Written by Dr. Gökay Bilgin, MDHair transplant surgeon · Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine · Co-founder of Smile Hair Clinic (2018) · 5,000+ proceduresLast updated: November 2026 · More about me
Key Takeaways
✓Ozone therapy uses medical ozone, a reactive form of oxygen, as a supportive treatment. In hair restoration it is used mainly around a hair transplant.
✓I give ozone as ozonated saline through a drip, during the hair transplant and in sessions afterwards, to support circulation and healing.
✓It is not a treatment for pattern hair loss on its own. There are almost no clinical trials of ozone for hair loss, and claims that it improves graft survival are not yet proven.
✓Ozone therapy is not suitable for people with G6PD deficiency (favism), uncontrolled thyroid disease, bleeding disorders, or during pregnancy.
✓“Ozone” covers very different methods with different risks. Ask exactly how it will be given, and by whom.
Ozone therapy appears on many hair clinic menus in Turkey, often with big promises: thicker hair, better graft survival, a healthier scalp. Some of these claims rest on reasonable biology; others on very little. And the word “ozone” is used for methods as different as a drip, an injection into the scalp, an oil or a salon comb.
I use ozone therapy, so I want to be clear about what it is and what it is not. On this page I explain how ozone is applied, exactly how I use it, what it may do and what it cannot do, who should not have it, how it fits with a hair transplant and with PRP, exosomes and mesotherapy, what the research shows, and how safe it is. For an overview of all treatments, see my hair loss treatments guide. Transplants of the scalp, beard and brows are compared on my hair transplant treatments page.
What Is Ozone Hair Therapy?
Ozone is a molecule made of three oxygen atoms, rather than the two in the oxygen we breathe. It is unstable and highly reactive, which is why it can kill bacteria and why it breaks down quickly into ordinary oxygen. Medical ozone is produced from pure medical oxygen by a dedicated generator, in carefully controlled concentrations.
In medicine, ozone is used as a complementary treatment, most studied in wound healing, skin infections and joint pain. The proposed effects are antimicrobial action, modulation of inflammation and oxidative stress, and improved microcirculation. In hair restoration, these effects are the reason it is used around surgery, when tissue is healing. In this video my colleague explains where ozone sits next to PRP and mesotherapy.
Video: how PRP, mesotherapy and ozone therapy differ, Smile Hair Clinic.
How Ozone Is Applied: Not All “Ozone Therapy” Is the Same
When a clinic offers “ozone hair therapy”, it may mean any of these. They work differently and carry different risks, so it is worth asking which one you will have:
Ozonated saline dripWhat it isSaline treated with medical ozone, given through a vein.What to knowHow I use it: around a hair transplant, under medical supervision.
Scalp injectionWhat it isAn oxygen and ozone gas mixture injected under the scalp.What to knowUsed by some clinics; scarring and hair loss have been reported after facial and scalp injections.
Topical: cap, bagging, ozonated oilWhat it isOzone gas applied to the scalp under a cap, or oil treated with ozone.What to knowAimed at scalp infections and dandruff; little hair-specific data.
Blood ozonation (autohaemotherapy)What it isBlood is drawn, mixed with ozone and returned.What to knowA systemic method with its own risks; not something I use for hair.
High-frequency “ozone” combs, salon devicesWhat it isElectrical devices that produce small amounts of ozone at the skin.What to knowCosmetic devices, not medical ozone therapy.
How I Use Ozone Therapy
I use ozone in one way: as ozonated saline given through a drip. I do not inject ozone gas into the scalp.
During the hair transplantOzonated saline is given through the drip during the operation, to support circulation and tissue oxygenation while grafts are being placed.
After the hair transplantFurther sessions can be given in the days after surgery, during early healing. The number is planned for each patient.
Before any sessionI check your medical history for G6PD deficiency, thyroid disease, bleeding disorders, pregnancy and the medication you take.
Who gives itMedical ozone is prepared from pure oxygen with a medical generator and given by our medical team under my supervision.
Where it fitsOzone therapy is a supporting step in my transplant protocol. It is not a reason to have, or to choose, a hair transplant, and it does not replace medication, PRP or careful surgical technique.
What Ozone Therapy May Do, and What It Can’t
What it may support
- Circulation and oxygen delivery in tissues during healing.
- The body’s handling of inflammation and oxidative stress after surgery.
- A lower bacterial load, through ozone’s antimicrobial action.
What it cannot do
- Stop or reverse pattern hair loss, which is driven by genetics and hormones.
- Regrow hair where follicles are gone.
- Replace medication such as minoxidil or finasteride.
- Guarantee better graft survival; this has not been shown in controlled studies.
If you have dandruff or seborrhoeic dermatitis, the first step is proper dermatological treatment of the scalp, not ozone.
Who Should Not Have Ozone Therapy
G6PD deficiency (favism)Ozone increases oxidative stress on red blood cells and can cause them to break down. G6PD deficiency is not rare in Turkey and the Mediterranean; tell me if you have it or react to broad beans.
Uncontrolled thyroid diseaseEspecially an overactive thyroid that is not under control.
Bleeding disordersIncluding blood-thinning medication that cannot be paused.
PregnancyOzone therapy is not given during pregnancy.
Some heart and lung conditionsTell me about any serious heart or lung disease; ozone gas must never be inhaled.
Ozone Therapy and Hair Transplant
Around a hair transplant, the scalp goes through a short period of healing: tiny wounds in the donor and recipient areas, swelling, and grafts that depend on new blood supply in their first days. This is where ozone’s possible effects on circulation, inflammation and bacteria make biological sense, and why I use it during and after surgery.
I am also careful not to overstate it. The grafts survive because they are extracted, kept and placed carefully, at the right depth and angle, and protected afterwards. Ozone supports that work; it does not make up for poor technique. You can read about the techniques I use on my hair transplant techniques page, and about the full surgical process on my hair transplant page.
Ozone vs PRP, Exosomes and Mesotherapy
Ozone therapyWhat it isMedical ozone; in my practice, ozonated saline by drip.Evidence for hairLimited for hair; some for wound healing.Main useAround surgery.
PRPWhat it isGrowth factors from your own platelets.Evidence for hairModerate; many randomised trials.Main useThinning hair; after a transplant.
ExosomesWhat it isCell-free vesicles carrying growth signals.Evidence for hairEarly.Main useSupport, often with PRP.
MesotherapyWhat it isMicro-injections of active ingredients.Evidence for hairEarly; depends on the cocktail.Main useHair quality; after a transplant.
These treatments do different jobs. If your goal is to strengthen thinning hair, PRP, exosomes or mesotherapy, together with medication, have more to offer than ozone.
What the Research Shows About Ozone Therapy
Review · 2022How ozone may act on skinA review in the International Wound Journal (Liu and colleagues, 2022) describes ozone as a complementary therapy for skin infections, wound healing and inflammatory skin disease, acting through antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and microcirculation effects.What it means: There is a biological basis for using ozone in healing tissue.
Systematic review · 2026Wound healingA systematic review in Medical Gas Research (Pan and colleagues, 2026) found that ozone therapy showed notable effectiveness in skin ulcers such as diabetic foot ulcers and burns, with controllable safety, but called for more rigorous trials and standard protocols.What it means: The strongest evidence is in wound healing, which is the closest link to recovery after a transplant.
Review · 2018More evidence is neededA review in International Immunopharmacology (Zeng and Lu, 2018) concluded that while many mechanisms of ozone have been described, more evidence is required before it can be presented as a proven treatment for skin diseases.What it means: Mechanisms are not the same as proven outcomes.
Case report · 2025A warning about injectionsA case report in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine (McCray and Johnson-Arbor, 2025) described a woman who developed worsening hair loss and scarring after ozone injections into the temples and forehead to enhance hair growth, and needed surgery.What it means: How ozone is given matters. I do not inject ozone gas into the scalp.
My viewI use ozone therapy because, around surgery, its effects on circulation, inflammation and bacteria make sense, and in our practice it is well tolerated when the right patients are selected. But I will not tell you it grows hair, cures hair loss or guarantees your grafts, because the evidence does not show that. When a patient asks me how to save their hair, my answer starts with diagnosis, medication, PRP and, where hair is gone, a well-planned transplant. Ozone is a small, supporting part of that plan.
Side Effects and Safety of Ozone Therapy
With an ozonated saline dripUsually well tolerated. Some patients notice mild discomfort at the drip site, a feeling of warmth or tiredness.
RareVein irritation or bruising at the drip site; allergic-type reactions.
Serious, avoided by screeningBreakdown of red blood cells in people with G6PD deficiency.
With other methodsGas injections and systemic methods carry other risks, including tissue damage at injection sites and, very rarely, gas embolism. Ozone gas must never be inhaled.
Safety depends on three things: choosing the right patients, using a medical ozone generator with controlled concentrations, and having it given by a medical team.
Ozone Hair Therapy Cost
Ozone therapy is usually priced per session, or as part of a treatment or surgery package. Because I use it around hair transplants, the cost is best discussed as part of your transplant plan.
Treatment with a transplantMy Diamond hair transplant package is €5,790 ($6,840 · £4,840) at a fixed price and includes PRP, exosome treatment, medication and a 3-month hair care kit. Ask me how ozone therapy fits into your plan at the consultation. All packages are compared on my
hair transplant Turkey packages page. How transplant prices are set is explained on my
hair transplant cost in Turkey page, and travel and safety on my
hair transplant in Turkey guide.
Five questions to ask before ozone therapy
- Which method will you use: drip, scalp injection or topical?
- Will you check for G6PD deficiency, thyroid disease and bleeding risk first?
- Who will give it, and with what equipment?
- What exactly do you expect it to do in my case?
- What is the evidence for that?
Frequently Asked Questions About Ozone Hair Therapy
Does ozone therapy work for hair loss?
There is very little clinical research on ozone for hair loss. I use it as a supportive treatment around hair transplants, not as a treatment for pattern hair loss.
How is ozone hair therapy given?
Methods vary between clinics. I give ozonated saline through a drip during the hair transplant and in sessions afterwards. I do not inject ozone gas into the scalp.
Does ozone therapy improve graft survival?
It may support circulation and healing, but improved graft survival has not been shown in controlled studies. Careful surgical technique is what protects the grafts.
Is ozone therapy safe?
Given correctly to suitable patients, an ozonated saline drip is usually well tolerated. It is not given to people with G6PD deficiency, uncontrolled thyroid disease, bleeding disorders or during pregnancy.
Who should not have ozone therapy?
People with G6PD deficiency (favism), uncontrolled thyroid disease or bleeding disorders, and pregnant women. Tell me about all your conditions and medication.
Is ozone therapy painful?
A drip feels like any other drip. Some patients notice mild warmth or tiredness.
Can ozone therapy treat dandruff or seborrhoeic dermatitis?
Ozone has antimicrobial effects, but these conditions should first be treated with proven dermatological treatments.
Is ozone better than PRP?
They do different things. For strengthening thinning hair, PRP has much more evidence. Ozone is a supporting step around surgery.
How many ozone sessions will I need?
It depends on your transplant plan. I give it during surgery and plan any further sessions individually.
Can I have ozone therapy without a hair transplant?
I do not offer ozone as a stand-alone hair loss treatment. If you want to strengthen thinning hair, medication, PRP, exosomes or mesotherapy are better options.
Plan Your Treatment Around What Works
Send me clear photos of your hairline, crown and the back of your head, and tell me about your hair loss and your health. I will tell you which treatments make sense for you, and how ozone therapy would fit into your transplant plan.Get a Free Consultation
