minoxidil fortified with finasteride in the treatment of androgenic alopecia in male patients [Internet]. IP Indian J Clin Exp Dermatol. 2022 [cited 2026 Feb 04];8(2):91-96. Available from: https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijced.2022.021
2. Erfan, M., Saleem, S., Hussain, A., Rana, M., Ahmed, S., & Ali, A. (2024). Evaluation of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Versus Topical Minoxidil (5%) in Combination with Oral Finasteride for the Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia: Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Topical Minoxidil and Finasteride. Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences, 5(08), 144–148. https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v5i08.1666
3. Gupta, M., & Garg, V. K. (2024). Evaluating treatments for male androgenetic alopecia: clinical profile and comparative efficacy of platelet rich plasma and minoxidil with finasteride. International Journal of Research in Dermatology, 10(6), 324–331. https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2455-4529.IntJResDermatol20242648
4. Khan A, Agarwal D, Talwar A.Comparison of Microneedling with Platelet Rich Plasma vs Minoxidil (5%)+Finasteride (0.1%) Topical Therapy in Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomised Clinical StudyJ Clin of Diagn Res.2023; 17(3):WC01-WC05. https://www.doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2023/62102/17569