BHRC BLOG
PRP & PRF Injection Cost — Los Angeles & Las Vegas, With the Real Evidence
PRP & PRF · Cost and Honest Evidence
The evidence is good for hair density, contested for knees, weak for faces and negative for erectile dysfunction. Here is each one, with the numbers.
1. What PRP is, and how PRF differs
PRP — platelet-rich plasma. Your blood is drawn into a tube containing an anticoagulant and centrifuged, concentrating platelets into a small volume of plasma. Platelets carry growth factors; the idea is to deliver a concentrated dose of them into tissue that you want to repair.
PRF — platelet-rich fibrin. Blood is drawn into anticoagulant-free tubes and given a single, shorter, lower-force spin. Without anticoagulant the blood clots during centrifugation, producing a fibrin clot or membrane containing platelets and leukocytes rather than a liquid concentrate. It is strictly autologous — nothing is added at any point.
PRF is routinely described as “second-generation,” and that phrase is accurate as terminology — it is what the originating authors used in 2006. It describes chronology and processing, not demonstrated superiority. Do not read it as “better.”
2. The regulatory status, stated correctly
What that means practically: every aesthetic use of PRP, and nearly every orthopedic injection use, is outside the cleared indication and is practiced under the practice-of-medicine doctrine. That is legal and extremely common. It is not the same as an approval, and a clinic that tells you PRP is “FDA approved” is either confused or hoping you are.
3. The evidence, indication by indication
This is the part that actually matters, and it does not give a single answer.
Hair density — the strongest case
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials found a mean increase of +27.55 hairs/cm² (95% CI 14.04 to 41.06). That is a real, clinically meaningful number. The same analysis found the effect on hair diameter was not statistically significant, rated the overall certainty low under GRADE, and stated plainly that the studies were “highly heterogeneous, of low quality, and presented evident publication bias.” The statistical heterogeneity was extreme — I² of about 96%.
A second meta-analysis of nine trials found increased hair density at three and six months but no significant difference in hair count or diameter. And a review in American Family Physician noted that in an indirect network comparison, PRP outperformed minoxidil and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors — but only minoxidil had high-quality evidence behind it, and PRP did not beat low-level laser therapy.
Knee osteoarthritis — genuinely contested
The AAOS 2021 clinical practice guideline says PRP “may reduce pain and improve function” in symptomatic knee OA, with a strength of Limited. Its companion technology overview notes the literature has “substantial limitations” including inconsistent reporting of leukocyte and platelet concentrations.
The largest and best-designed single trial, RESTORE (288 patients, leukocyte-poor PRP versus saline placebo, MRI cartilage endpoint), was negative: pain difference −0.4 (95% CI −0.9 to 0.2, P = .17), cartilage volume difference −0.2% (P = .81), and 29 of 31 secondary outcomes with no significant difference. The authors concluded the findings “do not support use of PRP for the management of knee osteoarthritis.”
Several network meta-analyses pooling many smaller trials reach more favourable conclusions, sometimes ranking PRP first among injectables. The discordance between the single best trial and the pooled smaller ones is itself the finding. If you are considering PRP for a knee, you should know that this is where the evidence sits. Our joint injection page and the detailed piece on non-surgical pain management in West LA go further.
Facial rejuvenation — the weakest, and the most marketed
A 2021 systematic appraisal covering 36 studies and 3,172 patients found a median per-study sample size of 27.5, endpoints that ranged from questionnaires to photographic assessment with no standardisation, and heterogeneity so severe that meta-analysis was not possible. The authors concluded that “very limited clinical evidence” supports efficacy. That is the honest grade for the most heavily advertised use of PRP.
Erectile dysfunction — negative
The AUA erectile dysfunction guideline states that PRP therapy “should be considered experimental.” The best trial — 61 men, two intracavernosal injections versus placebo, double-blind — found 58.3% versus 53.6% reaching the minimum clinically important difference at one month, P = .730, with no change in penile Doppler parameters at six months. It was safe. It was not different from placebo.
4. What it costs
| What you book | Price |
|---|---|
| Face — single treatment | $950 |
| Face and neck | $1,100 |
| Face, neck and chest | $1,200 |
| 3-treatment series | $800/session · $2,400 total |
At our West Hollywood location the location-specific PRP menu runs differently — a single session at $750, three for $2,000 and six for $3,800 — because the protocols and areas offered differ. Confirm the price for the exact area and protocol you are booking; that is always the number that applies. Rejuvenation Club members save 20% on every treatment plus priority scheduling.
5. The safety story that everyone in this industry should know
In 2024 the CDC published an investigation in MMWR that is the most important safety document in aesthetics in years. Five HIV infections were identified — four women who had received PRP with microneedling at a New Mexico spa in 2018, and one man who was the sexual partner of one of them and had never been to the spa at all. Phylogenetic analysis showed all sequences clustered in a single monophyletic clade: a common source. One hundred ninety-eight former clients and partners were tested. It was the first documented HIV transmission cluster attributed to nonsterile cosmetic injection services.
The conditions found at the facility, which was unlicensed: blood stored in kitchen refrigerators alongside food. Unwrapped syringes on counters and in drawers. No autoclave. Single-use equipment reused after nothing more than alcohol immersion. No appointment system, so clients could not be traced.
6. What a reasonable expectation looks like
Note that last row honestly: durability data past six months is essentially absent across the PRP literature. Clinics that quote you a maintenance schedule are working from clinical practice and mechanism, not from published follow-up. That is not a reason to avoid it. It is a reason not to prepay for two years of it.
8550 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 101, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 859-1257 · Monday–Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Treatment by the BHRC clinical team
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PRP, PRF and microneedling with PRP are all offered here.
Consultations are free and carry no obligation.
Questions we get asked
How much does a PRP injection cost in Los Angeles?
At BHRC, $950 for the face, $1,100 face and neck, $1,200 face, neck and chest, or $800 per session in a three-treatment series. Our West Hollywood location runs a separate menu starting at $750 a session. Confirm the price for the specific area and protocol you are booking.
Is PRP or PRF better?
There is no good comparative trial establishing one as superior for aesthetic indications. PRF’s advantages are theoretical and procedural — no anticoagulant, nothing added, a fibrin scaffold. ‘Second-generation’ is accurate terminology, not a demonstrated outcome.
Does PRP work for hair loss?
The meta-analysis evidence is positive for hair density — about +27.6 hairs per square centimetre — but rated low certainty, with extreme heterogeneity and documented publication bias. It is a reasonable adjunct. It is not a substitute for minoxidil or finasteride, which are FDA-approved with far stronger evidence.
Is PRP FDA-approved?
No. PRP is not FDA-approved for any indication, and it is not a 361 HCT/P — blood-derived products are excluded from that definition. The preparation devices are 510(k)-cleared only for mixing PRP with bone graft in orthopedic surgery.
Is it safe?
Autologous blood carries no rejection or allergy risk, and adverse events in the literature are minor. The real risk is procedural, not biological — the 2024 CDC investigation documented HIV transmission at an unlicensed facility with no sterilization. Licensure, single-use devices and documented handling are what make this safe.
Does it hurt?
The blood draw is a normal blood draw. Scalp injections sting; topical anaesthetic and a fine needle manage most of it. Facial PRP delivered with microneedling feels like the microneedling does.
Keep reading
- PRP and PRF at BHRC — the full service page
- PRP at BHRC West Hollywood
- Microneedling with PRP in West Hollywood — cost and protocol
- Regenerative therapies in West LA — PRP, exosomes and the evidence
- Hair restoration at BHRC Paradise Valley
- Joint injections — non-surgical options
- Joint injections and pain management in West Los Angeles
Book at any of our six locations
References
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Investigation of presumptive HIV transmission associated with PRP microneedling facials at a spa — New Mexico, 2018–2023. MMWR 2024;73(16):372–376. cdc.gov
- eCFR — 21 CFR 1271.3 — HCT/P definitions, excluding blood and blood-derived products. ecfr.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Product classification — product code ORG, platelet and plasma separator for bone graft handling, 21 CFR 864.9245. accessdata.fda.gov
- Kieling L, Konzen AT, Zanella RK, Valente DS — Is autologous PRP capable of increasing hair density in androgenic alopecia? A systematic review and meta-analysis. An Bras Dermatol 2024;99(6):847–862. anaisdedermatologia.org.br
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — Management of osteoarthritis of the knee (non-arthroplasty), 3rd edition clinical practice guideline, 2021. aaos.org
- Bennell KL, Paterson KL, Metcalf BR, et al. — Effect of intra-articular PRP vs placebo injection on pain and medial tibial cartilage volume in knee osteoarthritis: the RESTORE randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2021;326(20):2021–2030. jamanetwork.com
- Xiao H, Xu D, Mao R, et al. — Platelet-rich plasma in facial rejuvenation: a systematic appraisal of the available clinical evidence. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2021;14:1697–1724. dovepress.com
- Masterson TA, Molina M, Ledesma B, et al. — PRP for the treatment of erectile dysfunction: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Urol 2023;210(1):154–161. auajournals.org
- American Urological Association — Erectile dysfunction: AUA guideline — PRP should be considered experimental. auanet.org
- Dohan Ehrenfest D, Choukroun J, Diss A, et al. — Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF): a second-generation platelet concentrate. Part I: technological concepts and evolution. doi.org
Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center. This content is for general education and does not create a physician-patient relationship or constitute medical advice. PRP and PRF are not FDA-approved for aesthetic, dermatologic or orthopedic indications. PRP preparation devices are FDA-cleared only for preparing PRP to be mixed with bone graft. Use in these settings is practiced under the practice of medicine. Candidacy, dosing, results and pricing vary by person and are confirmed at a free consultation. Reviewed by the BHRC clinical team.
