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Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)

What is Platelet-Rich Plasma?

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is another example of a medical technique that is being used to improve the skin using the natural, healing components of the body. This treatment is also known as a Vampire Facelift.

This treatment has been used for many years to help heal wounds and encourage quicker healing, for example in athletes suffering from sports injuries. Tiger Woods, the world’s number one golfer, used PRP therapy to recover quickly from knee surgery. PRP also has a long history in the treatment of surgical recovery, bone cancer, ulcers, and torn ligaments, and there have been reported successes in a large variety of other conditions.

In recent years, PRP therapy was introduced as a method of rejuvenation for the skin, helping to accelerate normal cell renewal and healing processes by stimulating collagen formation, revascularization (increasing blood supply) and repair. Using your own blood means that there is no risk of adverse reactions to the treatment. PRP can also be used as a ‘natural filler’ to help restore volume where necessary.

How does PRP benefit the skin?

Blood contains platelets, which helps to clot the blood and repair damaged areas in the body. Platelets also release growth factors to stimulate the growth of new, healthy tissue. When PRP is injected into the skin, it activates dermal fibroblasts, a skin component that plays a key role in maintaining skin integrity and youthfulness, causing the synthesis of cell-renewal ingredients such as collagen, adhesive molecules and cytokines. It has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of wrinkles and for skin rejuvenation due to its growth factor activity.

How is the treatment performed?

The PRP treatment involves drawing your own blood from the veins in your arm. This blood is then placed in a centrifuge, which spins at high speed to separate the platelets from the other blood components.

The platelet-rich plasma is then injected into the face in multiple injections. Each injection helps to spread the PRP into all areas of the face, while causing a small damage to encourage rejuvenation. PRP can also be used to rejuvenate the neck, decolletage and hands. PRP is also successfully being used as a hair loss remedy.