Heal Like Wolverine

If you're noticing signs of aging but hesitant about traditional treatments like Botox or fillers, consider the power of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. PRP utilizes your body's natural healing properties to rejuvenate and strengthen your skin and tissues without the use of foreign substances, minimizing risks. This revolutionary treatment involves drawing your blood and extracting healing and growth factors through centrifugation. PRP can be employed in various ways, such as microneedling for skin texture improvement and scar reduction, under-eye injections for rejuvenating hollow areas, and scalp injections to promote hair regrowth. you’re seeing unfortunate signs of aging, but you’re not yet comfortable with the idea of botox or filler, you may want to consider treatment with platelet rich plasma (PRP). PRP uses your own blood products to send chemical signals to your body to regenerate and strengthen skin and tissues. There are no foreign substances involved, and therefore very few risks. 

PRP is obtained by drawing your blood and spinning it in a centrifuge. The clear yellow part that separates from the red blood cells is high in healing and growth factors, and signals your body to heal injury, regrow tissues, and stimulate collagen formation. It can be used in several different ways, depending on your goals.

If your goal is to improve skin texture, reduce fine lines, firm skin, and erase scars, microneedling with PRP is a great option. This involves numbing the skin with cream while we harvest your PRP, and then using a pen-like device with tiny needles at the end which extend and retract very quickly at a depth of between 0.5-3mm. When combined with PRP, microneedling creates microtraumas which stimulate collagen formation, and the PRP helps you heal like Wolverine. 

When your treatment is done, the area treated will be red for a few hours, like you went for a run. Your skin will feel tight, but will look generally normal. By the next morning you should be completely recovered, aside from some redness if the treatment was aggressive. A few days later you may notice some light flaking of skin, but a little extra moisturizer clears that up. 

The final result of this treatment will be in about 28 days, when your skin cells have turned over, and the newly regenerated cells are born. For profound results, or to treat specific concerns like lines or scars, you’ll likely need multiple treatments a month apart each. We charge $500 for microneedling with PRP.

PRP can also be injected under the skin to regenerate deeper tissues. A common area for this treatment is under eye hollows or darkness. The goal in this treatment is to regenerate the fat pad that normally lies beneath the skin, but that has thinned due to aging. This was my biggest concern that led me into aesthetics (I took the above photo at work one day, horrified at the blue under my eyes in the mirror), and I have had great results from regular PRP injections. 

After a PRP under eye injection treatment, your under eye area will appear puffy for 12-24 hours. Most people are in love with their result on day 2, but this is not the final result, only a happy accident. On day 2, the puffiness has mostly resolved, but the little that remains improves the under eye color appreciably. This will only last about a week, and then your body begins doing the real work of regenerating fat. You’ll need at least three treatments a month apart each to see great results. We charge $300 for PRP injection.

Finally, PRP can be injected into the scalp to regenerate dormant hair follicles. Both men and women experience age-related hair loss, stress related hair loss, and hair loss due to other causes. In this treatment, I’ll perform a scalp nerve block by injecting numbing medicine around the nerves that supply your scalp. This makes the treatment much more comfortable. 

PRP will be injected using very small needles into the scalp. When the numbing medicine wears off, you may experience a mild burning sensation, or no discomfort at all. Successful hair regrowth requires at least 6 treatments a month apart each. The cost for a package of 6 hair restoration treatments at Relevé is $2500. We don’t offer them individually, because if you do fewer than 6 you will likely not experience adequate results. 

There are more indications for PRP, including injecting it into joints (I do perform joint injections, and have had patients experience great pain relief), and into sexual organs to improve functioning.

​If you’re curious about how PRP might help you reach your goals, book a free consultation now.

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