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by Op. Dr. Evren Tevfik İşçi
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), in other words platelet-rich plasma therapy, is applied by injecting the plasma obtained from the blood taken from the person himself/herself and subjected to certain procedures into the target tissues. PRP can be applied for aesthetic purposes such as hair loss and skin rejuvenation, as well as to heal injured ligaments, muscles, tendons and joints more quickly.
Hair loss: PRP can be used to promote hair growth and prevent hair loss. According to research, PRP injection is an effective procedure in the treatment of androgenic alopecia, also called male pattern baldness. It is possible to obtain effective results with PRP treatment, especially in genetic hair loss, which is frequently seen in men. PRP can be combined with hair mesotherapy if deemed appropriate for the patient.
Tendon injury: The hard and thick tissue bands that connect the muscles to the bone are called tendons. Tendons usually heal slowly when injured. PRP injection can be used to treat chronic tendon problems such as tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis in the ankle, pain or inflammation in the patellar tendon in the knee.
Heel spurs: PRP is basically applied to accelerate the process of tissue healing. For this purpose, PRP method can be used for heel spur treatment.
Repair after surgery: After some surgical interventions, PRP injections can be used to repair torn tendons or ligaments such as the rotator cuff tendon in the shoulder.
Osteoarthritis: PRP treatment can be applied to joints such as the knee and hip of patients with osteoarthritis. According to the data obtained from some studies, PRP injection for osteoarthritis treatment is more effective than hyaluronic acid injection.
Skin rejuvenation: PRP injection is an effective treatment method against signs of aging on the skin due to various factors such as aging and environmental factors. With PRP injection, benefits such as increasing skin elasticity and reducing skin wrinkles can be achieved. PRP treatment can also be used to remove scars on the skin.
What is PRP?
Platelet-enriched plasma can be defined as plasma obtained by centrifuging the blood taken from the patient’s vein and containing a higher concentration of platelets than whole blood. Since PRP contains a large number of growth factors, it is often preferred in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.
Since PRP contains high amounts of platelets and has many growth factors, it supports the healing process. In this way, it accelerates the process of tendon and cartilage regeneration. By injecting PRP into the area where the disease is located, the effectiveness of the growth factors contained in PRP is maximized.
PRP, a regenerative treatment procedure, stimulates the regeneration process by activating the body’s repair mechanisms. Platelets, white blood cells produced in the bone marrow, can be oval or round in shape. Platelets, the smallest blood cells in our body, make up about 1% of human blood. They do not have a cell nucleus and have 3 different granules in their cytoplasm. The predominant alpha granules contain over thirty growth factors and bioactive proteins. The most well-known feature of platelets is their function to stop bleeding. Platelets are considered to be extremely important elements in wound healing because they contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors, which play a very important role in wound healing.
How is PRP Treatment Performed?
PRP is a treatment that is completed in an average of 30 to 40 minutes. The first step of the treatment is to take blood from the patient’s vein. The blood is centrifuged and the other components of the blood and platelet-rich plasma are separated. The peculiarity of platelets is that they act as a natural reservoir for the growth factors needed to repair injured tissues. Growth factors secreted by platelets increase collagen production and gene and protein expression in tendon stem cells. This promotes the process of tissue healing. Growth factors also accelerate blood flow, making the cartilage harder and more flexible.
The way PRP injection is applied may vary depending on the purpose of the treatment. Before starting PRP treatment for hair loss, lidocaine is applied to numb the scalp if necessary. Most of the time, it is preferred to mix PRP with a local anesthetic drug to reduce the pain and soreness that the injection may cause.
How is PRP Applied?
PRP is a treatment planned and applied specifically for each patient. In order for the treatment to be successful, it must be performed by specialized and experienced doctors. The decision on suitability for PRP treatment is made after a patient-specific evaluation. If it is decided that the patient is suitable for PRP treatment, some blood is taken from the patient. The amount of blood to be taken may vary according to the area of use of PRP treatment.
The blood is placed in a sterile tube in a centrifuge device. The centrifuge, which is a very fast rotating device, separates the blood into its components. At the end of the process, which takes about 15 minutes, platelets are separated from other blood components.
The separated plasma is made ready for injection and the resulting plasma containing concentrated platelets is injected into the target area. Since the injected plasma contains 5 to 10 times more platelet concentration than normal blood, it accelerates the healing process. The PRP procedure usually takes half an hour to complete after blood collection.
Why is PRP Applied?
PRP treatment can be applied for different purposes. The most important of these is to accelerate the healing of the target area and reduce inflammation. In addition, PRP injections can also be used for skin rejuvenation, accelerating soft tissue healing and promoting hair growth. With PRP treatment, a large amount of platelets are injected into the target area and platelets play an important role in the body’s natural healing process.
Since PRP treatment is administered using a substance derived from the patient’s own blood, there is no risk of side effects or allergic reactions. This is also one of the factors that increase the applicability of PRP in different patients.
What are the Effects of PRP Application?
Although most people think of cosmetic and anti-aging treatments when it comes to PRP application, successful results can be obtained from PRP treatment in many different areas from the treatment of tissue damage to musculoskeletal diseases. The main effects of PRP applications can be listed as follows:
– Gives shine and elasticity to the skin.
– It has restructuring and revitalization effects.
– It can support all vital functions of the skin in subcutaneous tissue.
– It can strengthen hair and prevent hair loss.
– Prevents wrinkles and depressions that occur on the skin due to aging.
– Helps to restructure the skin in case of wounds and skin damage.
– It can quickly reconstruct the damage to the skin after laser applications.
– It can offer a non-surgical solution to Achilles tendon rupture.
– Within the scope of medical aesthetic procedures, it can be applied to the face, neck, décolleté, hands, arms and inner legs.
– In addition to problems such as wrinkles, sagging, collagen reduction and loss of elasticity, it can also be applied for the removal of dark circles under the eyes and skin whitening.
– PRP method can be used to treat spots that are frequently seen during pregnancy.
– Thanks to its ability to stimulate regeneration, it can be considered as a treatment to remove acne and scars.
– By applying PRP treatment in cellulite and stretch marks, regeneration in tissues can be achieved and such unwanted conditions can be eliminated.