PRP Therapy with Microneedling: The Recipe for Flawless Skin
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most beautiful of them all?”
As kids, we’re told fairy tales of ever-gorgeous princesses and queens who never age. But as we grow up and go through life, we realise the mirror isn’t always a girl’s best friend. When you look at your reflection, and all you see are wrinkles, acne, and saggy skin, the picture isn’t exactly pretty.
No matter how much you invest in fairness creams or spend on chemical products, certain skin problems are way too stubborn to get rid of. Like that age-old sunburn or those baggy dark circles that just refuse to let go. However, thanks to the immense evolution in technology as well as in the field of dermatology, there are now an array of escape routes available from the huge, scary mountain of skin troubles.
Good news as that may be for most, some people are just not up for treatments involving surgeries or chemicals being injected into the body. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get rid of evils like acne scars and stretch marks. There’s a perfect solution to be found in pairing microneedling with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a technique that has been around for quite a while, and is touted to help in diminishing acne scars and wrinkles, along with aiding in the better penetration of skincare ingredients. The process involves tiny needles creating punctures in the top layer of the skin, in order to improve its overall texture and appearance. While it might sound scary to disturb your skin with needles, it’s a relatively risk-free procedure that has proven to have many benefits.
The treatment begins with the application of a numbing cream. After that, the needles are moved across the skin with the help of a small handheld device. There are various kinds of microneedling devices, for example, dermarollers, dermapens, dermastamps, etc. The device contains tiny microneedles that pass over the skin, creating micro-channels on the skin.
Microneedling typically takes 30 minutes, and depending on the skin areas you wish to treat, the number of treatments can be somewhere between three to six. Experts usually keep a gap of about three weeks to a month between treatments.
Post the procedure, the skin takes a few days to completely get rid of the redness, after which the effects become visible and natural collagen production takes place. This method is great for treating the sunken areas on the skin caused by acne or chickenpox, along with treating fine lines, discolouration, etc. Although proven to be safe, this treatment should definitely be done by a skilled aesthetic professional.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has gained a lot of popularity lately. Also known as the ‘Vampire Facial’, it rose to fame after being promoted by celebrities, like Kim Kardashian West. PRP is known to stimulate new cell growth, improve complexion and skin texture, and restore lost facial volume.
This minimally-invasive, non-surgical procedure is initiated by drawing a small amount of blood from the patient. Our blood is essentially made up of four components: Red blood cells, white blood cells, the plasma, and the platelets. Once the blood is drawn, it is then placed in a centrifuge, which helps separate the blood cells from the plasma and platelets, thus isolating the natural growth hormones and cytokines. This is then re-injected into the skin, assisting in the stimulation of collagen and new skin cells.
Pairing Microneedling and PRP
In order to achieve the best results, experts advice that microneedling be paired with PRP. During microneedling, the skin is gently pricked to create micro-injuries that start the body’s natural healing process. This triggers the production of collagen and elastin, which in turn help smoothen out the lines and wrinkles, and treat other irregularities in the treatment area.
Once the microneedling is done, PRP can be applied directly to the treated areas. The microneedling device creates channels that are permeated by the plasma, which helps attain optimal results. The combination of microneedling and PRP is ideal since the skin usually presents an outer barrier that prevents the penetration of molecules of a certain size, but microneedling allows the PRP to bypass this barrier and work deep beneath your skin.
After the treatment, your skin will need approximately 1-3 days to heal. During this period, one might experience a sensation similar to a mild sunburn. The results will start showing as your body regenerates and heals over the next few weeks, with the collagen and elastin produced by the body making your skin look smoother, brighter, younger, and supple.
This procedure is very delicate, and you should make sure that you get it done only from skilled and experienced professionals. At Skin Alive, this treatment is done by and under the supervision of experts who’ve been in this field for years and are very well aware of the delicate handling it requires. It’s only after inspecting the patient’s skin type and requirements that they recommend this treatment, and also offer advice and tips to follow once the procedure is complete.
Although the combination of PRP and microneedling is dermatologically-tested and has proven to be safe and effective over the years, one can never be too careful. You should only get this done after a professional recommendation, because if gone wrong, this procedure can lead to infections, nerve injuries, tissue damage, and pain at the injection site. The professionals at Skin Alive warn the patients beforehand about the minor side-effects that might occur (redness, for example), and also provide them with the necessary solutions.
Benefits of Combining Microneedling and PRP
Microneedling and PRP are both treatments that are considered potent enough to restore your skin’s vitality, and the results are even better when the two are combined because it utilizes the power of your blood’s platelets to rejuvenate the skin and reinvigorate cellular turnover. There are many benefits of the microneedling-PRP pairing. Some of them include:
Both the procedures are painless, non-surgical, and non-invasive
Helps treat various skin evils like acne scars, sun spots, melasma, stretch marks, and wrinkles
The recovery period is really short, and you can resume your daily activities almost immediately
The combination of microneedling and PRP is so effective that your skin starts to repair itself due to the production of collagen
It lightens irregular skin pigmentation, reduces large pores, and softens uneven skin texture
The frequency of adult hormone-related breakouts decreases post the treatment
The effects are immensely long-lasting, especially when it comes to skin conditions like scars or sunspots
Dull, saggy skin is obviously unavoidable with the onset of aging. But reducing the visibility of wrinkles, age lines, acne scars, etc. is definitely possible with treatments such as microneedling and PRP, and the perfect synchronization of the two helps you get back the youthful glow you so desire.
The involvement of delicate instruments mandates the dependence on expert doctors to carry out this procedure, and this is something the patients should take seriously. With the production of new collagen, coupled with the platelets derived from your own blood, your skin condition will recover substantially. Your skin will feel tighter and rejuvenated, thereby reducing the appearance of several skin imperfections.
