PRP Skin Rejuvenation Treatment

PRP DONE IN OFFICE

I went into an office to have a PRP facial treatment done. This is not my first introduction to PRP, in fact I did my own DIY PRP session at home nearly two years ago. It’s tricky drawing your own blood one handed! If you don’t know this about me already, I love to study and trouble shoot DIY skin treatments. I wanted to see what it was like to have it done in office and I also wanted to find out if there were any tips or tricks I could impart to you.

WHAT IS PRP?

PRP, a.k.a. platelet-rich plasma is taken from your own blood. First your blood is drawn and multiple tubes of blood are collected. By spinning the tube samples of blood into a centrifuge it separates the solid components of the blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, from the liquid plasma. My blood was drawn and four tubes were filled. It was then placed into the centrifuge for 8 minutes at 2000 rpms. Once the blood is pulled out the centrifuge the topper is pulled off and the “liquid gold” is then drawn up into a syringe to be used for the mesothearpy part of the treatment.

STEP ONE: Blood Draw

STEP TWO: Blood Samples are collected.

STEP THREE: Tubes are placed into a centrifuge and spun at 2000 RPMs for 8 minutes.

STEP FOUR: The Platelet Rich plasma is drawn up into syringes ready for Mesotherapy.

STEP FIVE: Mesotherapy And Microneedling

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A PRP BEAUTY TREATMENT?

A PRP treatment is a biostimulation treatment that injects your own isolated platelets.

Platelets contain a high concentration of “growth factors” proteins that help to heal injured tissue or damaged skin cells stimulating the skin’s natural production of collagen and elastin fibers. When injecting PRP back into the body the platelets release their growth factors which trigger surrounding cells to proliferate, in turn stimulating repair, increasing volume and rejuvenating the skin.

The healing proteins in a PRP facial act as a skin fertilizer that rejuvenates the look and feel of your skin from the inside out with your bodies own rich plasma. One cell that is stimulated during the process is the fibroblast cell, which is the cell type that creates collagen. Collagen is what gives skin a youthful appearance. As we age, collagen is produced less and less, causing wrinkles and fine lines in the skin, and PRP treatments stimulate collagen production to help counteract collagen loss. Another cell stimulated during the process is the pre-adipocyte cell, which is a cell type that can convert into a fat cell, which is especially important in the face to fill out lines and to contour the face. She first started injecting into my delicate skin underneath my eyes. These are areas where the signs of aging start emerging first and are more prominent.

She then continued injecting around my whole face including my forehead. When the platelet plasma is injected into the skin, the platelets release their growth factors. The growth factors stimulate other cells surrounding the injection site, plumping them up and causing them to increase in volume. The platelet plasma sends out signals to other cells in the body when it is injected, telling them to rush forward to the injection site.

After she was done injecting she used the rest of the PRP that was drawn up and microneedled that into my face serving as the slip for the derma pen. She microneedled my entire face at a 2.5 depth, even going over the meso points. The ,DR.Pen creates tiny puncture holes, pushing the regenerating platelet-rich plasma into the skin. Since the platelets are high in growth hormone, and the microneedling stimulates the skin to regenerate, the entire microneedling process is meant to aid cell turnover. She then went over my face with oxygen from a CO2 tank. This was done to help the PRP better penetrate into the skin, improve blood circulation to the face, which can help skin look bright and plump. The oxygen is also known to accelerate wound healing and may also kill certain bacteria. And just like that, I was done.

Does it hurt? Even with the numbing, it’s a bit uncomfortable being pricked however, this is not meant to be an enjoyable procedure like a spa treatment. Plus my injector was quick and so it did not last long. Once the injections were over I was fine with the microneedling session. Afterward, my face felt super tight and that happens because of the nature of the protein.

After Care

The great thing about a PRP facial treatment is that is there minimal downtime and little recovery time. Most of the recovery comes from a little swelling the day of the treatment and from tiny bruising pricks which go away within a week. The instructions I received from my injector was to not wash my face for an hour and to protect my skin from the sun. I didn’t wash my face until later that night and I was fine the next morning. I did apply my regular serums and sunscreen the next day.

How long does it take before you see results?

Most people see improvement in skin texture 2 to 3 weeks post-treatment and by the 3rd month period, most of the collagen has been reproduced. Some people can wait up to a year before needing another treatment and some need to be seen every 3 to 6 months. It all depends on where you are with collagen degradation.

Here is my day after photo where you can see I have pinprick bruising, especially under my right eye.

Do you need to prepare for a PRP treatment?

Here are the samples that were collected from me. Now here is where I impart some important information to you so that you get as much platelet-rich plasma from your blood samples. You DO need to prep before a PRP session. Avoid caffeine, alcohol (if you drink), and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I did not produce as much PRP because I was not hydrated and I bruised more than normal due to drinking my Red Bull. If you are going into an office to have this treatment done or doing it DIY drink lots of water leading up to the day of and abstain from caffeine or alcohol for three days.

If you are into DIY here are the tools you need for your own at-home PRP treatment.

• PRP KIT
• Tubes
• Needles and Gloves
• IV Practice KIT
• Centrifuge Machine
• Dr Pen

My Own at Home DIY PRP treatment:

My Final Thoughts On An In-Office PRP Treatment

First off I love the layering of the mesotherapy injections followed by the microneedling session and finished off with the oxygen treatment. This whole technique ensures that I am getting as much PRP into my skin as possible. I like that it is a noninvasive treatment that does not take very long, the longest part was waiting on the numbing cream. My skin looks clearer and feels refreshed. I am definitely going to try this again at home…now to go find an oxygen tank!

Kim Pratt

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