What is “PRP”?
PRP is the abbreviation of the initials of the words “Platelet Rich Plasma”. Platelets are important cells in blood coagulation and secrete many important growth factors such as IGF, TGF-B, VEGF. In PRP application, it is aimed to obtain these growth factors and use them in the target region.
What is mesotherapy?
The word “mesotherapy” is the combination of the words “meso” and “therapy”. It means the injection of hyaluronic acids, amino acids, coenzymes/cofactors, and vitamins with the help of small needles into the middle layer of the skin (“meso” derm) in the target area.
What are the areas of usage of PRP and mesotherapy?
PRP and mesotherapy are used in skin rejuvenation, to strengthen hair and prevent hair loss, to increase the brightness of the skin, to treat under-eye dark circles and stretch marks.
How do PRP and mesotherapy agents work?
When injected into the target area, PRP content provides growth factors, and mesotherapy agents provide hyaluronic acids, vitamins, minerals, coenzymes, cofactors, and amino acids. These agents increase cell repair, cell proliferation, collagen production, new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and dermal thickening. So, they delay aging.
What are the mesotherapy products used in skin rejuvenation and how does the combination of PRP and mesotherapy work?
There are many different mesotherapy agents on the market, containing different combinations of hyaluronic acids, amino acids, coenzymes/cofactors and vitamins, depending on their content and effect (Youth vaccine®, Paris glow®, Salmon DNA®, Youth serum®, Biological lifting vaccine®…). Hyaluronic acid retains water and gives brightness to the skin. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and an important cofactor in collagen synthesis. These agents increase moisture, revitalize the skin, provide strength and tightening of the skin, treat scars, reduce superficial wrinkles. It can be easily used on the face, neck area and hands.
How are PRP and mesotherapy applied?
There is no need for operating room conditions for this procedure. It is one of the safe applications that can be done easily in office conditions where sterility principles are taken into account. First of all, PRP is prepared. With a special method, some blood of the patient is taken into special tubes. You can think of this process as a simple blood donation process for analysis. Then the blood taken into special tubes is subjected to centrifugation. In this process, the tube carrying your blood, which is placed in a special device, is rotated in rapid cycles and the blood is separated into different segments. The part rich in growth factors is taken and made ready for injection. Then the obtained PRP is mixed with the needed mesotherapy agents. This mixture is injected into the target layer in the target areas of the skin with fine-tipped needles. The preparation of PRP takes about 15 minutes, and the injection of PRP and mesotherapy takes about 10 minutes.
Are PRP and mesotherapy treatments stem cell treatments?
The answer is “no”. There are growth factors in PRP, and agents such as hyaluronic acids, vitamins and amino acids in mesotherapy agents. These are not stem cells. “Stem cells” are cells that have the potential to transform into many cells, such as repair cells, which are used in tissue regeneration due to their ability to renew themselves. Stem cells are found in the placenta, umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and adipose tissue. We prefer adipose tissue as a source of stem cells due to its ease of obtaining and abundance. They produce important proteins such as collagen/elastin, increase blood flow to the existing area, increase the nutrition of that area, thicken the dermis, and reduce melanogenic activity. These stem cells obtained from adipose tissue are used in skin rejuvenation, in the treatment of hair loss, dark circles under the eyes, bad wound healing, bad healed scars, acne scars and in the treatment of hyperpigmentation (See Stem Cell (SVF) Therapy Section).
Which one is better, PRP/mesotherapy treatment or stem cell treatment? Can these treatments be combined?
Jeroen Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., whom I had the opportunity to work with in the Netherlands, devoted his years to these studies. He explains this issue as follows. When we look at the physiology of wound healing and the system that repairs wounds in our body, we see that 2 elements are very important. The first is signal pathways and growth factors to instruct repair cells. The others are “the repair cells” that do the actual work. We obtain the first element, the growth factors, from the PRP; and the second element, the repair cells, from the SVF, that is, from your own fat tissue. Studies have shown that it is much more effective to apply them to the target area in combination with the appropriate amount of mesotherapy agents, instead of applying them alone or separately. With these combinations, we support your skin to biologically repair itself.
Are PRP and mesotherapy applications painful in the face, neck and hand region?
Since the injection needles used are quite small, the pain is minimal. Patients describe the situation with expressions such as “like a mosquito bite”. Superficial anesthesia is provided before the procedure with topical creams. After the procedure, the pain in the injection sites will also disappear in a very short time.
Will there be bruising after PRP and mesotherapy application in the face, neck and hand area?
Rarely, bruising may occur due to damage to the small vessels in the application area. This does not change the effect and result of PRP/mesotherapy treatment. Rarely occurring bruises are expected to pass within 72 hours. Applying ice to the bruised area after the procedure reduces the bruising. In addition, the use of foundation in this process easily masks the bruises.
What should be considered after PRP and mesotherapy application?
Since the procedure is carried out in office conditions, it is possible to return to social life after the application. Burning sensation, redness due to injections, edema and, if any, bruises are temporary. It is not recommended to wash the application areas and apply make-up on the day of the procedure. You can return to daily routine activities the day after the procedure.
Are serious side effects expected after PRP and mesotherapy applications?
PRP is obtained from your own blood, and the mesotherapy agents used are substances with defined effects on wound healing in the body. Therefore, an allergic reaction or serious side effect is not expected.
When do PRP and mesotherapy applications for skin rejuvenation start to show their effect, how many sessions should be done at what intervals?
After the application, the effect begins to be seen in a short time. However, for increasing the effect and permanency, 4-6 sessions at 2-week intervals are recommended. It is thought that the application of a single session every 3-6 months after the treatment also increases the potency.
What are the factors affecting the results of PRP and mesotherapy applications?
The effect and duration of the applications vary according to the agents used, the combinations, the amount of damage to the skin and personal factors. Age, smoking, sun protection status, nutrition and structural reasons are some of these variable factors. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not compare this application with other applications and yourself with other people.
Summary
PRP and mesotherapy combinations are safe applications used in skin rejuvenation, which can be easily performed in office conditions where sterility principles are taken into account. When we examine the physiology of wound healing and the system that repairs wounds in our body, I think that PRP and mesotherapy combined with stem cell therapy are much more successful (See Stem Cell (SVF) Therapy Section). However, PRP/mesotherapy applications without stem cell treatment are also very effective for patients who do not want operating room conditions, who seek solutions in office conditions, and who comply with session intervals and numbers. Best regards.
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