Hair
GFC Treatment
Growth factor concentrate prepared from your own blood sample and introduced to the scalp.
Overview
Why this treatment
GFC involves preparing a growth factor concentrate from your own blood sample and introducing it to the scalp. Like Hair PRP, it is offered as part of a wider plan following assessment, and works best where any underlying contributors to hair concerns are being addressed in parallel.
GFC and Hair PRP
GFC and Hair PRP are related but distinct approaches, both using a preparation derived from your own blood. At consultation we explain the difference between them and why one may be suggested over the other for your circumstances, so that you can make an informed choice rather than being presented with a single option.
Assessment first
As with all hair treatment here, thorough assessment precedes any recommendation. Hair concerns commonly have contributors — hormonal, nutritional, medical, genetic — that lie outside what an in-clinic treatment addresses. We may recommend seeing a physician for investigation before or alongside treatment.
A course with realistic timeframes
GFC is planned as a course with intervals between sessions. Hair responds slowly, and visible change takes time. Review points are scheduled into the plan so progress is assessed meaningfully rather than prematurely.
Before and after
Attend with clean hair and scalp free of styling products, well hydrated and not on an empty stomach. Disclose all medications, particularly blood thinners. Afterwards, follow guidance on washing your hair, avoid strenuous exercise and heat initially, and avoid harsh chemical processing for the advised period.
Benefits
What this may help with
Uses a concentrate prepared from your own blood sample
Performed in-clinic within a single appointment
Planned as a structured course with defined intervals
Assessed alongside possible underlying contributors
Review points built into the plan
Discussed alongside Hair PRP so you can compare approaches
Suitability
Who may consider it
May be considered by people with hair thinning or scalp concerns, following thorough assessment. Because hair concerns often have medical, hormonal or nutritional contributors, medical assessment or blood work may be recommended first. It may not be appropriate with certain blood or clotting conditions, active scalp infection, during pregnancy, or while taking particular medications.
The session
The experience
A small blood sample is taken and processed in-clinic to prepare the concentrate. The scalp is cleansed and a topical numbing preparation may be applied. The concentrate is then introduced to the scalp across the treatment area. Brief pinching or pressure sensations are commonly described. Some scalp tenderness or mild redness afterwards is common and settles. Guidance is given on hair washing and activities to defer.
Questions
Anything not covered here, we will walk through during your consultation.
Your consultation is a conversation and an assessment. We ask about your concern and its history, your medical background, medications you take, previous treatments, allergies, and what outcome you have in mind. We then examine the area and discuss which approaches may or may not be suitable.
You will get a clear explanation of what any recommended treatment involves, roughly how many sessions may be appropriate, what preparation and aftercare are required, and what the treatment can and cannot address. There is no obligation to proceed, and you are welcome to go away and think about it.
This genuinely cannot be answered without assessment — and we would be cautious of anyone who tells you otherwise online. The same visible concern can have quite different underlying causes from one person to the next, and a treatment that suits one skin type may be unsuitable for another.
What determines the recommendation is your skin type and sensitivity, the nature and duration of your concern, your medical history and current medications, your previous response to treatments, and what downtime you can accommodate. All of that is what consultation is for.
Preparation varies by treatment and you will be given specific instructions beforehand. Some guidance applies broadly: avoid significant sun exposure in the period before treatment; tell us about all medications and supplements; mention any retinoids, acids or prescription topicals, as some need pausing; disclose any history of cold sores; and let us know about recent waxing, threading or treatments elsewhere.
Attend with clean skin, free of makeup in the area being treated, unless told otherwise.
This varies genuinely between individuals and we will not quote a number before assessing you. It depends on the treatment, the nature and duration of your concern, your skin or hair type, and how you respond as a course progresses.
What we will do is give you a realistic indication at consultation, build review points into your plan, and adjust based on what we actually observe rather than adhering to a number decided at the start.
This is specific to each treatment and you will receive written aftercare guidance covering what was done that day. Broadly, some redness or warmth in the treated area is common after many treatments and typically settles. Some treatments involve a period of dryness or light flaking.
Sun protection features in nearly all aftercare. You will also be told what sensations are expected versus what warrants contacting us — and if anything falls outside what was described, please do get in touch rather than waiting for your next appointment.
Sensation varies by treatment and between individuals, and we describe what to expect honestly before you begin rather than minimising it. Many treatments are described as comfortable or mildly uncomfortable rather than painful. Where appropriate, a topical numbing preparation may be used and given time to take effect.
Comfort is checked throughout any session and you can ask to pause at any point.
Many are, but skin tone genuinely affects treatment selection, settings and protocols — particularly around the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation. This is assessed individually rather than assumed.
Our general approach for deeper skin tones is conservative: often beginning at a lower intensity and adjusting based on observed response rather than starting aggressively. Where a particular treatment carries a higher risk for your skin, we will tell you and discuss alternatives.
Many aesthetic treatments are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and some are specifically contraindicated. Please tell us if you are pregnant, may be pregnant, or are breastfeeding — before booking where possible, and certainly at consultation.
We will discuss what is and is not appropriate, and in many cases the honest recommendation will be to defer treatment until later. Where a service may be possible, we may ask for clearance from your doctor first.