Trending Skincare: PRP Microneedling
In the spirit of Halloween, here is an update on a very popular and effective skincare treatment where your own blood is used to rejuvenate your face.
What is a PRP Micro Needling?
Microneedling facial procedure small needles are used to punch tiny holes in the skin and a skin care product used as the interface. With this procedure, a blood product called PRP is used. Microneedling generally results in pinpoint bleeding of the face known as petechial bleeding. This stops almost instantly and is easily wiped off. The other blood component is the PRP which is derived by centrifuging the patient's own blood using a specialized filter. These two blood related are very effective in combination.
What is Microneedling?
Microneedling is a resurfacing procedure where tiny needlines are used to puncture the skin using a mechanical pen shaped device. The microneeding pen oscillates rapidly and the depth of penetration can be programmed from 0.5mm to 2.5mm.
As skin ages, collagen becomes less organized and breaks down. Youthful structural proteins such as elastin also break down causing the skin to become thin, wrinkled, and loose. Microneedling causes a well controlled "injury" to the skin and in the process of healing after the treatment the skin regains new collagen, elastin, and thickness. In essence, old skin is replaced by newer regenerated skin through a process called collagen remodeling.
If microneedling is the mechanism whereby collagen remodeling occurs, then PRP is the fertilizer or growth factor which stimulates new collagen to form.
What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)?
PRP is derived from your blood and contains platelets which are the cells first recruited to heal an injury. PRP is essentially a purified blood product collected from a simple blood draw in the office. Blood is drawn into a special collecting tube with a patented filter to separate the blood from PRP. Using a centrifuge, the blood is spun for 10 minutes to separate the blood from the PRP. The result is a relatively clear solution that can be injected for rejuvenation or used as an interface for microneedling.
The PRP is used with the microneedling treatment which drives the PRP deep into the skin. After the treatment is finished, PRP is then rubbed into the skin and allowed to dry creating a "mask" which is worn for 8 hours after the procedure.
Caring for Your Skin After?
Once your treatment is complete you'll have some redness and inflammation for one to three days depending on your skin type and how aggressive your treatment was. Included in your treatment is an amazing skin care product which dramatically reduces the healing time and improves the result.
