Are you looking to improve the health of your skin and address some common signs of aging? If so, PRP microneedling can be an effective, minimally-invasive way to do that. Our team at H-MD Medical Spa in Oklahoma City, OK, pairs microneedling with PRP to give our patients a powerful combination of benefits.
How Does PRP Microneedling Work?
Microneedling Helps Boost Your Treatment’s Efficiency
The process of microneedling makes hundreds of micro-channels throughout the treated area. PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, offers a plethora of helpful nutrients. When it comes to PRP microneedling, the act of microneedling allows the PRP serum to better penetrate through multiple layers of your skin.
This treatment can be a gentle and effective alternative to thermal energy or ablation. Not only does microneedling help the PRP do its job, but it can boost your collagen levels at the same time.
The Importance of Collagen
Microneedling can also be known as Collagen Induction Therapy, or CIT. The act of microneedling triggers the body’s healing response in a safe and controlled manner. The body will send resources to the treated area, with one of these resources being collagen.
Collagen is crucial to skin health. It’s part of what helps your skin maintain its strength, youthful texture, and firmness. Age and sun damage can both decrease collagen levels, so giving your body a natural boost can fight back and help you restore your skin health.
How PRP Helps
PRP is a term used to describe a blood-derived serum that has a higher level of platelets than circulating blood. The patient’s blood is basically used to create their own treatment. First, we can draw a blood sample, which can then be processed in a machine that spins the blood around until it’s separated into different layers. The “liquid gold” layer of PRP is what we will draw up for your microneedling treatment.
PRP is rich in nutrients and growth factors that add some serious power to the benefits of microneedling. It can help encourage more dramatic results without introducing foreign ingredients to your skin or your body. This is one reason why PRP is considered a very safe treatment option.
How Do I Make My Results Last?
Our team would be happy to give you personalized recommendations on how to protect your skin and encourage dramatic, long-lasting results. For now, taking good care of your skin is generally one of the best ways you can help your treatment be effective for as long as possible. Sun protection is a big one; sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen can all help protect your skin from further damage.
Exfoliation can be helpful but should be practiced in moderation. If you overdo it, you could end up doing more harm than good. Hydration is another important aspect of skin health, as proper hydration can do wonders for the skin. Reducing stress levels can help your skin and body as a whole. Finally, smoking can negatively affect your ability to produce collagen. If you quit smoking, that may help your results last longer.
The Treatment Process
Phase One
To better understand how PRP microneedling works, let’s go over the three basic phases to our treatment process. Tiny needles will be used to gently pierce the dermal tissue. This tells the platelets throughout the area to release growth factors and cytokines as a message to your body’s immune system.
Macrophages and neutrophils will then arrive at the area. They will clear debris and disinfect the area, all while increasing your skin’s blood supply. This process is called angiogenesis. Once that occurs, the granulation process can begin where new cellular and extracellular materials are created.
Phase Two
Proliferation is the key word for the second phase. Fibroblasts are cells that create the extracellular matrix and make up a significant portion of the skin’s dermis. In this stage, fibroblasts, epidermal cells, and keratinocytes will divide and populate the damaged areas.
To encourage further regeneration, they will secrete collagen, elastin, and other helpful growth factors.
Phase Three
Phase three is the remodeling stage. At this point, the body has created new dermal tissues and vasculature across the treated area. This newly-formed tissue is now able to create stronger collagen levels, which tightens and strengthens the skin for a natural “shrink-wrap” effect.
What Can Be Treated?
Acne Scars
Many patients assume that once they leave their teenage years behind, their acne concerns will be left behind too. Acne does tend to be at its worst during our teenage years, but that doesn’t mean it completely goes away in adulthood. Many adults still struggle with acne. Even if the acne does pretty much go away, the scars they can leave behind can linger for years.
Microneedling is a very versatile treatment, and the needles can be adjusted for a range of skin types and needs. This allows us to customize the treatment for your skin and your cosmetic goals. If you’re dealing with acne scars, we can adjust the microneedling device accordingly to encourage new skin regeneration throughout the scarred areas.
A Healthy Complexion
Some patients have very specific issues they want to address, while others just feel like their skin could use a pick-me-up. Microneedling with PRP can be a great way to give your skin a healthy glow.
Whether your skin is showing the signs of stress, age, or the general wear and tear of life, this treatment can help restore your skin’s vitality. Giving your skin the nutrients it craves can help it look more refreshed on multiple levels.
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
While the timeline can vary due to multiple factors, eventually our skin will lose its ability to produce as much collagen as it used to. Once your skin reaches this point, it will produce a bit less collagen and elastin each passing year. This is when patients usually start to notice the onset of fine lines or a loss of the smooth texture associated with youthful skin.
Whether you want to help delay the onset of these signs or fight back at the signs that are already present, our team would be happy to help you. The nutrients found in PRP combined with the powerful collagen-inducing effect of microneedling can help strengthen the structure of your skin. That is what can help reduce the severity of fine lines and wrinkles.
Sun Damage
Nothing feels much better than the warmth of the sun against the skin. That said, it’s important to protect your skin while you’re enjoying the sunshine. The aging process can be hastened if you’ve spent a lot of time out in the sun without skin protection. In fact, sun damage is considered a leading cause of premature aging.
Sun damage is associated with a roughened skin texture, uneven pigmentation, and wrinkle development. Before you worry too much, the good news is that microneedling with PRP can help improve all of those symptoms.
Enlarged Pores
Even if you do your best to keep your skin clean, dirt and debris can end up clogging your pores. This can be frustrating to deal with and difficult to treat on your own. When pores are clogged they tend to look larger. Another reason you may be noticing enlarged pores is due to a loss of skin elasticity. The gravitational pull on our skin can weaken it over time, causing pores to loosen and stretch.
Microneedling can be used to take exfoliation to the next level. Our professional and experienced team can treat the areas to make sure nothing is clogging your pores. Secondly, the PRP and stimulated collagen levels can help tighten up your pores and improve their appearance.
Dark Circles
Dark circles can be challenging to find a good treatment for. The skin of this area is thin and can be sensitive. That’s why a more natural treatment like PRP paired with microneedling can be helpful in refreshing and strengthening this skin. With the skin given a boost of nutrients, the tightening effect can help reduce dark circles.
Skin Texture and Tone
Hyperpigmentation is a common issue that can come in many forms. Age spots, for instance, can involve several small areas of the face that are a different tone or texture than the surrounding skin. Microneedling with PRP encourages new, healthier skin growth, which can be useful in “evening out” a patient’s natural complexion.
PRP Injections for Hair Loss
Hair loss can be a devastating condition, and somewhat tricky to treat. PRP allows us to treat hair loss naturally by redirecting your body’s healing response and encouraging it to focus on your scalp.
To achieve this, PRP will be taken and injected into the scalp. Our skilled team will use our experience to target specific areas for the best effect. The PRP’s essential proteins and growth factors are able to repair damaged follicles so they can produce hair again.
Ready To Give Your Skin Some TLC?
We offer a range of treatment options and would be happy to answer your questions about PRP microneedling, or any of our other treatments. Reach out to us at H-MD Medical Spa in Oklahoma City, OK, to set up your consultation today.