What is PRP?
You probably have never wondered what you, your most trend savvy friend, and Dracula have in common. But if you have, then you know that the answer is most likely to be: Platelet Rich Plasma. That’s right, PRP therapy, otherwise known as “blood facials” or “vampire facials,” is a treatment that’s made its way from the regenerative treatments of elite athletes, to the practices of elite facial plastic surgeons. What began as a cutting edge method of healing various soft-tissue injuries throughout the body has become the latest trend in facial rejuvenation. And despite the limited research available (yeah, it’s that new) the popularity has only been on the rise due to its affordability, perceived effectiveness, and low risk factor. Doctors can hardly believe it themselves; how could there be a brand new cosmetic trend that’s not only effective but practically fail safe? Well, start believing because it seems like PRP is here to stay, and you don’t want to be the only one left out when everyone starts dawning fangs and avoiding garlic. Only kidding of course, garlic is great, almost as great as platelet rich plasma. Here at Dr. Konstantin’s NYC facial plastic surgery practice, you can learn more about how this new technique may help you achieve your facial rejuvenation goals, and why it’s become so popular among patients and doctors alike.
So how does it work?
In short, the answer is, well…magic. Not magic like an illusion or the supernatural, but magic in the sense that science is magical. Much like art is composed of scientific, physical matter, yet has the ability to transform us in inexplicable ways, the body is made of parts that work together in ways that we’re still barely beginning to understand. PRP treatment simply takes a resource our bodies produce naturally – blood – and repurposes it via injection to be useful in a different part of the body. In other words, we take a tiny bit of blood, put it through a centrifuge machine that gives us a high concentration of the best parts of the blood, and then take that highly concentrated “super blood” and inject it under the skin to help the cells grow rapidly and naturally. By using a patient’s own blood to release growth factors that stimulate and increase the number of reparative cells the body produces naturally, we effectively allow the skin to rejuvenate itself, and we do so without any risk to the patient because, again, it’s their own blood. So what is platelet rich plasma exactly? Well, “plasma” is simply the liquid portion of blood which serves as a medium for the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The platelets are blood cells which cause clotting and other necessary healing functions.
Is PRP Right for Me?
If you’ve ever considered skin resurfacing treatment, i.e. lasers that carefully shave off layers of skin until the younger skin underneath is all that’s left, then you might find PRP to be the alternative remedy you’ve been looking for. Lasers, although effective at first, can ultimately leave skin worse in the end, and sometimes (especially with older tools) the damage may even be irreparable. Here at Dr. Konstantin’s facial plastic surgery practice, conveniently located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, we use a method called micro needling to strategically disperse the PRP throughout the face and neck region. This amplifies the natural growth factors your body uses to heal tissue, and leaves the skin prepared to rejuvenate itself after only a very minimal amount of down time. Because this treatment relies on the initial stages of healing: inflammation and cell proliferation, the only thing one has to avoid around the time of procedure is anti-inflammatory medications. Other than that, it’s your own blood that does most of the work, therefore it’s safe, quick, and one of the most natural cosmetic treatments you can undergo. At Dr. Konstantin’s New York City office, we consider facial plastic surgery an artistic endeavor as much as a medical one, and our aim is to always help our patient’s reach their facial rejuvenation goals using the most natural and advanced methods available. Call or schedule a consultation today and find out if PRP is just what your skin needs.
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