Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a treatment that helps your body to heal using its own resources. The name comes from the components of PRP: Platelets are a type of blood cell, and plasma is the liquid component of your blood.
You may think of platelets as the blood cells that help your blood to clot when you have a cut. That’s true, but platelets also contain a host of growth factors and healing proteins that can help heal injuries and be used for skin rejuvenation in aesthetic treatments. Here at Starkey Medical Esthetics, we use PRP in certain treatments to help you look your best.
Platelet-rich plasma is often used in orthopedics for a variety of joint conditions or as a healing boost after surgery. In our dermatology practice, we use it to help rejuvenate the skin and scalp.
PRP is used as a part of our hair restoration treatment package for patients with hair loss or thinning to help them regrow a fuller head of hair. The therapy may help with male pattern baldness, too. It can help thicken existing hair and may also help hair transplants to grow faster.
We also use PRP in combination with microneedling, which is a procedure where many tiny micro-wounds are created in the skin. Microneedling with PRP can improve your skin’s overall appearance, including reducing wrinkles, plumping up your skin, diminishing acne scars, and smoothing out the appearance of deep creases.
PRP can also be used after fractional laser treatments to provide extra resources to revitalize your skin.
One huge advantage of PRP is that it’s made from your own blood, which eliminates the possibility of an adverse reaction to its application.
It’s so effective because the platelets contain a number of substances your body can use to perform the healing process, whether the PRP is injected into an injured joint or it’s used to help rejuvenate your scalp or facial skin. For dermatological purposes, PRP helps your skin heal by stimulating new skin cell growth and ramping up collagen formation.
When you come in for your treatment, we draw a small amount of your blood, which is spun in a centrifuge to separate the blood components. The platelets are mixed into a small amount of plasma to make the PRP, and then we use the PRP on your skin or scalp.
If you’d like to discuss the benefits of PRP treatments for your aesthetic and dermatological needs, call our office in Salem, Virginia, or make an appointment online today.
