PRP in Aesthetic Medicine
When we discuss improvements in skin quality and contours, and the correction of aesthetic concerns through the use of aesthetic-medical procedures and products, it should be noted that these approaches may or may not improve the skin’s normal biological functions, and while they may result in visual improvement, these procedures may not simultaneously benefit skin health.
Biostimulators are those aesthetic-medical products and procedures that result in improved skin physiology. Conversely, approaches that, while improving the skin’s appearance, do so without benefiting our physiology and through its deterioration, are considered bioregenerators.
In general, the latter should be reserved for patients in whom improving skin biology alone is insufficient to achieve satisfactory results, while the former can and should be used at all stages of skin aging.
Among the most frequently used biostimulating procedures in aesthetic medicine consultations are injections with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), hyaluronic acid, or polyvitamin complexes.
PRP
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) represents a concentrate of our platelets (a type of formed element in our blood) diluted in a small volume of plasma (another component of our blood) that is extracted by the aesthetic professional using the patient’s own blood, through standardized steps.
Being a platelet concentrate — which naturally produce various growth factors, proteins essential in initiating healing processes — we can infer that PRP will have biostimulating functions in the skin.
In addition to the aforementioned components, PRP contains numerous proteins that naturally act as scaffolding for bone and connective tissue and regulate epithelial function (the cells lining our tissues).
Who Should Extract PRP?
Aesthetic professionals, as well as other practitioners with appropriate training, are responsible for extracting PRP from the patient’s own blood. The blood extraction and subsequent PRP preparation procedure is carried out in the clinic through standardized steps that ensure reproducible platelet concentrations each time.
Today, specific extraction systems exist that, among other things, produce higher and more reproducible platelet concentrations while minimizing contamination risks during PRP preparation. Even so, it is important to mention that higher platelet concentrations do not translate to better results.
Some studies have shown that the best results are obtained when platelet concentrations reach 2.5 times the normal blood platelet concentration. Evidence links better results with the presence of a greater number of available platelets rather than with specific concentrations.
According to its applications, there are three basic therapeutic formulations:
- Liquid form, used as a serum intradermally or as drops, primarily in ophthalmology.
- Gelified form, used for skin lesions or as a membrane — with more body and density, appropriate for treating soft tissue lesions and sealing surgical wounds.
- Also, based on case analyses, clinical studies, and pilot trials.
How Does PRP Work?
The fundamental mechanism explaining PRP’s efficacy is the release of platelet granule contents. These granules contain various proteins whose effects are beneficial for the skin.
Both the factors contained in the granules and those produced by platelets participate in cell proliferation, production and renewal of the extracellular matrix, formation of new blood vessels, migration and proliferation of leukocytes and fibroblasts, collagen synthesis, among other functions. These functions remarkably improve skin biology.
Physiologically, degranulation occurs after platelet activation, about 10 minutes after the coagulation cascade begins. With this in mind, PRP must be produced in an anticoagulated medium, and once activated, must be used 10 minutes after coagulation begins.
In addition to the immediate effects following platelet granule release, platelets produce additional factors for the next 7 days of their half-life.
Once the platelet dies, immune cells present in the tissue, called macrophages, take on a regulatory role in the healing process by secreting additional factors similar to those released by platelets.
Finally, other immune cells known as monocytes and lymphocytes — previously attracted to the injection site by some platelet factors — also produce other proteins that contribute to strengthening the aforementioned biostimulating functions.
When Should I Use PRP?
Some of the most frequent aesthetic indications for PRP use are facial and body rejuvenation processes, involving intradermal application of the product; increasing hair volume and thickness in patients of both sexes with androgenetic alopecia; in combination with fillers and alloplastic biomaterial grafts; in combination with fat grafts during liposculpture procedures, among other indications.
Depending on the specific aesthetic indication, PRP application can be repeated every 3-4 weeks for the period considered appropriate by the practitioner.
Other aesthetic-medical procedures (e.g., photobiodynamic therapy), as well as cosmetic products and at-home devices, can be used to enhance PRP treatment results. I’ll share some products that will be useful and can be safely used at home.
Facial Bio Serum
High dosage of low, medium, and high molecular weight hyaluronic acid
Get itPerpetual K Facial Cream
Hydrating and firming cream that improves the appearance of prematurely aging skin
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Now that we’ve given you these tips, let’s continue with the post.
A Final Look at PRP
It should be noted that not all countries have the same regulations regarding aesthetic treatments, both in the selection of the competent professional and the indications for the product to be used.
Spain regulates PRP as a medication, so its application must be authorized by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, and therefore this treatment must be performed in a registered aesthetic-medical center. As patients, we should always check the health registry of the clinic of interest.
We have already seen the numerous advantages of this product obtained from our own body, as well as its possible applications in the field of aesthetic and regenerative medicine.
Skin Esthetic Pearls
PRP is an established treatment that we have likely heard of before. As patients or aesthetic professionals, we should not overlook its efficacy, as well as its potential additive effects in combination with other aesthetic-medical treatments. So much so that today there are multiple combined protocols that achieve better results and higher patient satisfaction.
It can be said that PRP is a safe, effective, and economical treatment with multiple benefits, which we can use as a complement to conventional therapies or individually.
Clínica Skin Esthetic
Aesthetic medicine performed in unauthorized centers by personnel lacking proper training and qualification poses a serious risk to patient health. At Skin Esthetic, we are an Advanced Aesthetic Medicine Clinic. We perform aesthetic-medical procedures with high scientific rigor, by a duly qualified team, always focused on preserving the natural look that only you can have. Remember, at Skin Esthetic we work so that your only concern is thinking:
Why didn’t I do this sooner…?