PRF Under the Eyes and in the Scalp
Platelet-rich fibrin is one of the few treatments where the active ingredient is drawn out of your own arm. That makes it appealing — and it makes honest expectation-setting more important, not less.
PRF stands for platelet-rich fibrin. We draw a small amount of your blood, spin it in a centrifuge, and separate out the layer dense with platelets, white blood cells and fibrin. That concentrate is then injected or applied back into the area being treated.
There is no synthetic product involved and nothing foreign introduced. That is genuinely appealing, and it is also why this category attracts more overstatement than almost any other. So let us be specific about what it does, where the evidence stands, and where it is the wrong choice.
PRF versus PRP
You will see both acronyms, often used as though interchangeable. They are not.
PRP — platelet-rich plasma — is spun at higher speed, typically with an anticoagulant added to the tube. You get a liquid concentrate that releases its growth factors relatively quickly.
PRF is spun more slowly and without anticoagulant. Because clotting is allowed to proceed naturally, the result contains a fibrin mesh — a scaffold — along with a higher concentration of white blood cells. That scaffold holds the platelets in place at the treatment site and releases growth factors gradually over days rather than all at once.
In practice that means PRF stays where it is put and works over a longer window. It is why most clinics that offered PRP originally have moved toward PRF.
There is also EZGel, made by heating and then cooling PRF so it sets into a gel with more body to it. It behaves somewhat more like a soft volumizer while still being entirely your own material.
Under the eyes
The under-eye is the most requested PRF area and the one where expectations most need managing, because "dark circles" is a single phrase describing at least four different problems.
WHAT PRF GENUINELY HELPS
• Thin, crepey under-eye skin. PRF improves skin quality and thickness in the periorbital area, which is exactly where the tissue is thinnest on the whole face.
• Fine crepiness and texture. This responds well over a series.
• Shadowing caused by translucency. When the darkness comes from thin skin letting underlying vasculature show through, thickening that skin reduces it.
• Patients who don't want filler there. The under-eye is an unforgiving place for hyaluronic acid, and PRF is a lower-risk option for the right candidate.
WHAT IT DOESN'T FIX
• A true structural hollow. If there is a real volume deficit — a deep tear trough with a defined ledge — PRF is not going to fill it. That needs filler placed carefully, or in some cases surgery.
• Genuine pigmentation. If the darkness is melanin rather than shadow, this is a pigment problem and needs a pigment approach.
• Under-eye bags from herniated fat pads. That is a surgical finding. Injecting around it does not address it, and can make it look worse.
The single most useful thing your provider can do is work out which of these you actually have. Press gently, change the lighting, look at your eyes tipped up and down. Good clinics do this in front of a mirror with you so you can see it too.
For hair
The scalp application targets androgenetic alopecia — pattern hair thinning — and here the logic is about follicles that are still alive.
Pattern thinning is a gradual process of miniaturization: follicles shrink, hairs grow finer and shorter, and eventually the follicle stops producing. Growth factors delivered to the scalp appear to support those miniaturizing follicles and improve hair caliber and density. A growing body of clinical work, including recent studies of injectable PRF in androgenetic alopecia, points in a favorable direction.
Two honest caveats. First, the evidence base for PRF is smaller and less standardized than for neurotoxin or hyaluronic acid filler — protocols vary between studies, and so do the results. Second, and more practically: PRF works on follicles that still exist. A scalp that has been completely smooth for a decade has no follicles left to stimulate. The earlier you start after noticing thinning, the more there is to work with.
PRF also works best as part of a plan rather than alone. For many patients that means combining it with a medical therapy, and we will discuss whether that is appropriate for you.
What a course looks like
| Under-eye | Scalp | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial series | Typically 3 sessions, about a month apart | Typically 3–4 sessions, about a month apart |
| When you see change | Gradual over 2–3 months | Usually 3–6 months — hair grows on a slow cycle |
| Maintenance | Often once or twice a year | Usually every 4–6 months, ongoing |
| Appointment length | About an hour including the draw and spin | About an hour |
| Downtime | Swelling and possible bruising for a few days — the under-eye bruises easily | Tenderness for a day or two |
Swipe table →
Who isn't a candidate
Because PRF is made from your blood, your blood has to be able to make it. We will not proceed, or will require clearance first, if you have a platelet or bleeding disorder, are on anticoagulant therapy, have an active infection at or near the treatment site, have certain blood-related or active cancers, or are pregnant or breastfeeding. Significant anemia can also affect the quality of the concentrate.
This is not a formality. Bring your full medication list, including supplements — several common ones affect platelet function.
Common questions
How much blood do you take?
A small amount, comparable to a routine lab draw. If needles make you uneasy, tell us and we'll take our time.
Is it safe to use my own blood?
Using autologous material removes the risk of allergic reaction to a foreign product. It does not remove the risks common to any injection — bruising, swelling, infection, and technique-dependent complications.
Can PRF be combined with other treatments?
Yes, and it often is — with microneedling to drive it into the skin, or alongside filler placed elsewhere on the face. We'll sequence it sensibly.
Does the under-eye result last?
Improvements from a completed series typically hold for several months to a year. It is a maintenance treatment, not a one-time correction.
Will my hair grow back where I'm completely bald?
No. PRF supports follicles that are still present and miniaturizing. It does not create new ones. We would rather tell you that at consultation than take your money for a series that cannot work.
Find out if PRF is the right tool for you.
We'll look at whether your concern is a skin-quality problem PRF can help with, or a structural one that needs something else.
Book a consultation · 503.303.8313 · 1130 NW 10th Ave, Portland
This article is general patient education, not medical advice, and it does not establish a provider-patient relationship. Individual results vary. Every treatment described here carries risks that should be discussed with a licensed provider who has evaluated you in person.
