Plasma-Rich Fibrin (PRF)
Your Body’s Own Healing, Concentrated and Put to Work
Your blood already contains everything it needs to repair tissue, rebuild collagen, and calm inflammation. Platelets, growth factors, stem cells, and fibrin are circulating in you right now, doing that work every day. Plasma Rich Fibrin (PRF) takes a small amount of your own blood, concentrates those healing components, and places them exactly where your body needs extra help.
With PRF, you avoid synthetic fillers and foreign substances to harness the power of a concentrated version of what your body already has, working on your behalf.
What is Plasma-Rich Fibrin?
Plasma Rich Fibrin is a therapy made from your own blood. We draw a small sample, spin it in a centrifuge at a specific speed, and separate out a layer that’s rich in platelets, white blood cells, stem cells, and fibrin. That layer is what we use.
PRF is a next-generation version of the more widely known PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma). The big difference is that PRF is prepared without anticoagulants and at a lower spin speed, which keeps more of the cellular and protein content intact. The result is a thicker, more fibrin-rich matrix that releases growth factors slowly over time, often up to 10 days after it’s placed. That slow release is a big part of why PRF tends to produce longer-lasting results than PRP in many applications.
Because PRF is made entirely from your own blood, there’s no risk of allergic reaction or rejection. Your body recognizes it as yours, because it is.
How PRF Works
A typical PRF session takes about an hour from start to finish. We draw a small amount of your blood, spin it in a centrifuge to separate out the PRF layer, and inject it into the area we’re treating, whether that’s a joint, a scar, the scalp, or facial skin. Depending on the location, we may apply a numbing agent first.
Once the PRF is in place, it forms a natural matrix that slowly releases growth factors into the surrounding tissue, signaling your body to increase circulation, rebuild collagen, and calm inflammation. Over the following weeks and months, your body continues the work. PRF isn’t a quick fix. It’s a starting signal for a longer repair process your own tissue carries out.
100 percent your own biology. PRF uses nothing but your blood. No synthetic fillers, no foreign materials, no donor tissue, just your body’s own healing components concentrated and reapplied where they’re needed most.
Slow-release growth factors. Unlike treatments that work immediately and fade, PRF forms a fibrin matrix that releases growth factors gradually over days and weeks, giving your tissue sustained repair signals.
Versatile applications. PRF can support joint repair, hair regrowth, facial rejuvenation, scar healing, and post-procedure recovery. The same underlying biology applies across very different uses.
Minimal downtime. Most patients return to normal activity the same day. Some mild swelling or tenderness at the injection site is common but typically resolves within a day or two.
How PRF Fits Into Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is about giving the body what it needs to heal itself, not overriding it with something synthetic. PRF fits that philosophy almost perfectly. It’s drawn from you, concentrated with nothing added, and placed where your body can use it.
We use PRF in cases where a specific area needs extra support: an old injury that never fully healed, a scar that’s causing issues, thinning hair, skin quality concerns, or joint pain that hasn’t responded to other therapies. Rather than masking the symptom, we’re giving that area a concentrated dose of your body’s own repair signaling.
PRF is especially powerful when it’s paired with the rest of a functional medicine plan. If inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, or gut issues are part of why tissue isn’t healing the way it should, we address those root issues at the same time. PRF gives us a localized tool. The rest of the plan gives us the systemic one.
PRF May help people experiencing:
Joint pain or osteoarthritis
Hair thinning or hair loss
Slow-healing soft tissue injuries
Tendon, ligament, or cartilage damage
Scars from acne, surgery, or injury
Skin concerns
Don’t see your condition listed? That doesn’t mean we can’t help. Reach out and let’s talk.
What You May Feel During and After a Session
The blood draw itself feels like any other. When the PRF is injected, most patients feel some pressure and mild discomfort, depending on where we’re treating. If we’re working on the face or scalp, we typically apply a topical numbing cream first. For joint injections, we may use a local anesthetic.
Most sessions are well-tolerated, and many patients are surprised by how manageable it is.
After your session, it’s common to notice:
These are all normal and a sign that your body is responding the way it should. Most people are back to their regular routine the next day.
Results build gradually. You may notice changes within a few weeks, but the more significant improvements typically show up at the 8 to 12 week mark and continue beyond that. Depending on what we’re treating, a series of sessions spaced several weeks apart often produces the best outcome.
How PRF Fits Into a Healing Plan
We don’t offer PRF as a one-off cosmetic service. We offer it as part of a plan, because that’s when it works best.
Before recommending PRF, we want to understand what’s happening in your body more broadly.
Are you dealing with chronic inflammation?
Are your nutrient elvels supporting tisssue repair?
Are hormones, sleep, and stress working with you or against you?
If the underlying systems aren’t in good shape, PRF can still help, but you won’t get the full benefit we know is possible.
Depending on what you’re working on, PRF may be paired with IV therapy, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, nutritional support, neural therapy, or other treatments. The goal is always the same: put the right tools together in the right order so your body can actually do the healing.
If you’re a current patient, your provider will walk through whether PRF is a good fit for what you’re dealing with. If you’re new to Olos, we’ll begin with a comprehensive visit to understand your health before making any recommendations.
Ready to explore PRF?
If you’ve been wondering whether PRF could help you, whether it’s for something cosmetic, something structural, or somewhere in between, we’d love to talk with you. Our team will help you figure out whether PRF is the right tool, and if so, how to get the most out of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be a patient at Olos Medicine to receive PRF?
Yes. Because PRF is most effective when it’s integrated into a broader plan, we want to know your health picture before recommending it. If you’re not yet a patient, our team can walk you through how to get started.
What's the difference between PRF and PRP?
Both therapies use concentrated components of your own blood, but PRF is prepared differently. It uses no anticoagulants and a slower centrifuge speed, which preserves more of the cellular and protein content and produces a thicker fibrin matrix. That matrix releases growth factors slowly over about 10 days, which typically leads to more sustained results than traditional PRP.
What can PRF be used for?
PRF is used for a wide range of applications, including skin rejuvenation, hair restoration, scar treatment (including older scars, surgical scars, and acne scarring), joint pain, tendon and ligament support, and tissue repair after injury. Your provider will help determine whether it’s a good fit for what you’re dealing with.
Does it hurt?
The blood draw feels like any other. The injections can cause some pressure and brief discomfort, but we use numbing cream or local anesthetic where appropriate. Most patients find it very manageable.
Is there downtime?
For most applications, no significant downtime. You may have some redness, swelling, or bruising at the treatment site for a day or two. Most people return to their normal routine the next day, though we’ll give you specific aftercare instructions based on the area we treated.
How soon will I see results?
PRF works gradually because it’s signaling your body to rebuild, and that takes time. You may notice early changes within a few weeks, but the more meaningful improvements typically show up between 8 and 12 weeks, and continue to develop beyond that.
How many sessions will I need?
That depends entirely on what we’re treating. Some patients do well with a single session. Others benefit from a series of three to four sessions spaced four to six weeks apart. Your provider will recommend a protocol based on your specific situation.
Is PRF safe?
PRF is considered very safe because it’s made entirely from your own blood. There’s no risk of allergic reaction or rejection. As with any injection, there’s a small risk of bruising, swelling, or infection, which we’ll discuss with you in detail beforehand.
Is PRF available at both locations?
PRF will be offered at our new Hudson clinic. Availability at the River Falls farm location may vary, so please check with our team when booking.
How do I get started?
Current patients can bring it up with their provider at their next visit or reach out to our team. New patients can contact us to schedule a consultation.