Treatment Spotlight: PRP
PRP is one of our most popular treatments at Le Formulaire, and for good reason. By harnessing the goodness found within your own body, we can build strength and resilience back into your skin to tighten, lift and bring gorgeous glow - and the ingredients are all from within you! In this article, we would love to answer all the questions you may have regarding this wonderful treatment.
What is PRP?
Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, is a popular treatment used in both general and aesthetic medicine. In the1980s PRP started to become more mainstream to help accelerate post-operative wound healing,(1) however research surrounding PRP is actually over 70 years old.(2) It is widely offered in joint medicine (rheumatology) to help to heal muscles, tendons and ligaments. More recently, PRP has been used in cosmetic medicine and dermatology, with beautiful results in both research and clinical practice.
The process of a PRP treatment looks the same whether we are in a hospital setting or Le Formulaire: we harness the plasma and platelets, which is the part of the blood that is responsible for healing, hydrating, as well as nurturing the body, and reintroduce this back into the skin to bring a concentrated dose of rejuvenation to the target area.
To perform a PRP treatment, we extract a small sample of your blood from your arm. Your sample is put in a tube and placed in a device called a centrifuge. This spins for five minutes to separate the plasma and platelets from the rest of the blood. This process separates the red and white cells out, which we do not wish to use. We then extract the plasma and platelet rich part of the sample and use it in areas of the face we would like to rejuvenate, such as the under eye area, or across the entire face.
Who is PRP best suited to?
PRP is recommended to people who are looking to increase the elastin and collagen content of their skin in the most natural way possible. It also helps the brighten the delicate undereye region and help improve tone across the skin. A course of PRP harnesses your body’s own power to treat fine lines and wrinkles, brings bounce back to the skin, and reinvigorates your skin with radiance once again.
Are PRP treatments safe?
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), when practiced in a clinical setting, is an extremely safe and effective treatment. We are simply using your own cells and growth factors to reboot the skin.
A little bit of inflammation around the site of injection, which passes quickly, is expected and very tolerable. The platelet concentration in the sample is the same as your own blood, therefore it is impossible to “overdose” with PRP. Rather, it is a perfect physiological dose - as I say, I am treating you, with a dose of you!
In certain circumstances we may advise against PRP for people, pregnancy for instance, but in general terms it is almost suitable for everyone. When looking for a clinic that offers PRP, it is important to check the devices they are using to collect your sample are of a medical grade quality and are specifically designed for PRP and not for investigative purposes (like the tubes that we use in hospitals when we are testing your blood). For this very reason we use the RegenLab system as the collecting tubes and the centrifuge have an impeccable safety record and they are leaders in regenerative medicine.
Can PRP be practiced with other treatments?
PRP is a powerful treatment by itself, however it can be a wonderful adjunct to other collagen boosting treatments. At Le Formulaire we often combine PRP with the rejuvenating effects of microneedling. Microneedling allows uniform delivery of the PRP across the skin because of the many micro-channels it creates. We also use it frequently after our Morpheus 8 radiofrequency microneedling treatment, to accelerate healing and enhance the results.
PRP and microneedling combine two methods of encouraging natural collagen production in the skin to create a powerhouse treatment. Performing a PRP treatment immediately after microneedling enhances the effectiveness of either treatment alone, and in clinic brings awe-inspiring results!(3) PRP with microneedling has been found to have excellent results in improving acne scars,(4) as well as reducing the downtime normally associated with microneedling alone.(5)
Another lovely addition that can be made to a PRP treatment is the combination of purified hyaluronic acid to the plasma before it is used. This not only adds more hydration to the treatment areas to bring bounce and glow to the skin, but it also aids the plasma in accelerating cell regeneration, and can further reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The above treatments can be combined to create an even more potent treatment; a PRP hyaluronic acid mix alongside microneedling, amps the glow to the highest incandescence.
How many treatments should be considered?
A course of three PRP treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart is generally recommended to see best results, while more treatments may be prescribed depending on your particular goals. Acne scarring, for instance, may require additional treatments.
See our price list and bundles available here.
Is there downtime associated with PRP?
You should expect to see some redness in the skin for a few hours to a day or two after your treatment. There may be some pinpoint bleeding from the site of injections, however this settles quickly. Overall, the downtime is very tolerable. We often recommend people to go home with the PRP in place on their skin as a protective layer and we always advise you to bring a pair of sunglasses and a chic hat to your appointment so you can head home in style!
At Le Formulaire, we strive to enhance your own unique beauty. We pride ourselves in offering treatments that are research-backed and boast the highest standard in advances in medical technology. The results of PRP speak for themselves, and we hope that you are as excited by the science as we are!
References:
Hopkins Medicine, “Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/plateletrich-plasma-prp-treatment
Mościcka P, Przylipiak A. History of autologous platelet-rich plasma: A short review. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021 Sep;20(9):2712-2714. doi: 10.1111/jocd.14326. Epub 2021 Jul 14. PMID: 34214233; PMCID: PMC9291029.
Medical News Today, “Everything you need to know about microneedling with PRP” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327381#benefits
Asif M, Kanodia S, Singh K. Combined autologous platelet-rich plasma with microneedling verses microneedling with distilled water in the treatment of atrophic acne scars: a concurrent split-face study. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2016 Dec;15(4):434-443. doi: 10.1111/jocd.12207. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12207
Hesseler M, Shyam N. Platelet-rich plasma and its utility in the treatment of acne scars: A systematic review. 2019 Feb;80(6):1730-1745. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.029 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.029