Pearl MD Rejuvenation of Toronto, Ontario is committed to using state-of-the-art technology. One of our cutting-edge treatments is the use of platelet-rich plasma, or PRP Treatment. Every month it seems more and more PRP treatments become available. This widespread success is not without reason: PRP truly does work wonders. But what makes PRP treatment so effective?
What Makes PRP Treatment So Effective?
1. It Utilizes Your Body’s Natural Healing Mechanisms
Most treatments require surgery or medication to be effective. PRP uses neither of these. Instead of going under the knife or altering your body’s chemistry, PRP takes advantage of your body’s natural healing processes.
Platelet-rich plasma, as its name implies, contains a high concentration of platelets suspended in a volume of plasma. Both of these are key components in your blood. The other parts, namely red and white blood cells, are removed to maximize the efficacy of the treatment.
The Power of Platelets
Platelets are responsible for blood clotting. When you cut your finger in the kitchen, platelets in the area release a clotting factor that causes your blood to form a clot. This prevents you from bleeding endlessly. But it’s what platelets do next that is truly remarkable. Once many of them have arrived at the wound site, they release what’s called Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF).
PDGF signals the healthy cells in the area to reproduce. It also tells white blood cells to clean up and remove damaged cells. Essentially, it activates your body’s healing response. When we inject PRP into an area, the body responds in much the same way. However, since there is no actual wound, your body focuses on removing old cells that have decayed with age. The result is brand new cells in the treatment area.
2. It’s a Risk-Free Treatment
When you consider how to treat your problem areas, remember that some options are riskier than others. Surgery, for instance, always involves an element of risk due to the use of anesthesia. In addition, there is a greater chance of complications with a surgical procedure. Medication can have some incredible results. Nevertheless, side effects can make it impossible for some people to tolerate their medication. Furthermore, pills can interact in harmful ways, making such treatments difficult for people on other medications.
PRP, on the other hand, removes all of these risks. It is no more dangerous than getting an IV put in your arm. Injection sites have much lower risks of infection compared to surgical incisions. In addition, since the material comes from your own body, there is no risk of rejection or allergic reaction. We do not harvest PRP from other people to inject into you. In fact, we prepare it moments before the treatment is to begin.
3. It’s Versatile and Accessible
The beauty of PRP is that it can be applied to nearly any part of your body. We specialize in using it for hair restoration and skin rejuvenation, but it can be used for so much more.
Sports medicine has embraced PRP, with famous athletes using it to recover from injuries faster. Men and women have benefited from its restorative abilities with the P Shot and O Shot. The science isn’t even finished with PRP yet. New treatments are being patented regularly. Most recently, cosmetic applications have proliferated in the last decade.
PRP for the Masses
Part of the reason PRP has experienced so much growth is that it is highly accessible. The cost of a single PRP treatment is often much lower than surgical procedures, and without the extensive downtime, there’s no need to take weeks off of work to recover. More people have been able to access this marvelous technology as a result, spreading the news even faster.
That accessibility also means that people are able to get a second treatment if their results are not what they wished. Follow-up treatments can be useful to extend the effects of a treatment.
What to Expect From a PRP Treatment
What exactly does treatment with PRP entail? The typical treatment is over within an hour and requires no more than 24 hours of recovery time. After a consultation with Dr. Pearlman, we will set a date and time for your treatment. You may receive some diet instructions for the days before. Your body refreshes your plasma every few days, so a healthy diet will ensure that your plasma is optimal for injection.
On the day of your treatment, we will connect your arm to a centrifuge. This machine draws blood and spins it, separating it into its components. It will collect the platelets and some plasma, returning everything else to you. After this process has finished, the PRP is ready for injection. The doctor may apply some topical anesthetic to the injection sites so you don’t feel the needle. After several injections, the treatment is over.
We usually schedule a follow-up visit within a month to see how your results are coming along. You may notice improvement within a few days, but the benefits are mostly visible after a few weeks.
Learn More or Get Started
That is all there is to it! If you are interested in learning more about PRP and how it can benefit you, call Pearl MD Rejuvenation of Toronto, Ontario. We can set up a consultation and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.