PRP vs PRF: what the evidence reviews say

MedSpaGrades editorial teamUpdated 22 Oct 20266 sources checkedHow we write

PRP and PRF are both treatments made from your own blood, and they are often offered in the same clinics. People ask which is better. The sources we read do not agree, so this page shows what each says and where they differ. It does not pick one.

What each is

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), a society of dermatologists, describes platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a procedure in which a small amount of your blood is drawn and placed in a machine that separates the platelets from the rest of the blood. The part with a high concentration of platelets is then injected into you. AAD says that in dermatology PRP is being tested as a treatment for hair loss, may speed wound healing, and is used by a few dermatologists for younger-looking skin.

Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a related product. A 2022 review by Buzalaf and Levy in the Journal of Applied Oral Science describes PRP as the first-generation autologous platelet concentrate, and PRF and injectable PRF (i-PRF) as second- and third-generation products. The review says PRF and i-PRF are easier to obtain, and that at least in laboratory studies they seem to induce more collagen production than PRP, but that only a few clinical trials of them exist. This page reads only the abstracts of the journal articles it cites, not their full text.

What the evidence reviews say

A 2025 systematic review by Qin and colleagues in the Annals of Plastic Surgery looked at PRP and PRF for facial rejuvenation. It found 20 studies with 514 patients. The authors say effectiveness remains controversial, with studies yielding mixed results. They report significant improvement in 80% of the studies on skin thickness and 75% of those on elasticity, against 40% on wrinkles, 33% on texture and 17% on discoloration, and none on hydration. They say no serious adverse events were reported in the included studies, and they conclude that skin thickness and elasticity have the strongest evidence of improvement. This review combined PRP and PRF.

A 2025 systematic review by Sollitto and colleagues in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology compared PRP and PRF specifically around the eyes. It found 14 studies. The authors report that PRF was associated with improvements in skin texture, wrinkles and crepiness, and that PRP showed stronger evidence for treating hyperpigmentation. They conclude that current evidence does not support the superiority of one modality over the other, and that PRF improvements often diminished by 6 months.

A 2025 narrative review by Davies and Miron in Periodontology 2000 says few studies have compared PRP and PRF, and that all of those demonstrated superior outcomes with PRF. It says the existing studies have limitations including small sample sizes. One of its authors declares being the founder of BioPRF, a company in this field.

The AAD page on PRP says there is little evidence to show that it works or does not work, and that few studies exist because the FDA classifies PRP as a medical device, which has less demanding rules than a drug. Buzalaf and Levy conclude that results are in general favorable but that the quality of the studies is low.

What this means

The reviews disagree on whether PRF is better than PRP, and they agree that more and better trials are needed. One review of eye-area studies says the evidence does not support the superiority of either. Another says the few head-to-head studies favor PRF, and its author is connected to a PRF company. We cannot resolve this for you, and nothing here is advice on which to have.

Regulation

AAD says the FDA classifies PRP as a medical device. The FDA says microneedling devices are not approved for delivering blood products, such as PRP, into the skin. AAD describes microneedling with PRP as a treatment some dermatologists use. These are separate statements from separate sources. See our page on microneedling. If a clinic offers PRP or PRF, you can ask what it is used for, what device prepares it, and what evidence it relies on.