Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

Our blood is made up of 93% red blood cells, 6% white blood cells, 1% platelets and plasma. Platelets are best known for their function of blood-clotting to stop bleeding. Platelets, however, are much more significant than this, as human platelets are also a critical component in injury healing.

Platelets are naturally extremely rich in the connective tissue growth and healing factors. The body’s first response to tissue injury is to deliver platelets to the area. Platelets initiate repair and attract stem cells to the injury. Injecting these growth factors into damaged ligaments, tendons, and joints stimulates the natural repair process. In order to maximize the healing process, the platelets must be concentrated and separated from the red blood cells. The goal of PRP is to maximize the number of platelets while minimizing the number of red blood cells in a solution that is injected into the injured or pained area(s). In summary, PRP creates, stimulates, and accelerates the body’s natural healing process.

PRP Anti-Aging Facial with Microneedling

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy is a very natural filler solution, made of your own blood, otherwise known as the “Vampire” lift. This treatment uses your own ‘enriched’ plasma as an advanced anti-aging and healing treatment delivered to the skin in a process similar to mesotherapy.  The secret lies in extracting and increasing the autological factors in your blood.  These autological factors are what your body needs to heal itself. PRP Therapy re-activates the autological factors in your body’s repair system getting your skin to regenerate more efficiently.

Using PRP Therapy as an anti-ageing facial treatment is highly effective.  This natural and safe treatment uses your own blood, which is extracted and enriched (with no chemicals or additives) in an easy and comfortable process and is then re-injected into your face through several ‘meso-type’ tiny injections.  The benefits of this approach are the natural and self-healing effects of regenerated skin, improved skin vitality, improved sun damaged skin, and better skin hydration.

PRP Hair Growth Stimulation

Another effective use of PRP is for hair growth. The loss of hair is due to multiple different factors. The most common cause of hair loss or “alopecia” may be effectively treated with PRP and micro needling. The hair follicle from which hair arises depends on the surrounding blood vessels to provide nutrients and growth factors. As one ages these blood vessels become less effective in supplying the hair follicle which then shrinks and stops producing hair. Studies have shown that improving the blood supply to follicles improves the health and functioning of the follicle. The growth factors produced by PRP stimulate new blood vessel growth which promotes hair growth, as well as increasing follicle and hair size. After two to three treatments, patients report a thicker, fuller head of hair.

FAQ’s:

What are Platelets?

Human blood is comprised of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.  The platelets are small, disk-shaped cell fragments in the plasma portion of the blood that work to facilitate clotting and tissue regeneration.  They are known to secrete fundamental growth factors that initiate cell regrowth.

How is Platelet Rich Plasma made?

A sample of the patient’s blood is spun in a centrifuge to separate the red blood cell portion from the platelets and plasma components.  The separated “solid” portion of the blood, or platelet rich plasma, contains approximately five to seven times the number of platelets found in normal circulating blood along with concentrated bioactive proteins that aid in wound healing.

What is a Vampire Facelift?

A Vampire Facelift is a term that has become popular, and it describes what we’re doing when we use PRP for facial cosmetic improvement. The reason the term has become popular is because we take a blood sample, and then inject the blood back into the face (even though we remove the red cells which would cause excessive bruising). Blood contains PRP and we inject the PRP into the face, rather than the whole of the blood.

What Can Be Treated With A PRP Facial?

The PRP Facial is effective for treating problems that result from a loss of volume in your skin, such as frown lines, wrinkles around your eyes, smile lines and nasolabial folds that extend from your nose to the corners of your mouth.  The technology behind PRP Facials has also been proven effective for treating the neck, jaw, mid-face and cheek areas, as well as acne scarring.

How does PRP Vampire Facial differ from dermal filler products?

Unlike commercially available dermal fillers like Restylane or Juvederm, PRP Vampire Facial is naturally derived from your own blood rather than foreign sources such as calcium hydroxylapatite, hyaluronic acid gel, poly-L-lactic acid or bovine collagen.

Who is a good candidate for microneedling with PRP?

Microneedling with PRP is a very safe and effective treatment for adults with all skin types who wish to improve their skin quality. The depth of the MicroPen can be adjusted to meet the client’s individual needs and objectives. Due to its low-risk profile, Microneedling with PRP is a good option for people who are not good candidates for lasers, such as those with darker skin types. MicroPen with PRP is also a very powerful tool for treating scars on the face and body.

How soon will I see results after a PRP anti-aging treatment?

PRP Therapy will improve general texture and tone to any area the platelet and growth factor rich blood is injected. For cosmetic application it is usually recommended to have a minimum of three treatments, one month apart. It is always best to wait a minimum of three months after the third treatment session before making a judgment on the results. Some patients will achieve further changes for three to six months after their final treatment.

What causes hair loss in women?

Hair thinning in women which affects nearly 40 million American women is mainly due to heredity and can start any time after puberty. However, we also know that female pattern hair loss can be strongly influenced by age, nutrition, stress, surgery, medications, illness, social/lifestyle factors, hair care and more. As hair follicles weaken and stop producing hair, hair loss occurs.

What causes hair loss in men?

In men we know that hair loss follows a very specific, progressive pattern that is passed on through heredity and is triggered by hormone–specifically dihydrotestosterone or DHT.  An estimated 60 million American men are suffering with male pattern hair loss. As hair follicles miniaturize and weaken, coverage of the scalp diminishes leaving thinning or balding areas.

How does Platelet Rich Plasma treat hair loss?

Androgenetic alopecia, or pattern hair loss, causes the hair follicles to gradually shrink, so that they produce thinner and thinner hairs until, eventually, they stop producing hair altogether.  Injecting platelet rich plasma into the dermis of the scalp can stimulate these shrinking hair follicles to become healthier and larger, reversing the thinning process and facilitating fuller, thicker hair growth.

How soon will I see results from my PRP hair treatment?

Although you will start to see improvement in hair texture, thickness of hair shaft and growth of new hairs in the treated area within two weeks after treatment, it typically takes three to six months from your initial treatment to see measurable results.

 

Interested in PRP? Contact us today!
If you are considering PRP, contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about the treatment. At La Piel Spa by Dr. Manuel M. Peña, our technicians are trained in Microneedling and many other methods of helping you look your best. We look forward to meeting you!