by Oregon Regenerative Medicine

It’s true that as you age you lose the collagen that forms the structure and volume of your skin. Without this collagen, gravity wins and your skin begins to sag and wrinkle. Fortunately, platelet rich plasma (PRP) microneedling can rebuild your skin’s collagen and is an effective, non-surgical solution to bring back the tone and elasticity of healthy, youthful skin 

“Studies show that 4 PRP microneedling treatments done once a month induce a 400% increase both in collagen and elastin at 6 months.”

What is PRP microneedling?

Collagen Induction therapy, or “CIT”, is accomplished with a procedure called microneedling. PRP microneedling is used for skin rejuvenation, scar remodeling and skin tightening. Our Exceed microneedling instrument is FDA approved for collogen induction in the skin. By puncturing the skin with tiny microscopic needles, it creates channels in the epidermis through which your own PRP growth factors enter the skin.  This stimulates a healing response and triggers the release of growth factors that safely induce collagen production and thicken the skin.  Several clinical studies have been written that explain how this works but, in a nutshell, three stages of repair are needed for collagen restoration: Inflammation, Proliferation, and RemodelingCIT with PRP Microneedling, Skin Rejuvenation

  1. The inflammation stage begins immediately after the stamping of the fine needles into the skin’s surface and continues for several days.  Platelets are activated innately by the injurious action of the puncture and accentuated by the topical application of your own PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma).
  2. The proliferation stage releases the growth factors responsible for the stimulation of new collagen and elastin.  These growth factors include Platelet Derived Growth Factor(PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factors alpha and beta (TGF-alpha and TGF-beta), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and keratinocytes.
  3. The Remodeling stage continues for at least 6-months while collagen is gradually restored in the skin. The production of new collagen results in increased tone and compactness of the tissue. Collagen growth can take up to a year to completely mature in the upper dermis and the benefits will last for a few years.

 What happens when we add PRP?

Adding Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) to the treatment enhances the results.  PRP intensifies the healing cascade.  Patients love it because PRP is an all natural product extracted from your own blood.  A split-face clinical study published in 2014 showed that when PRP was combined with microneedling, the PRP-treated skin had significantly more collagen and a more youthful appearance compared to microneedling done alone.

Who benefits from PRP microneedling?

Men and women with aging or thinning skin will see stunning results with the erasing of fine lines, improved texture, and tightening of their skin. You can expect your wrinkles to slowly smooth, acne scars to fade, and your stretch marks to disappear.

But it isn’t just for aging skin!

collagen induction therapy with microneedling and PRP
PRP Microneedling isn’t just for aging skin

Acne scars: such as the boxcar or rolling scars respond beautifully to microneedling with PRP. 

Stretch marks: improve with microneedling.  An Egyptian study compared microneedling with CO2 laser and the results favored microneedling over CO2 laser for stretch marks.

Dark circles: PRP when injected into the tear trough area is an exceptional way to improve dark circles or a hollowed appearance. Using PRP eliminates the risk of Tyndell effect (a bluish tinge), which can occur when hyaluronic acid is used.  Microneedling with the addition of a TCA peel significantly improves dark circles under eyes.

Darker skin tones: While many other treatment options carry the risk of hyperpigmentation, PRP microneedling has far less potential for this complication compared to laser or chemical peels.

Hair Loss: PRP is a simple cost effective treatment that has shown remarkable benefits in the improvement of hair loss in both men and women. 

collagen induction therapy with microneedling and prp
PRP microneedling rebuilds your skin’s collagen, bringing back the elasticity and tone of healthy, youthful skin

What can I expect?

You can expect your skin to firm up, your wrinkles to slowly smooth, acne scars to fade, and your stretch marks to disappear. One study compared the results of microneedling with CO2 laser and found that in the laser group only 5 out of 10 patients showed improvement. In the microneedling group, 9 out of 10 patients showed improvement. This is especially remarkable considering the much higher cost and longer downtime of CO2 laser.

Where besides my face can PRP microneedling help?

Anywhere you have thinning skin or scars will benefit from PRP microneedling.  This treatment is not limited to the face alone.  Breasts, stomach, legs, neck; you name it and it can be treated.

How often should I have PRP microneedling done?

The studies show that 4 treatments done once a month  induce a 400% increase both in collagen and elastin at 6 months. Periodic, yearly maintenance treatments are recommended to maintain results.

In conclusion, microneedling with PRP is an inexpensive, simple, safe and effective treatment for skin rejuvenation, stretch marks, hair loss regeneration, and scar remodeling. Call to schedule an appointment with Dr. Noel Peterson to naturally restore your skin.

References:

Dermatol Surg. 2017 Mar;43(3):321-339. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000000924 Microneedling: A Comprehensive Review,Hou A, Cohen B, Haimovic A, Elbuluk N.

Journal of Cosmetic Laser Therapy Volume 18, 2016; Treatment of striae distensae with needling therapy versus CO2 fractional laser, Mohamed H. Khater, Fathia M. Khattab & Manal R. Abdelhaleem

J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2014 Oct-Dec; 7(4): 209–212. doi:  10.4103/0974-2077.150742, Split Face Comparative Study of Microneedling with PRP Versus Microneedling with Vitamin C in Treating Atrophic Post Acne Scars, Simran Chawla

J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2016 Oct;18(5):289-92. doi: 10.3109/14764172.2016.1157363. Epub 2016 Apr 15. Combination of microneedling and 10% trichloroacetic acid peels in the management of infraorbital dark circles. Kontochristopoulos G, Kouris A, Platsidaki E, Markantoni V, Gerodimou M, Antoniou C.

Int J Dermatol. 2015 Dec;54(12):1361-9. doi: 10.1111/ijd.12761. Epub 2015 Jun 20. Multiple microneedling sessions for minimally invasive facial rejuvenation: an objective assessment. El-Domyati M, Barakat M, Awad S, Medhat W, El-Fakahany H, Farag H.

Indian Dermatol Online J. 2016 Jul-Aug;7(4):244-54. doi: 10.4103/2229-5178.185468. Microneedling: Advances and widening horizons.Singh A, Yadav S.