Platelet Rich Plasma PRP Injections
About
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Popularly known by celebrities as the “Vampire Facial,” PRP (platelet rich plasma) is a new and innovative treatment in the aesthetic industry and Aesthetics by Dr. Mallhi is very excited to offer this procedure to our patients in Kitchener! PRP injections have been used for years in orthopedics to rejuvenate the joint space and over the past few years has been introduced into aesthetic medicine with superior results. It is mainly used to dramatically improve the quality of skin and to revitalize thinning hair.
PRP contains your own body’s platelets suspended in plasma. The platelets contain hundreds of growth factors which your body uses naturally during the healing process of injuries. When we concentrate the platelets and thereby the growth factors into a small amount of plasma, we get PRP or what some consider “liquid gold.” The growth factors work to stimulate collagen and elastin in the skin to correct skin damage.
The plasma can be used in combination with microneedling, injected directly under the skin similar to how fillers are injected, or just applied topically after procedures such as chemical peels or laser treatments. These treatments are perfect for those looking to improve skin elasticity, quality, acne scars, wrinkles, dark
circles, and thinning hair. For more dramatic skin improvements, Radiofrequency Micro-needling with Morpheus8 is perfect!
What is treatment like?
A numbing cream will be applied topically to make the PRP procedure as comfortable as possible. Then using a standard blood draw kit, around 9ml of blood will be drawn from your arm. The tube with your blood in it will be placed in the centrifuge machine for approximately 8 minutes. This forms the PRP which is then drawn out into syringes and used to either inject into your skin similar to a filler, superficially into your scalp, or applied topically during microneedling or post procedure.
How many treatments will I need?
For skin rejuvenation, at least 3 treatments are recommended, spaced 4 weeks apart, to see final results. Thereafter, a maintenance PRP treatment once or twice a year will help sustain results. For hair restoration, around 6 treatments 4 weeks apart are recommended.
How long does the treatment take?
The PRP treatment itself can take 15-30 minutes depending on the method of delivery. However the numbing and PRP preparation can take an additional 30 minutes.
When will I see results?
Since PRP is used mainly to improve the quality of skin and rebuild collagen and elastin, results will not be immediately apparent and can take 4-6 weeks or longer for full results. At least 3 PRP treatments are recommended for optimum results.
What are the side effects?
These are mainly those seen anytime a needle is used to break the skin: pain, swelling, bleeding, bruising, and infection. Pain is minimized with the use of topical anesthetics. The risk of infection is kept minimal by using sterile technique. The product itself is your own blood and so there is no risk of allergic reactions or adverse events that are usually otherwise attributable to foreign substances. There is also no risk of mixed up blood products as only one patient is scheduled for the PRP procedure at a time.