Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) therapies that draw on the healing potential of blood elements have been used in sports medicine for years, helping athletes like Tiger Woods recover from injuries. More recently, though, PRP has shifted from wound healing in sports medicine to skin revitalization in aesthetics centers.
Dr. Wilton McLeod and his team of skilled nurses and certified aesthetic specialists can help you harness the healing powers of your own blood through PRP facials at Open Canvas Laser Aesthetics. But what, exactly, is a PRP Facial? It’s actually quite simple and only takes about an hour at our San Luis Obispo, California, office.
A PRP facial starts with a simple blood draw from your arm — the same kind of blood draw you’ve undergone at the doctor’s office for blood tests. Your medical professional removes about two to four teaspoons of blood, which is then placed in a specialized centrifuge that separates the blood into its various elements.
The centrifuge separates the solids in your blood from your plasma, which is the liquid component of your blood. The solids are then spun again, separating the platelets from the red blood cells.
The platelets are mixed back in with a small amount of your plasma. The resulting concentration of platelets is about three to five times that found in normal plasma. Hence the name “platelet-rich” plasma.
The reason why your Open Canvas Laser Aesthetics specialist creates such a concentrated mix of platelets is that the platelets are the healing component of your blood. When you get a cut, platelets rush to the site of the wound and help coagulate your blood so that your vessels can repair themselves.
Platelets are also filled with growth factors that aid in tissue regeneration. The growth factors in platelets include platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived angiogenic factor (PDAF), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β).
And the good news doesn’t stop there. Your platelets also release fibronectin, vitronectin, and other substances that promote healing and tissue growth.
So now you know how important platelets are for tissue regeneration and healing. That’s great. So should you just brush your face with PRP and hope that it reaches deep into your dermis, to repair disordered collagen and other signs of aging?
To ensure that your rich, restorative PRP revitalizes your skin from the inside out, your Open Canvas Laser Aesthetic specialist first prepares your skin with a therapy called microneedling. Microneedling is an aesthetic procedure in which your specialist creates hair-thin wound columns in your skin using a microneedling device.
Microneedling, by itself, is a highly effective restorative technique. The tiny, controlled wounds in your skin signal your body to begin a healing process. Your body whisks away old, disordered collagen, and begins building new strands of collagen and elastin to create a stronger, fresher matrix for your skin
When your skin is brushed with PRP after a microneedling session, both therapies augment one another. The tiny wound channels created by the microneedles allow the PRP to seep deep into your dermal layers. And the growth factors and other healing substances provided by the PRP accelerates the wound healing that your body began with the micrnoneedling treatment.
Over the next weeks to months, your body — aided by PRP — builds up your skin so that it becomes stronger and revitalized. Fresh new strands of collagen and elastin lend pliability and strength to your skin. You can expect improvements such as:
Depending on your needs, your Open Canvas Laser specialist may also inject PRP directly into problem areas, such as deep folds or scars, to help rebuild strong, new, healthy tissue.
Microneedling and PRP may not be the right therapies for you if you have active acne. You may need a series of microneedling and PRP treatments to get the level of revitalization you wish. Your Open Canvas Laser Aesthetics professional can then schedule regular touch-ups so you can maintain your glow over the next months and years.
To set up a consultation and find out if PRP and microneedling are the right combinations to revitalize your skin from the inside out, contact us today by phone or online form
