PRP injection side effects: what is expected, what is rare, what to check before booking
After PRP injected into facial skin, redness, swelling and bruising where the needle went in are the reactions trials report most often. Rare case reports describe permanent vision loss after PRP injected into the face. A 2024 CDC report linked HIV infections to PRP microneedling facials at a New Mexico spa that did not follow recommended infection-control procedures, in the first investigation to associate HIV transmission with nonsterile cosmetic injection services.[1][2][3]
Seoul PRP editors write these chapters. Editorially updated: .
In this chapter
What is expected in the first days
In a Chicago trial, each of 19 analysed adults had 3 mL of PRP injected into one cheek and saline into the other. Eighteen reported redness, 16 swelling and 14 bruising. The authors judged these reactions unrelated to the PRP itself, and no one reported any reaction at 12 months.[1]
A 2026 split-face trial gave 26 women three monthly sessions of PRP injected into the skin on both sides of the face. Mild bruising where the needle went in was the only side effect reported.[4] The American Academy of Dermatology describes a bit of pain, bruising and swelling that tend to go away within a few days. Is platelet-rich plasma the secret to younger-looking skin? (accessed 24 October 2026)
| Trial | People | Sessions | Reactions reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRP in one cheek, saline in the other (2018) | 19 analysed | 1 | Redness 18, swelling 16, bruising 14; none at 12 months |
| Two PRP preparations, one per side of the face (2026) | 26 women | 3, monthly | Mild bruising at injection sites only |
After PRP applied over microneedled skin, the academy describes redness and a sunburn-like feeling that usually pass in a few days to a week. AAD on redness after microneedling (accessed 24 October 2026) The chapter on microneedling with PRP covers that route.
Rare: vision loss after a face injection
A rare but serious risk of PRP injected into the face as a filler is a blocked artery to the eye and permanent loss of sight.[6] Four people treated by cosmetologists lost sight permanently after PRP injections between the eyebrows (three) or in the fold beside the nose (one).[2]
In two later reports, a 37-year-old woman lost sight in one eye seconds after PRP injections to the forehead and did not regain it, and a 45-year-old woman had sudden, painful vision loss after PRP was injected between the eyebrows.[5][6]
Any change in vision during or after a face injection is an emergency that needs a hospital with eye and stroke care straight away.[5]
Infection: how blood and tools are handled
The American Academy of Dermatology places the biggest risks in how your blood is handled: it must stay sterile, and the facility should check, as a transfusion centre does, that the blood going back in is your own. AAD on blood handling for PRP (accessed 24 October 2026)
In April 2024, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report described an investigation at a spa in New Mexico that offered PRP microneedling facials, which the report also calls “vampire facials”. Health officials linked five people with HIV to the spa: four women who had PRP with microneedling there in 2018, and the sexual partner of one of them. Evidence pointed to contamination at the spa in 2018 for three of the infections; the other two were likely from exposures before the treatments. The source of the contamination was not found.[3]
The spa had no appointment system that kept client contact details. The 2018 inspection found unlabelled tubes of blood on a kitchen counter and in a fridge with food, unwrapped syringes in drawers, on counters and in ordinary bins, no autoclave (steam sterilizer), and disposable electric desiccator tips cleaned in alcohol and reused.[3]
Officials identified 59 clients at risk, 20 who had PRP with microneedling and 39 who had other injections, and tested 198 former clients and their sexual partners between 2018 and 2023. No further HIV infections, and no hepatitis B or C infections, were found.[3]
What to check before booking
Before booking, weigh these checks alongside a price comparison:
- Who draws your blood and who treats you, and whether it happens in a medical clinic. The four people in the 2020 vision-loss series were treated by cosmetologists, and the New Mexico injections were given at a spa.[3][2]
- Needles, microneedling cartridges and syringes come out of sealed packs. The inspectors found unwrapped syringes, and disposable electric desiccator tips cleaned in alcohol and reused.[3]
- Your blood tube is labelled before it goes into the centrifuge and checked against you before use. The spa kept unlabelled tubes of blood next to food.[3]
- The clinic keeps a record of your treatment and how to reach you. Without client records, officials had to reach former clients through large-scale outreach.[3]
Tell the clinic about allergies, medicines and supplements before the day: bring a medicine list, and ask what is added during PRP preparation.
The day itself and the first week of aftercare are covered in the session and aftercare chapter.
How long does bruising last after PRP?
The American Academy of Dermatology describes pain, bruising and swelling after PRP for the skin that tend to go away within a few days. Is platelet-rich plasma the secret to younger-looking skin?
Can you get HIV from PRP?
A 2024 CDC report linked HIV infections to PRP microneedling facials at a spa in New Mexico that did not follow recommended infection-control procedures. The report calls it the first investigation to associate HIV transmission with nonsterile cosmetic injection services.[3]
Is redness normal after PRP with microneedling?
The American Academy of Dermatology describes redness, or darker shades on darker skin, and a sunburn-like feeling after microneedling that usually disappear in a few days to a week. Microneedling can fade scars, uneven skin tone, and more