As you may remember from high school science class, platelets are like the fertilizer of the body—everything they touch heals and improves. Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) treatments are effective because they deliver highly-concentrated platelets back into the body's tissue. It doesn't matter if it's a torn muscle in needing healing or thin, aging facial skin needing to be regenerated—PRP works well wherever it is placed! So if you're looking for a natural way of maintaining and improving the quality of your skin without the use of fillers or you want to boost thinning hair, PRP might be the treatment you've been looking for.
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Unlike the other injectables featured at Esthetics Center, Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) is not a product that is pulled off the shelf and injected into the face or body. Instead, we draw a small amount of your own blood, spin it in our centrifuge at 3,500 RPM, extract the concentrated PRP, and inject it into the area being treated. PRP treatments stimulate the body’s own healing process to regenerate and restore lackluster, damaged skin and boost the reparative process for wounds and injuries.
Plasma contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Platelets promote growth and healing, especially in the presence of injury. By separating the platelets and concentrating them in the area of an injury (in the case of microneedling) or directly into the tissue, your body responds by activating the natural healing process, which includes building collagen and elastin.
As far as delivery goes, PRP can be injected or micro-needled into the skin. Typically, PRP injections begin to work after one or two treatments.
PRP treatments can be used for many things, but at Esthetics Center, we offer PRP injections and microneedling to improve skin texture (rough, crepey skin) and hair growth. Specific areas it works really well are under-eye hollows, fine lines on the surface of the skin (crow's feet and lines around the mouth), acne scars, and hair restoration in men and women.
Every appointment at Esthetics Center begins with a conversation about your goals and concerns. We will also discuss your medical history and the long-term risks and benefits of the treatment we have planned. Once we are ready to begin treatment, we will draw the patient’s blood and let it spin while we prepare the treatment site. Some patients will receive topical numbing such as ice or lidocaine; Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is also available for those who feel especially anxious. Once the PRP is extracted and ready, we will begin injecting or microneedling it into the skin. This part of the treatment takes only a few minutes, and you will be free to go with just a few simple instructions for aftercare shortly after we finish.
PRP treatments are an excellent option for anyone interested in naturally rejuvenating their skin or replenishing volume without the use of dermal fillers. It is also excellent for boosting hair growth for both men and women. In addition, many of our patients seek PRP injections to improve the thin, crepey skin below the eyes. It also supports other treatments because it decreases your healing time, supports skin structure and integrity, and improves outcomes for other esthetic treatments such as BOTOX, filler, and lasers.
Most people are not bothered by it at all. While the experience of drawing blood isn't typically enjoyable, this procedure requires very little blood, so the blood draw is over quickly. The treatment is not painful, and we make every effort to ensure you're comfortable—ice, numbing, and Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) are all available to make you feel less anxious.
PRP treatments have minimal side effects other than caring for the treatment site. The procedures all utilize the patient’s own blood product, which leads to very few if any complications. PRP is very safe and, most of all, very effective.
Recovery following any PRP treatment will vary depending on the number of injections and the area being treated. Generally, patients might notice some soreness, swelling, and possibly bruising for a few days. We recommend that patients refrain from exercise for 24 hours following treatment and stay hydrated to encourage healing. For microneedling patients, it is especially important to wear sunscreen and avoid exposure to direct sun for about a week. Usually, patients need three treatments spaced four weeks apart. Results will start to be noticeable about six weeks after the first treatment but will peak around six weeks following the last treatment.
Spinning the blood at 3500 RPM for 10 minutes causes the blood to separate. It separates into three layers—the red blood cells, the platelet-rich plasma, and the platelet-poor plasma. We use just the PRP, which is injected into the face and/or into the scalp.
PRP, as was mentioned above, is excellent as an injectable or in conjunction with microneedling. We also have great results drizzling PRP over the face after an ablative laser procedure.
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Dr. Rice received his medical degree from Loma Linda University in Southern California where he also completed an internship in general surgery and specialty surgical training in Otolaryngology—head and neck surgery. Dr. Rice went on to complete advanced training in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Institute of Facial Plastic Surgery. He is double board-certified…
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