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– Doctor, aesthetic medicine is moving fast, but I will certainly agree that there are people who have not heard of the PRP procedure so far. What should we know about this procedure?
– It is true that although the procedure is not new in the world, and we in Lithuania have been doing it for almost a decade, it was talked about more than a few years ago, when several American celebrities, including Kim Kardašian West, shared photos on his Instagram account. blood on the face. PRP was called Vampire Facial, which means vampire facial, but there really is no mystique here, just science.
People have tried for hundreds of years to invent the elixir of youth and it turns out to be in our blood, literally. It is true that in aesthetic medicine this technique was applied perhaps ultimately because, when it was first discovered in the 1980s, it was applied primarily to blood transfusions in those patients whose blood platelets were too low. Later it was observed that PRP accelerates wound healing, reduces inflammation and promotes the proliferation of new cells, leading to the introduction of recovery after surgery. Today, this therapy is already known in various fields, from dentistry to sports medicine.
The principle of PRP is that a small amount of the patient’s blood drawn from a vein is used for the procedure. A special sterile equipment and apparatus, a centrifuge, separates the blood plasma from the red blood cells. Plasma concentrations in this way increase 6 to 8 times. This is how you get my so-called “elixir of youth” of platelets, which has up to 11 factors that stimulate cell growth; So far no injection procedures have been discovered that promote skin regeneration.
– Is this procedure in demand compared to other injectable procedures?
– I have patients who started visiting me when they were in their 30s, and now, 10 years later, their skin looks incomparably better. Yes, this can be achieved with the correct choice of procedures, including PRP, and essentially protecting your skin from aging, not just superficial cosmetics. By applying the anti-aging cream alone, unfortunately, it is impossible to achieve such a result after a certain age. The only advantage is good genes. But how many women can really boast of that? Also, when we find out if they’re really good, it might already be too late, right?
Shutterstock nuotr.
– What facial skin problems can this procedure solve?
– As I said, I would equate PRP with the elixir of youth, making it an ‘anti-age’ procedure. However, in aesthetic medicine, PRP therapy is recommended not only for the improvement of skin quality, rejuvenation, but also for the reduction of various scars, pigmentation or blemishes, such as those that remain after acne. The closest alternative to this procedure are injections with succinic acid, which is also naturally present in our body and has stimulating properties for tissue regeneration.
– Take the problem of reddened skin and superficial dilated capillaries. Is there a risk of doing more harm than good?
– PRP injections are performed with microneedles, so there are no problems even with procedures with a large capillary network in patients. Here everything depends more on the execution technique.
– Injection procedures usually require regularity. Can we do just one procedure or is a course absolutely necessary?
– Again, I must mention that a PRP procedure is unlikely to have a surprising effect – you need a course or a combination with other procedures, unless you are performing the procedure for preventive purposes. For example, PRP is known to improve the outcome of fractional laser procedures or fractional microneedle radiofrequency procedures for skin rejuvenation. Hyaluron or other preparations can be co-administered with PRP.
Today, when aesthetic medicine is so advanced, we have a great option: all you need to do is choose an experienced skin specialist who knows how to best choose and combine procedures. It goes without saying that injection procedures can only be performed by dermatovenerologists or plastic surgeons. By entrusting your face to a “master of beauty” of unclear competence, you run the risk of not solving facial skin problems, but creating them. And with very serious complications.
– In what age group is this procedure performed most frequently? And is there an age limit that I shouldn’t start?
– In Lithuania, cosmetic injection procedures have been performed since the age of 18; this is the legal limit. Scars, acne, and other skin problems can be early enough. But, for example, in treating post-burn or post-traumatic scars, I also use the PRP procedure on very young patients.
– Observation of a doctor: according to him, PRP will have no effect when performing procedures on young and beautiful people who do not have skin problems. Would you agree, right?
– Few more, but there are also those who have been consciously caring for their skin for 25 years, preventing aging. Patients the age you describe will not feel a significant difference for some time, but in the long run, skin care pays for itself at a much slower rate of aging than its peers. Perhaps the main secret of the youth of many years is to start caring for it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, how many women start using anti-aging creams only when they see wrinkles? I watch as the younger generation begins to realize that in order to look like Jennifer Lopez at the age of 50 and not their mothers, the skin must be taken care of much earlier.
Shutterstock nuotr.
– I have heard observations that PRP is not as natural an injection procedure as it is publicly said.
– The natural PRP procedure is called because it uses the patient’s own blood. However, what is ultimately injected is not just blood: anticoagulants or other additional activators are added to stop blood clotting and activate platelets. The platelets that we separate with the help of a centrifuge are involved in the blood clotting process, so the platelets are ready to be injected with a high concentration of these cells and solidify quickly (because the cells begin to stick together). It is not possible to inject the coagulated mass, so additional chemical aid has been used in the past. Unfortunately, this was not the best solution, as these chemical impurities made patients more burning and painful during injections, and there was also the possibility of allergic reactions.
I would say that this procedure is completely natural when the chemistry in question is not used, which is only possible with the help of the new Arthrex double syringe system. Blood is collected, processed and injected with the same specially built and designed double syringe, so it does not start to clot in preparation for injections, and the procedure itself is even more sterile, safer. No chemical additives are added to the system, so only then is it natural.
– Modern man often wants everything here and now. This procedure does not provide an instant result, so how do we measure its effectiveness?
– There are no injectable rejuvenating procedures that give instant results. The bottom line is that we activate new processes of cell proliferation and we take time to divide. A cell can divide for up to 72 hours, so wait 3-4 weeks to see the effect. Because through the eyes, the patient sees the effect only when a sufficient number of new cells and fibers are produced. The instant effect may be unless you apply a thick layer of silicone to your face, but this is unlikely to be a good solution.
– I would like to discuss the nuances of the price. However, the procedure is not cheap and to a Lithuanian statistician it may seem like a luxury. From what I have noticed, the prices range between 200 and 300 euros on average. What makes up for this price, and why does our own blood get so expensive?
– Paradoxically, our blood costs nothing. The price in this case includes its preparation and cell extraction – special sterile vacuum system for blood extraction and cell extraction, centrifugation, sterile dressing, disinfectants, disposable protective equipment, skin sensitizing drugs, knowledge of how to handle it, proper training and training of a specialist. etc
After all, you will arrive at a serious clinic with all the infrastructure (registrars, nurses, etc.). Here as a restaurant, where it costs not only a plate of salad, but also the work of a chef, the service, even having someone wash that plate afterwards. The only difference is that you can make a salad at home, and it is simply not possible to perform this procedure yourself.
Well, for fun, we can compare prices. In Europe, a PRP procedure costs about 500 euros on average in a normal clinic and 900 dollars in the United States. Therefore, the price difference is obvious.
Of course, it must be recognized that rejuvenation is a luxury item, but I think that priorities are also very important. I have repeatedly seen women with expensive handbag markings and inappropriately neglected faces, necks and hands. So here is the question of attitudes and values, not just money. Perhaps it is better to invest in young skins than in the 10th pair of shoes.
Gyd. Gytė Grigonytė-Babajan, personal archive photo.
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