How Is PRP Extracted From Your Blood?

Regenerative medicine has gained a lot of popularity over the last few years. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is one of the main forms of this type of treatment.

PRP can heal your tissues using your own blood — but how does it work? The treatment starts with a blood draw and ends with healthier-looking skin.

If you’re curious about PRP, Dr. Anthony N. Dardano can help. At his practice in Boca Raton, Florida, Dr. Dardano provides specialized PRP treatments to give you a healthy glow.

The facts on PRP

PRP is a state-of-the-art form of regenerative medicine. It’s used for various medical issues, including acne scarring, fine lines and wrinkles, and even hair loss. It’s used in many different areas of medicine, including aesthetics.

Platelets are one of the cells that make up your blood, along with red and white blood cells. Plasma is the liquid component that helps your cells travel to the rest of your body.

PRP contains both platelets and plasma, formed into an injection. But what makes platelets so special?

Platelets are the first ones on the scene when you cut yourself. They clump together, forming clots to stop the bleeding. However, these cells also contain crucial growth proteins that work to heal your tissues.

How is PRP extracted?

PRP is a relatively simple procedure that you don’t need to prepare for. You only need to show up with yourself on the day of your procedure. It doesn’t require any anesthetic and is only slightly painful when the blood is drawn.

Dr. Dardano has you sit in a comfortable chair and expose one of your arms. He then puts a tourniquet on to find a vein in your arm. He cleans the area off with an antiseptic and inserts a needle into your vein when you’re ready.

You’ll only need a vial or two of blood drawn for a PRP injection. Once Dr. Dardano has enough blood, he removes the tourniquet and puts a bandage over the blood draw site. You’ll stay in the room while your blood is converted into PRP.

What happens next?

Once the blood is drawn, Dr. Dardano takes it to the lab, where it’s placed in a special machine known as a centrifuge. This machine spins your blood very quickly, separating the plasma and platelets from the rest of the whole blood.

When your blood is drawn, it contains anywhere from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets. However, when it’s put in the centrifuge, this number multiplies up to nine times that number. This helps the PRP injection be more successful at stimulating a healing response.

After the blood is separated, Dr. Dardano takes the platelets and plasma and places it into a syringe. When you’re ready, he uses microneedling to create tiny holes in your skin, stimulating collagen and elastin production.

Dr. Dardano then applies the PRP to your face, allowing it to soak into the areas where microneedling was done. This allows the platelets to work, rebuilding healthier cells and tissues.

Results with PRP aren’t instant, although you may notice a difference with the microneedling. However, the platelets continue to work over the next several months to improve your complexion and heal tissue damage.

If you need regenerative medicine like PRP, don’t hesitate to call the office at 561-202-1248 to schedule a consultation or book online.