What is “Platelet Rich Plasma” (PRP)
Platelet Rich Plasma is a treatment that uses the patient’s own blood to biostimulate skin cells. It is also known as a “Vampire Facelift”
How does PRP work?
Injection of PRP into the dermis supports and accelerates the process of tissue regeneration and reconstruction.
PRP activates the regeneration of the skin by:
The activated platelets release growth factors causing:
Stimulation of new collagen production
Induction of stem cell division and differentiation
Stimulating angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels in the skin
How is PRP performed?
The patient has consultation and photos and signs a consent form.
Blood is collected from the arm veins of a patient
The blood tubes are immediately centrifuged causing the separation of the platelets from the other cells.
The platelets are then drawn up into a needle and then reinjected into the patient immediately after into the suitable areas
What areas are suitable for PRP?
Any skin on the face and body is suitable for PRP
Who is suitable for PRP?
Everyone is suitable (not pregnant or breastfeeding patients)
in particular;
* Those with tired and dry thin skin, lack of skin tension, uneven pigmentation
* Thos patients with signs of skin aging
* Those with increased risk for allergic reactions may choose to have PRP over any other injectable treatments
* Those who want the most natural treatment
Which areas are popular for PRP?
The face, eyes, neck, decolletage and chest are the most common areas for injection with PRP.
Why is it treating the eye area with PRP so popular:
The under eye area is a difficult area to treat. We are able to treat the dynamic smile lines with antiwrinkle injections, but the lines that are there under the eyes at rest won’t be helped with that. We can fill the tear troughs, which also won’t really help those under eye fine lines. Fractional laser in an option for this area, but injections are always more popular than ablative laser. So PRP is the best treatment, and we can cover the lower and upper eyelid with PRP. The PRP will help those fine lines and also thicken that crepey under eye skin
Results for PRP:
Improved skin colour, elasticity tone and thickness
Remodelling of the collagen fibres
long term smoothing of wrinkles and folds
Faster healing after aesthetic treatments
Protocol for PRP
2-3 treatments one month apart.
eyes 1 tube
face 2-6 tubes
decolletage and neck 6 tubes
after the first 3 treatments, treatment should be yearly at least. Or 6 monthly in an older patient
Side effects of PRP
Because the PRP is from the patient’s own blood, the side effects are minimal and include
Bruising (can be significant, especially around the eyes)
Swelling (again significant especially around the eyes)
Redness
How long until the patient will see results
Younger patients will see results after the second treatment. Older patients may take over 3 months to see results.
Cost of PRP
$450 per tube