PRP – PLATELET RICH PLASMA

What is it, and why is it up there with the latest aesthetic medicine procedures?

When injected, PRP is a substance that is thought of as being able to promote self-healing.  These injections are based on your blood that’s mostly made up of water and protein.  Plasma is an element of your blood that contains proteins that help your blood to clot, as well as proteins that support cell growth and plasma lets red and white blood cells and platelets move quickly through your bloodstream.

The idea is that when you have PRP injected into damaged tissues, your body will grow new healthy cells and instigate healing.  This is because researchers believe the body’s tissues will heal fast. After all, the tissue growth factors are more concentrated in an injection form.

What’s it used for?

It depends on where you inject, and the reasons you want or need the injections.

Injections can be given in the world of sports where injuries are commonplace, doctor’s surgeries for a series of medical conditions, as well as in regenerative clinics for a multitude of reasons including visible signs of aging like wrinkles and sagging skin.  It has been used for hair loss whereby doctors inject PRP into the scalp to promote hair growth and prevent hair loss, particularly for a type of hair loss, which is known as androgenic alopecia –male and female pattern baldness.  It has been used for tendon injuries such as Achilles tendonitis and tennis elbow, jumper’s knee and patellar tendon in the knee.

In a sport where there have been acute injuries, doctors have used PRP injections to treat serious sports injuries, including pulled hamstring muscles and knee sprains.  It has been known for people with osteoarthritis to have had PRP injections in their knees as well.

But in the world of beauty, PRP is also known as a tremendous injectable treatment for rejuvenating the skin and repairing the signs of aging.  People love it as it’s a 100% natural way of giving fantastic hair and skin benefits. Since PRP uses your plasma, there’s minimal risk of side effects because the material comes from your body.

PRP injections help your body produce more collagen in the treated areas, and this increase in collagen, which gives plumpness and a more youthful look to your skin, can help restore volume to areas that previously appeared sunken and saggy.  Great news for those people who want a younger look without going under the knife with cosmetic surgery.

Do PRP injections work?

They have been proven that after injury or surgery for certain conditions, like torn tendons, the PRP injections can aid in a speedy recovery.

In the beauty world, people have reported that having PRP treatments have had great results that lasted for several years.   PRP injections can be used not only to combat hair loss, and improve skin texture, they are also used to reduce the appearance of scars, stretch marks, or even dark circles under the eyes.

According to researchers, ‘PRP injections in the lower-eyelid region are a safe, efficient, virtually pain-free, simple and rapid treatment option for an area with otherwise limited treatment alternatives.’

Top athletes believe they are having a powerful impact on their injuries from PRP treatments.   So, they are seen as significant for unresponsive injuries as they tend to alleviate chronic pain long-term.  They also work to reduce, relieve, and ease muscle stiffness that affects movement and exercise as well as people’s sleep.

There seems to be no issue with skin type and is a safe, effective treatment for all, including those with acne or other severe skin complaints, including scarring.