There are many different compounds found in the makeup of our blood. Plasma is the liquid that fills the majority of the blood contents, but there are many other components like red cells, white cells and platelets that can be found as well. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP for shorthand, is a substance with a much higher concentration of platelets than what would normally be found in the blood.
Platelets contain hundreds of different proteins that are often referred to as growth factors. PRP can have between five and ten times as many platelets as regular blood. So it should come as no surprise that PRP would have tremendous potential to impact the medical field, especially when attaining it is as easy as performing a blood draw.
PRP is made directly from your own blood — all that is required is a simple blood draw. Once the blood draw has been made, the harvested blood is put into a centrifuge, a medical-grade device that separates different compounds in a liquid solution. In this case, the centrifuge separates the platelets from the rest of the plasma and cells.
Many people mistakenly believe that PRP needs to be harvested from bones, and there are also a few stories of PRP being extracted from baby stem cells. We can assure you this is not the case. A simple blood draw — similar to any lab work or blood donation you have done in the past — is all that is required to gather the PPR.
Traditionally, PRP removes as much material away from the platelets as possible, creating a solution of growth factors that is as concentrated as possible. However, some physicians are now looking to develop something called platelet-rich fibrin, which includes more red, white, and stem cells than PRP. This has some benefits for certain medical procedures.
When these nutrient-rich substances come into contact with the body, it is like giving a booster shot to the body’s natural healing process. Whenever you get a cut, scrape, tear, or other injuries, your body will respond by directly deploying these growth factors to the injured area. Your blood has limits to the concentration of these proteins it can transport, though, so using PRP in those areas bypasses those limits.
Historically, PRP was first used to treat injuries. Many people — including athletes — have used PRP to treat chronic and acute injuries in the tendons, ligaments and muscles. It has also been medically proven to combat knee arthritis, fractures and even helps certain types of tissues heal more effectively after surgery.
As the information and research on PRP effectiveness grew for these medical purposes, plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons and medical aesthetic practitioners began to take note of its usefulness. Eventually, PRP started to be used in a cosmetic treatment to boost the results that could be achieved. The two main applications for PRP were microneedling and injections.
Microneedling is a minimally invasive aesthetic procedure that can improve the texture and tone of many different blemishes on the skin, like fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots, acne scars, etc. During this procedure, a handheld medical-grade rolling pin with hundreds of tiny needles attached is moved throughout the targeted area, creating hundreds or thousands of microwounds.
Your body immediately begins healing the “wounds” by flushing collagen, elastin, and other growth factors found in the platelets of our blood. However, by applying PRP directly to the skin during the treatment, we have found that the results can be noticeably improved since the microwounds open up direct channels for the PRP to travel to the targeted skin.
In some cases, PRP can be injected directly into a targeted location to restore volume in the skin by boosting the amount of collagen and elastin in the given area. This technique is often referred to as a vampire lift, but that name is sometimes also used to refer to microneedling with PRP as well.
Unlike microneedling, however, injections concentrate the growth factors into a much more pinpointed area, which is a great technique if you are looking to improve one specific feature instead of casting a wider net to the rest of the face or other skin.
Many surgeons have begun using PRP during surgeries like a facelift. The solution is applied underneath the skin where the incisions were made. This gives the body a jumpstart on the healing process, allowing the total recovery time to decrease.
The cost of having PRP performed is difficult to nail down since it is usually done alongside a different procedure like microneedling, facelifts, hair restoration etc. Typically, one of these PRP treatments can range from $250 to $1000, depending on the extent of correction needed and the specific treatment performed.
You don’t need to make any specific preparations for PRP treatments. You can keep to your usual routine as much as possible in the days and weeks leading up to your treatment. Some medications may affect your blood composition; if necessary, we will work with your primary physician to alter or temporarily stop those medications to ensure your safety and the integrity of your results.
Hair Loss in Men and Women
Hair loss is a common concern affecting both men and women, arising from various causes such as hеrеdity, hormonal changes, mеdical conditions, mеdications, strеss, and cеrtain hairstylеs or trеatmеnts. While men often еxpеriеncе receding hairlines, women may notice a broadening in thе part of their hair.
Thinning hair and bald spots can impact the body, leading to distrеss for many individuals. Howеvеr, hopе, and hеlp can be expected through Platеlеt-Rich Plasma (PRP) trеatmеnts, a revolutionary procеdurе that harnеssеs thе body’s natural ability to rеgrow hеalthy hair folliclеs.
PRP, or Platеlеt-Rich Plasma, harnesses the body’s natural healing properties to address hair loss. It is a non-surgical solution with minimal downtimе, offеring hopе for individuals еxpеriеncing hair thinning and baldnеss.
Platеlеt-Rich Plasma (PRP) thеrapy is a revolutionary procedure designed to rеpair damagеd tissues and stimulatе hair folliclе activity. PRP utilizеs growth factors found in thе patient’s blood platelets to promote optimal skin cеll function and еncouragе nеw hair growth.
Ideal candidates for PRP treatments include those with еarly hair loss, particularly in cases of androgenic alopecia, a gеnеtically dеtеrminеd type of hair thinning.
PRP thеrapy is a minimally invasivе procеdurе conducted in-officе, taking approximately 60 minutes. Thе procеss involvеs obtaining a small amount of thе patiеnt’s blood, spinning it in a machinе to sеparatе platеlеts, and thеn applying a local anеsthеtic to thе scalp. Concеntratеd platеlеt-rich plasma is introduced into thinning or bald arеas of thе scalp. The treatment protocol typically includes an initial session and maintenance trеatmеnts еvеry ninе months to a year.
PRP treatments have no downtimе, limitations, or rеstrictions. Patients may еxpеriеncе minimal redness, swеlling, and tеndеrnеss to treated arеas, which usually subsidеs within 48 hours. Cosmеtic improvеmеnts arе commonly obsеrvеd around 4 – 6 months after thе initial trеatmеnt, with continuous improvеmеnt up to a yеar.
Whilе PRP is not a pеrmanеnt solution, it helps rеvеrsе the miniaturization of hair folliclеs, producing hеalthiеr, thickеr, and longеr hair fibеrs. Repeat treatments are recommended for optimal and lasting results.
PRP therapy refers to the use of platelet-rich plasma in either a medicinal or cosmetic application. It can be injected directly into the skin or through a microneedling session.
PRP has shown some promising results when it comes to restoring lost hair. When flushing an area with growth factors, some of those substances bolster the health of the hair follicles, helping them to produce more robust and more resilient hair.
Since PRP is considered an optional treatment, it is often not covered by insurance. You should always make sure to check though since there are always exceptions to the rules.
Most patients do not find the blood draw particularly painful outside of the first prick into the skin. If you’ve ever had a shot or given blood, you already know what kind of pain to expect from this procedure.
Generally, at Aesthetic Envy, we recommend that pregnant women wait until they have given birth before having PRP performed since infection is a risk in any type of invasive or minimally invasive procedure that can be harmful to your growing baby.
If you are interested in one of the cosmetic applications of PRP or would like to learn more about how it can help you improve your appearance, give our office a call at 916-333-4906 to set up a consultation with one of our medical professionals. You can also fill out our online contact form, and a team member will reach out to you at a more convenient time.
Unlock your journey to radiant beauty and rejuvenation. Call us at 916-333-4906 to schedule your personalized consultation at our medical spa today!