The Use Of PRP Therapy As It Relates To Cosmetic Procedures

Posted on: 10 June 2018

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PRP, or "platelet-rich plasma," is a relatively new therapy. Platelets are responsible for fighting off infection and helping your body heal. When people donate blood or plasma, platelets are removed and then used to create platelet-rich plasma. Doctors then inject PRP back into patients with muscle, tendon, ligament, or bone issues. The PRP therapy these patients receive allows them to heal much faster than just rest and medication alone. 

Now, PRP therapy is being used in conjunction with some cosmetic procedures. You might be wondering why this is even necessary or how that works. Well, it looks something like this:

Choosing a Procedure That Involves Nerves and Muscles

A cosmetic procedure that involves cutting muscles to lift them higher and which will affect many nerves is a procedure that is often more painful and takes longer to heal. For example, say you chose to get a facelift. This is a pretty common procedure, but most people are unaware of what is involved in a facelift.

It is not just lifting your skin. Your muscles, or facial flesh, have to be lifted too. Sometimes the muscles are "trimmed," to prevent future sagging, at least for a while. Less muscle to droop means better results with you facelift. Unfortunately, facelifts often involve a lot of the nerves in your face, head, and neck. The end result is a lot of pain while your face recovers. Now, enter the PRP therapy treatment.

PRP Treatment Following Your Facelift

If you request, or if your cosmetic surgeon supplies, PRP treatments, you will start the treatment immediately after surgery. The platelet-rich plasma is injected into your face, as close to the surgical sites as possible. It immediately begins to go to work, alleviating some of the post-operative pain you are experiencing and reducing your need for medical painkillers. The treatments may be prescribed weekly or twice a week, depending on your rate of healing and your age. Usually, the cost of PRP therapy, when offered by your cosmetic surgeon, is included in the cost of the procedure.

Healing

Most facelifts heal within two to four weeks. With PRP, the healing time for most cosmetic procedures is cut in half, which means your healing time with a facelift could be as little as a single week. You could literally take a single week's worth of vacation and return to work looking completely and naturally refreshed with no one the wiser.

There are other cosmetic uses for PRP therapy as well, so look into all the wonderful things it can do.