CGF for Hair Loss: Concentrated Growth Factors from Your Own Blood

This page is about CGF. The full comparison of CGF, iPRF and PRP is on the page iPRF and CGF for hair (Hebrew), and the longest-established treatment in this family is described on the page PRP for hair. CGF for acne scars has its own page: PRF, iPRF and CGF for scars (Hebrew).

What is CGF?

CGF (Concentrated Growth Factors) is a concentrate prepared from the patient’s blood in a centrifuge that switches speeds in several stages, without adding anticoagulant. The product is rich in fibrin, platelets and growth factors.¹ The literature describes it as a “third generation” of autologous platelet concentrates, after PRP and the PRF family. Like iPRF, CGF started out in oral and maxillofacial medicine and from there moved into hair treatment¹. It is material from your own body only, with no anticoagulant and no foreign substances.

How does CGF help hair?

CGF delivers a high concentration of growth factors to the hair follicle, and the fibrin network holds them at the injection site.¹

• Stimulating the follicle: growth factors from platelets stimulate follicle cells and help the follicle stay longer in the growth phase².
• Blood supply: some growth factors support the formation of small blood vessels around the follicle, so more oxygen and nutrients reach it².
• A dense fibrin network: changing the spin speed creates a dense fibrin network that traps platelets and growth factors inside it¹.
• A rich reservoir of growth factors: in a laboratory study comparing concentrates from the same blood sample, CGF had levels of platelets and of the growth factors TGF-β1, PDGF-BB and VEGF similar to or higher than PRP, and its extract stimulated cell division. The researchers describe CGF not only as a scaffold but as a reservoir that releases growth factors at the injection site⁶.
• Gradual release: as with all fibrin concentrates, growth factors are released from the network gradually rather than all at once. In laboratory measurements, fibrin concentrates released growth factors continuously over 10 days, while PRP released them mainly in the first hour⁷.

How is CGF different from PRP and iPRF?

The difference lies in how they are prepared: PRP is made with anticoagulant at a fixed speed, iPRF with a short, slow spin and no anticoagulant, and CGF in several stages of changing speeds, also with no anticoagulant.¹ In the comparative trial in women, CGF and iPRF showed a similar increase in hair count, larger than that seen with PRP³.

What have studies found about CGF for hair loss?

A 2025 review concludes that results with CGF in hereditary hair loss are encouraging.¹

• Comparative trial: in a 2026 randomized trial, women with female pattern hair loss received four treatments of PRP, iPRF or CGF. After 24 weeks, the increase in hair count was greater in the CGF and iPRF groups (about 27%) than in the PRP group (about 15%)³.
• CGF added to PRP: in a half-scalp trial with 20 participants, 12 men and 8 women, one side received PRP and microneedling and the other side also received CGF. The side that received CGF showed a larger increase in hair count and density⁴.
• Case series: at one center, patients who received three CGF injections 3–4 weeks apart were evaluated. After 3 and 6 months, an increase in hair density was measured, with no serious side effects⁸.

Research in this field is still developing, most studies to date are small, and the response varies from patient to patient.

What’s new in research (updated November 2026)

Beyond the trials described above, two new publications address the mechanism and the broader picture:

• CGF and inflammation (2024): researchers in China measured the level of IL-17, a protein involved in inflammation, in the blood of 12 patients with hereditary hair loss before and after three CGF injections given a month apart, and found that it decreased. In parallel, in a mouse model of psoriasis and in laboratory experiments, CGF and its cells reduced inflammatory markers. This is a small mechanism study, not an efficacy trial, but it suggests that CGF may also act on inflammatory processes, not only through growth factors¹⁰.
• A review of autologous growth factor injections (2026): a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies with 745 patients examined injections of platelet concentrates from the patient’s own blood, from PRP to newer-generation concentrates. The injections were found to be safe and improved hair density and thickness over a year, mainly with the newer concentrates. The researchers stress a high risk of bias and non-uniform protocols, and therefore see the findings as a basis for large controlled trials¹¹.

These summaries describe the design of the studies and the researchers’ conclusions and are not a personal recommendation. Any decision about treatment is made only after an examination.

CGF alongside hair transplantation and in alopecia areata

• Alongside a hair transplant: in a trial in which 26 men with hereditary hair loss were randomly assigned to FUE transplantation alone or transplantation with CGF injections, the CGF group had higher hair density and a higher proportion of thick hairs after nine months⁵. General information about the transplant itself is on the page Hair transplantation.
• In resistant alopecia areata: in a series of seven patients who had not responded to standard treatments, combining CGF with a steroid delivered by microneedling was followed by hair regrowth⁹. The standard treatments are described on the page Treating alopecia areata (Hebrew).

Why combine CGF with other treatments?

Each treatment works on a different aspect of hair loss, and in studies CGF contributed mainly as part of a combination. Adding CGF to PRP and microneedling gave higher density⁴, and adding it to a hair transplant was associated with thicker hairs⁵. In hereditary hair loss the foundation of treatment is medication, and CGF complements it by nourishing the follicle. At the clinic, the combination is tailored to each patient after a trichoscopic diagnosis (Hebrew).

How is a CGF scalp treatment done?

The process is similar to PRP: a blood draw, preparation in a centrifuge and injection into the thinning areas of the scalp.¹

1. Blood draw from a vein into tubes with no anticoagulant.
2. Centrifuge preparation with a program of several stages at changing speeds¹.
3. Injection into the scalp in the thinning areas, sometimes together with microneedling or PRP, according to the plan⁴.
4. Follow-up over months: in studies, improvement was measured after 3 to 6 months⁴⁸.

In studies, three or four treatments were given at intervals of 3–4 weeks³⁸. At the clinic, the number of treatments is set according to the individual situation.

What are the side effects of CGF?

Because this is your own blood injected into the scalp, side effects are mainly local and temporary: pain, swelling and tenderness at the injection site, and sometimes a small bruise.² No serious side effects were reported in the studies⁸. Contraindications are similar to those of PRP: platelet disorders, an active scalp infection and use of medications that affect clotting. It is important to tell the doctor about every medication and medical condition. The full list is on the page Who should not have PRP for hair (Hebrew).

Who is CGF suitable for?

CGF is suitable mainly for hereditary hair loss in men and women, as part of a combined treatment plan, and also alongside a hair transplant.¹⁵ It particularly suits people who prefer a treatment made from their own material and those who want to strengthen their response to medication. iPRF is the concentrate closest to CGF in how it is prepared, and a different preparation step, in which PRP is exposed to light and temperature, is described on the page PRP activation with light and temperature (Hebrew).

How long do the results last?

CGF strengthens existing follicles and reduces shedding, and to maintain the result over time, maintenance treatments are planned together. Hereditary hair loss keeps working in the background, alongside hormones, stress and general health. The plan therefore usually includes baseline medication, follow-up with photographs and magnified examination, and booster treatments according to the measurements. The earlier you start, while there are still many active follicles, the more there is to preserve.

And if you are worried about the needles: the treatment can be made easier with cooling, numbing cream, a vibration device and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) (Hebrew).

What does CGF treatment with Dr. Buchbut look like?

The choice between CGF, iPRF or PRP is made after a trichoscopic diagnosis, not by the name of the treatment. With Dr. Dana Buchbut, who has been treating hair loss for 16 years, the plan is built around the type of hair loss and the condition of the follicles, and progress is measured with trichoscopic photographs at the same fixed points, to see in numbers whether the hair is responding.

Not sure which regenerative treatment is right for you? A comparison of regenerative hair treatments: PRP, iPRF, CGF, Regenera, exosomes and nanofat (Hebrew).

The information on this page is general and for education only. It does not replace an examination, diagnosis or personal medical advice. Any decision about treatment is made only after an examination.