Remember those vampire facials Kim Kardashian made popular circa 2013 (then regretted swiftly thereafter)? The procedure involved drawing blood from the arm, using a machine to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the platelet-poor plasma, then smearing the blood all over the face before pressing it into the skin using tiny needles. That was so then. "We are only just beginning to unleash the power of the growth factors within our own platelets," said dermatologist Lilly-Rose Paraskevas, MD, FAAD.
Until now, platelet-rich plasma has been "underutilized in cosmetic dermatology," said dermatologist Caren Campbell, MD. "Applying a patient's own platelet-rich plasma post laser treatments or blending it with filler is one of the best new ways to shorten downtime and improve results." The difference that experts are excited about for 2020, however, is that the protocols for using platelet-rich plasma have since been fine-tuned for better benefits.
"This is an immediate complexion-boosting concoction that eliminates pore size [and] fine lines and provides an instant glow — all without any downtime or need to be topically numbed."
"Well-designed clinical trials are being published in cosmetic journals, clarifying the mechanism of action and establishing injection protocols," echoed dermatologist Rita Linkner, MD, of Spring Street Dermatology in New York City. "Platelets have the capability of acting like a stem cell when placed back into the body. This is how dormant hair follicles are jostled awake with scalp injections of PRP. This is why PRP is being used adjacently to microneedling laser treatments where thousands of pores are created in the skin to provide channels for the platelets to penetrate into the papillary dermis, which is where new collagen bundles are born. The use of PRP with small amounts of additives like neuromodulators and hyaluronic acid delivered with handheld microneedled chambers to provide meso-therapy to the superficial structures of the skin. This is an immediate complexion-boosting concoction that eliminates pore size [and] fine lines and provides an instant glow — all without any downtime or need to be topically numbed."
Campbell added: "PRP can be used for undereye circles, blended with other collagen stimulators like Sculptra and your traditional HA fillers like Restylane Lyft to get less bruising [and] swelling and increased collagen stimulation, leading to younger-looking appearance."
