The PRP Process
The treatment begins with venipuncture (a blood draw) to obtain the blood. Contrary to popular belief, it’s relatively painless — aside from the first needle pinch. Typically, the process includes the initial blood draw, then running the blood through a centrifuge to isolate the platelets. Dentists then perform micro-needling or microdermabrasion just before PRPs are applied across the patient’s face. This can be accompanied with or without radio frequency, too. It is central to the evolving understanding of the physiology of the skin and advanced techniques with which to improve the quality of the skin. Recovery takes a day or two of downtime for the patient before you’re ready to hit the streets depending on how aggressive the microdermabrasion was on the skin. This course is taught by our physician anesthesiologists with years of clinical experience using PRP for boutique private plastic surgery centers. Additional clinical staff includes dentists, surgeons and nurses that have solid experience incorporating PRP into their private practice. Each department chair is currently active at the university level teaching as an attending.
The popularity of PRP grew from its promise as a safe alternative to surgery. In recent years, research provided us a new perspective on platelets. Studies have shown that platelets contain numerous growth factors and cytokines that can reduce inflammation, post-procedural blood loss, and infection, as well as improve osteogenesis, wound healing, and soft tissue healing. It is now evident that platelets also release many bioactive proteins responsible for attracting macrophages – mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts that promote removal of degenerated and necrotic tissue, and enhance tissue regeneration.
How It Works
PRP stands for Platelet-Rich Plasma. It’s a drug-free procedure that uses the patient’s own blood as an aesthetic treatment. By redistributing part of the blood to areas in need of improvement, you can generate impressive results with relatively inexpensive equipment. Here’s how it works:
- The treatment begins with venipuncture (a blood draw) to obtain blood from your patient. It’s relatively painless aside from the first needle pinch, and only takes 1-2 ounces for the entire procedure.
- Then, the blood is placed in a centrifuge for around 5 minutes to isolate the PRP from the rest of the blood. This is rich in nutrients and growth factors that aid the body’s natural healing process.
- A microneedling or microdermabrasion is performed on the treatment areas just prior to the application of the PRP in order to stimulate regrowth and help the PRP reach deeper layers of the skin.
Patients typically recover in 1-2 days and persisting results can be seen 4 to 8 weeks after treatment.