Hair

Hair Loss Treatment in the Philippines: Where PRP Fits

Pattern loss, shedding and scalp disease need different answers. What to rule out first, what PRP can and cannot do, and what an assessment costs in Laoag.

Hair loss is not one condition, and the treatment for each cause is different. Pattern hair loss, telogen shedding after illness or childbirth, alopecia areata, scalp infection and hair loss from iron deficiency or thyroid disease all look similar in a photograph and are managed in completely different ways. Some need a series of treatments, some resolve on their own, and some need a blood test and a change of medicine.

This page explains how the causes are separated, what PRP actually does, what it does not do, and what an assessment costs in Laoag City.

The patterns, and why the pattern matters

The pattern gives away most of the answer before any test. Pattern loss is progressive and needs long term management. Telogen shedding is usually self limiting once the trigger is gone. Scarring alopecia is the one that must not wait, because the hair does not come back once the follicle is destroyed.

What to rule out before buying anything

The cheap tests come before the expensive treatments. A doctor looking at hair loss will normally consider:

• Iron status, including ferritin, because low iron stores cause shedding even without anaemia.
• Thyroid function.
• A recent illness, surgery, dengue, childbirth or crash diet, all of which cause shedding about three months later.
• Medicines, including some for blood pressure, acne, mood and contraception.
• Scalp examination for inflammation, scaling, folliculitis or fungal infection.
• Family history and the pattern itself.

Finding one reversible cause is common, and it changes the plan completely. Treating pattern loss in someone whose real problem is a ferritin of 8 is how people spend a year and a great deal of money on the wrong thing.

What PRP is

Platelet-rich plasma is made from your own blood. A sample is spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, and the concentrate is injected into the scalp in areas of thinning.

The theory is that the growth factors released by platelets stimulate the follicle and prolong the growth phase. That theory is reasonable and the results in studies are not consistent. Some trials show improvement in hair density in pattern loss, others show little difference from placebo, and the studies differ in how the plasma is prepared, how many sessions are given and how the outcome is measured.

That is what "mixed evidence" means in practice: PRP is not a fraud and it is not a cure, and a clinic that describes it as either is telling you something about how it sells.

What PRP can and cannot do

It can:

• Improve density and hair calibre modestly in some people with pattern hair loss.
• Be used alongside standard treatment, which is where the better results are reported.
• Be repeated as maintenance, in a schedule set for your case.

It cannot:

• Regrow hair on skin that is already smooth and shiny, where the follicle is gone.
• Replace standard treatment for pattern loss.
• Fix shedding caused by iron deficiency, thyroid disease or a medicine.
• Work in one session.
• Be judged after four weeks. The timeline is months.

The honest framing is that PRP is an add-on with a modest effect and a real cost, and it is worth considering when the diagnosis is pattern loss and the standard options are already in place.

What a series looks like, and what to ask

PRP protocols published in the literature commonly use a small series of sessions spaced about four weeks apart, followed by maintenance at longer intervals. The exact number depends on the diagnosis, the stage of loss and how the scalp responds.

Ask for the plan in writing: number of sessions, spacing, what happens after the series, and the total cost including maintenance for a year. A quote per session hides the number that matters.

Injection discomfort is real. The scalp is numbed with local anaesthetic, and most people describe pressure and stinging rather than pain. There is no downtime beyond a day of scalp tenderness, and no restriction on washing after the period the clinic sets.

What else is part of treatment

PRP is rarely the whole plan for pattern loss. The rest of it is unglamorous:

• Standard medical treatment for pattern loss, which is a conversation with a doctor about what is appropriate and what needs monitoring.
• Correcting iron, thyroid or other reversible causes.
• Treating scalp inflammation or infection if present.
• Stopping traction: tight ponytails, braids and repeated pulling at the hairline.
• Realistic hair care that does not involve daily heat or chemical straightening.

Salon smoothing treatments, keratin, rebond and hair botox have no effect on hair loss. They coat or restructure the hair shaft that has already grown. The hair botox explainer covers why the name causes so much confusion.

Who is not a candidate

• Someone with active scalp infection or inflammation, until it is treated.
• Significant scarring alopecia, which needs a different plan and often a specialist.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding, for elective treatment.
• Bleeding disorders or anticoagulant treatment, without medical clearance.
• Anyone expecting a transplant result from injections, or a result in one session.

What it costs in Laoag City

At La Peau Parfaite, the hair loss and alopecia consultation is ₱5,000 for 60 minutes. The clinic's description of the service covers PRP therapy and scalp treatment consultations, which means the appointment is an assessment first and a treatment decision second.

That figure buys the diagnosis, the review of your history and medicines, and a plan that states how many sessions are proposed. It is not the price of the series, and any clinic that quotes a series before examining the scalp is quoting a package.

The clinic's other starting prices, from consultation to laser, are on the Laoag City price page.

When to book, and when it is urgent

Book an assessment for a widening part, a receding hairline, diffuse thinning, or shedding that has lasted more than three months. Bring photographs from a year ago if you have them, the medicines and supplements you take, and any blood tests done in the last year.

See a doctor quickly, not eventually, if the loss is patchy and sudden, if the scalp is red, scaly, itchy or painful, if there is scaling with pus, or if hair is breaking off close to the scalp. Those patterns can be scarring or infective, and delay costs hair that does not return.

You can request an appointment for a hair loss assessment in Laoag City or online. If you have never had an aesthetic or medical consultation at the clinic, the first visit guide covers what to expect.

La Peau Parfaite Medical ClinicWritten and fact-checked by the La Peau Parfaite clinic team. Clinical decisions are made by Dr. Katheryne Castillo, MD during a consultation, never on a web page. Questions about this page: doctor@md-k.com.