Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) has demonstrated potential for relieving pain by promoting the healing of several conditions. Platelets are responsible for the process of hemostasis, development of new connective tissue, and restoration of blood circulation.

Recent advances in PRP preparation and use have made it possible for physicians in the United States to take advantage of this concentrated form of growth factors from the patient’s blood and turn it into a healing mechanism. The use of PRP in various medical fields goes back over thirty years. It has been used extensively in orthopedics and sports medicine.

The first human study published by Mishra and Pavelko, associated with Stanford University, supported the use of PRP for chronic elbow tendinosis in 2006. This study reported a 60% improvement immediately, 81% at six months, and a 93% decrease in pain at the final two-year follow-up. PRP has become more common and includes orthopedics, dentistry, wound healing, pain management, dermatology, hair restoration, aesthetics, and vaginal and sexual health.

Advantages to PRP include:

• Little to no risk of side effects because the body will not react to or reject its blood
• Injections of PRP stimulate new cell growth. It helps the body heal itself naturally without using chemicals or foreign substances of any kind.
• PRP has a long history of being used in orthopedic medicine, dentistry, and reconstructive surgery
• studies dating back 30 years have documented that PRP grows new collagen when injected into the skin
• Natural results
• Little to no downtime
• Accelerated rejuvenation due to growth factors and activation of the wound healing cascade
• Utilized in areas not easily treated with other modalities
• Works well in combination with other treatments
• FDA has not imposed regulations on the use of PRP because it comes from the patient’s own body and is not a drug

PRP, in combination with other collagen induction treatments, such as Fraxel, microneedling, CO2 resurfacing, and PDO thread lift, shorten healing time, accelerate, and increase the results.