Buyer's guide
Choosing a PRP system for hair restoration
A scalp session is a small volume delivered across a lot of injection points, repeated on a schedule. That makes three specifications matter more than anything on a brochure: the final output volume, the leukocyte profile you can select, and the kit size that matches your session and your case volume.
This page is about matching equipment to a hair protocol. It is not a claim that PRP treats hair loss, and it does not tell you what to inject or how much. Clinical protocol is the treating physician's judgment. Device figures below are manufacturer-reported.
What actually matters when you pick a system for hair work
Hair protocols invert the usual buying logic. In orthopedics you care about getting the largest well-characterized dose into one joint. On a scalp you are covering an area, so you need a preparation you can spread across many small injection points without running out partway through the session.
That makes output volume a scheduling constraint, not a spec-sheet number. It also makes consistency matter more than usual, because a hair patient is typically coming back several times, and comparing sessions only means something if each one was prepared the same way.
How much preparation does a scalp session use?
That is a clinical decision, and it varies by protocol and by the area being covered. What we can tell you is what each kit produces, so you can match a kit to the volume your protocol calls for. Every figure is manufacturer-reported.
| Kit | Draw volume | Spins | Approximate output |
|---|---|---|---|
| AbsolutePRP Pure Gold | 20 mL | 1 | Not specified in the public instructions for use |
| PurePRP SP | 30 mL | 2 | Approximately 4 mL |
| PurePRP SP | 60 mL | 2 | 7 mL |
| PurePRP SP | 120 mL | 2 | Scales with draw volume; confirm on the kit instructions |
| Pure Two PRP | 30 / 60 / 120 mL | 2 | Approximately 7 mL on the 60 mL kit |
Manufacturer-reported, from the Emcyte instructions for use and product documentation. Cells that say not specified are left that way because the manufacturer does not publish that figure. Output volumes describe what the device produces in the tube. They are not dosing guidance and not a claim of clinical efficacy.
Leukocyte-rich or leukocyte-poor for scalp work?
The literature has not settled this, for hair or for anything else, and any supplier who tells you otherwise is selling past the evidence. Practices asking this question are usually reasoning from the general argument that a lower leukocyte fraction is gentler in soft tissue, which is a rationale, not a finding.
The practical hedge is a system where the leukocyte profile is selectable, so the decision stays with the physician instead of being locked in by the disposable you bought. PurePRP SP and Pure Two PRP are both specified as selectable. We work through the actual state of that debate on the leukocyte-rich versus leukocyte-poor page.
What the evidence base actually looks like
PRP in androgenic alopecia has been reviewed systematically, including a systematic review and meta-analysis by Evans and colleagues in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. That literature exists, it is worth reading in full, and it is general PRP-class literature rather than data about any device sold on this page.
We are not going to summarize its conclusions into a sales claim. PRP Direct makes no claim that any preparation treats hair loss or any other condition, and the devices we distribute are cleared as blood-processing devices, which is not a clearance of the prepared PRP to treat anything. Read the literature, form your own clinical view, and buy equipment on its specifications.
Session repeatability is the spec nobody lists
Hair protocols run in series, so the comparison a patient and a physician care about is session to session. That makes operator variation the enemy. A centrifuge running named presets rather than hand-entered speed and time, and a kit with fewer transfer and counterbalance steps, are what keep session three prepared the way session one was. It is an unglamorous reason to prefer one system, and it is the one that shows up in practice.
Matching a system to a hair practice
- Low volume, starting a service. A 30 mL kit produces approximately 4 mL, which suits a smaller covered area and keeps per-case cost down while you build the book.
- Larger areas or a fuller protocol. The 60 mL kit at 7 mL gives more to work with in one preparation, without a second draw or a second spin cycle.
- You want the profile decision to stay clinical. Choose a selectable system so leukocyte content is a physician call per case, not a purchasing decision made once.
- You also run orthopedic or aesthetic cases. The same centrifuge and the same kit family cover them, so adding hair to an existing service is a disposable, not a second platform. See the centrifuge guide.
- You want to document what you produced. Pair any kit with a chairside analyzer and record the baseline against the finished preparation, session by session.
Common questions
Which PRP kit size is used for hair restoration?
It depends on the area covered and the physician's protocol. The 30 mL PurePRP SP kit produces approximately 4 mL and the 60 mL kit produces 7 mL, both manufacturer-reported, so practices generally match kit size to the volume their protocol calls for and their case volume.
Should PRP for hair be leukocyte-rich or leukocyte-poor?
The literature has not settled it. The common rationale favors a lower leukocyte fraction in soft tissue, but that is reasoning rather than a finding. A system with a selectable leukocyte profile keeps the choice with the physician instead of fixing it at purchase.
Do I need a separate centrifuge for hair PRP?
No. The same Emcyte kit family and the same Sapphire Series centrifuge that run orthopedic cases run the preparations used in hair protocols. Adding the service is a disposable cost rather than a second capital purchase and a second bench footprint.
Is PRP approved for hair loss?
No PRP therapy is FDA-approved for a specific indication. The devices that prepare PRP are 510(k)-cleared as blood-processing equipment, which covers how the device processes blood and is not a clearance of the prepared PRP to treat any condition. Any supplier claiming otherwise is wrong.
Adding hair to your service menu?
Tell us your session volume and the areas you cover. We'll send itemized pricing on the kit sizes that fit, within one business day. No login wall.
Request a quotePRP Direct distributes 510(k)-cleared autologous blood-processing devices. Clearance covers how the device processes blood; it is not a clearance of the prepared PRP to treat any condition, and no PRP therapy is FDA-approved for a specific indication. Manufacturer specifications are not claims of clinical efficacy. Nothing here is dosing or protocol guidance. This page is general education and is not medical advice.