Microneedling with PRP Treatments

Microneedling (also called skin needling, collagen induction therapy (CIT), or percutaneous collagen induction (PCI)) is a minimally-invasive, skin rejuvenation procedure. It’s skin-repairing effectiveness is kicked into overdrive when combined with powerful healing factors in our blood, called Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP. The treatment’s excellent for overall skin renewal, including imparting a healthy glow, diminishing enlarged pores and fine lines, as well as smoothing out acne scars, and stretch marks.

During treatment, a small amount of blood is taken and the protein-rich PRP’s are extracted. Our medical estheticians use a microneedling pen to create multiple micro-punctures along the skin. This drives the PRP growth factors into the skin and creates stimuli for tightening and rejuvenating the collagen of the face (or scalp).

All three treatments work to rejuvenate the skin and make use of PRP. They differ as follows:

1. Microneedling with PRP: A hand-held device is used to penetrate the PRP into the skin. The procedure does not include injection of PRP into the skin.
2. The Vampire Facial: Includes PRP injection, along with Microneedling with PRP.
3. The Vampire FaceLift: Includes both injection and Microneedling with plasma. The addition of a cosmetic filler works to reverse volume loss and restore mature skin.

Platelet Rich Plasma treatment has had wide medical application since it’s introduction in 1970. Plasma Rich Protein injections are commonly used in the fields of sports and orthopedic medicine for conditions such as: tendonitis, knee or shoulder injury,  arthritis, as well as nerve damage. Professional athletes often make use of blood injections to heal injury, including: Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, and Maria Sharapova.

Platelet Rich Plasma is a growth factor found in the blood that’s rich in proteins and works to heal skin from injury. Specifically, PRP works as follows:

• Stem cells respond to micro-injury on the skin by stimulating the body’s repair mechanism, which causes cells to generate new tissue
• Blood vessels form (or “neovascularization”) to increase blood flow to the skin
• Cellular turnover generates skin renewal
• Increased collagen production combats skin aging.

There are many cosmetic application for Microneedling with PRP, including:

PRP for Wrinkles / Skin Rejuvenation

Platelet Rich Plasma is proven to diminish signs of aging and restore a healthy glow to dull skin. Microneedling with PRP is effective on fine lines and wrinkles on many areas of the face. These include: around the eyes (crow’s feet) and nose (bunny lines), lines at the corners of the mouth (frown and smile lines), as well as lines on the horizontal and vertical (the elevens) lines on the forehead.

PRP for Photodamaged Skin / Hyperpigmentation / Age Spots

Microneedling with PRP promotes skin renewal to even out skin tone. As a result, the treatment will cause discoloration to fade. Specifically, it will work on damage caused by photoaging, melasma or other skin conditions that can cause dark spots.

PRP for Acne Scars / Burns / Skin Texture Renewal

Microneedling with PRP will repair underlying collagen to improve skin’s texture. Specifically, it can heal all types of acne scars, including ice pick scars, boxcar scars, atrophic scars and rolling scars. Further, any scarring caused by trauma or burns can be diminished from PRP therapy. A series of treatments is recommended for best results.

It’s important to note that PRP is highly effective for other areas of the body as well, including PRP for hair loss (stimulating hair follicles) and stretch marks. Microneedling with PRP also works for the decollete and the neck.

In a nutshell, PRP technique includes extracting and, then, microneedling your own blood back into the skin, in order to promote skin regeneration. The procedure is actually quite simple and takes anywhere from 60-90 minutes.  

1. The procedure starts with a blood draw from your arm. The platelets are extracted from the blood using a superior centrifuge called the Magellan TruPRP to isolate the protein-rich growth factors.
2. While the platelets are being extracted, a numbing cream is applied to the face.
3. Then, an esthetician will spread the PRP serum over the surface of the skin. Our microneedling device is a hand-held skin needling pen, called Rejuvapen (like a dermapen), that makes use of 12 super fine needles. It’s a multi-speed, adjustable device that allows controlled depth, spacing and frequency of punctures, which encourages absorption of the PRP deep within the skin.  The process opens up thousands of portals for PRP. The body reacts to the treated cells as it would a wound. Thus, it repairs the tissue and rejuvenates the skin.

The use of a numbing cream for skin needling makes Platelet Rich Plasma Facial rejuvenation relatively pain-free. However, individual tolerances to pain will determine how painful Microneedling with PRP will be. Our trained medical staff pride themselves on assuring the maximum comfort of all patients.

Usually, the treatment is easily tolerated, due to the use of topical numbing cream. You can experience some skin tenderness and redness afterwards. This usually subsides within a day or so. Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy recovery time, as well as downtime for Microneedling are minimal. Patients can return to normal activity following treatment.

The use of your own blood assures against an allergic reactions or that your body will  reject a foreign substance, which makes PRP generally safe alternative to cosmetic surgery or other noninvasive cosmetic procedures.

The results of Microneedling with PRP are immediate and include: added volume to the face, a reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, a healthy glow to your skin, as well as smoother and more youthful skin. Over the next few months, collagen growth will promote further skin renewal and regeneration.

The benefits of treatment for face depend on the condition of your skin, as well as your treatment goals. For general skin renewal, Microneedling with PRP is effective when performed every three to six months. For acne scarring, hyperpigmentation or to target a specific skin problem, three sessions that are scheduled 4-6 weeks apart are recommended. Our skincare professionals can assess your skincare needs and make individual recommendations.

Microneedling is best performed by a trained and licensed esthetician with experience using PRP, in order to assure both maximum safety and effectiveness. Our advice: skip the Microneedling kit for home and opt for a professional Miconeedling treatment.

Smooth Synergy NYC provides a complete menu of skin-repairing  treatments, including Microneedling with PRP, the Vampire FaceLift and the Vampire Facial, as well as a whole host of other skin-rejuvenating treatments. This gives us great flexibility in creating a personalized treatment plan to meet your individual needs.  Call us at 212-397-011 to schedule a consultation with an Expert in Beauty to find out which treatment/s is right for you.