Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
Over the past few years a lot has been written about a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and its potential effectiveness in the treatment of injuries.
Many well-known athletes – Tiger Woods, tennis player Rafael Nadal and several others – have received PRP for a variety of problems, such as knee sprains and chronic tendon injuries. These types of conditions are usually treated with medication, physical therapy, or even surgery. Some athletes attribute platelet-rich plasma to the ability to return faster after injuries.
Although the PRP has received extensive publicity, there are still questions about it, such as:
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma?
How does it work?
What conditions are treated with PRP?
Is PRP treatment effective?
What is Platelet Rich Plasma?
Although blood is mostly fluid (called plasma), it also contains small solid components (red cells, white cells, and platelets). Platelets are best known for their importance in blood clotting. However, platelets also contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors, which are very important in the treatment of injuries.
PRP is a plasma with many more platelets than is commonly found in the blood. Platelet concentration – and therefore growth factor concentration – can be 5 to 10 times higher than usual.
In order to develop the preparation, blood must first be drawn from the patient. Platelets separate from other blood cells and their concentration increases during a process called centrifugation. The platelet concentration is then increased in combination with the remaining blood.
How does platelet-rich plasma work?
Although it is not entirely clear how PRP works, laboratory studies have shown that increased concentrations of growth factors in PRP can potentially accelerate the healing process.
In order to accelerate healing process, the site of injury is treated with a PRP preparation. This can be done in one of two ways:
Platelet-rich plasma can be injected carefully into the injured area. For example, with Achilles tendonitis, a condition commonly seen in runners and tennis players, the heel can become swollen, inflamed and painful.
A mixture of PRP and topical anesthetic can be injected directly into this inflamed tissue. Thereafter, the pain in the injection area may actually increase over the first week or two, and it may take several weeks before the patient has a beneficial effect.
Platelet-rich plasma can also be used to improve healing after surgery due to certain injuries. For example, an athlete with a fully torn tendon may require surgery to repair the tendons.
What conditions are treated with treatment?
Platelet-rich plasma treatments are increasingly used in cosmetology, and their use is very broad in some applications;
• Chronic tendon injuries
• Acute ligament and muscle injuries
• In certain operations to accelerate tissue healing
• Knee arthritis
• Facial rejuvenation
• Body skin rejuvenation
• Scalp treatments for hair growth
• Lip shaping and augmentation
• Reduces wrinkles
• Face shaping
• Reduces scars especially from acne
• Reducing the darkness underneath the eye
When are the treatments first results seen?
Usually, the first results are seen 30 days after the treatment, which in the coming months become better and more pronounced. The reason is that it takes some time to stimulate natural renewal processes that accelerates over time.
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