Healthy ageing

The truth about the vampire facial

The principle of PRP, like all the best things in life, is simple yet clever, says aesthetic physician Dr Barbara Kubicka

The principle of PRP, like all the best things in life, is simple yet clever, says aesthetic physician Dr Barbara Kubicka

2014 is an exciting time in the world of professional skin treatments, as the choices available to professionals continue to expand and evolve.

A treatment that has risen in notoriety over the last few years is PRP, which stands for platelet rich plasma therapy.

The principle of PRP, like all the best things in life, is simple yet clever. PRP is based on utilising the body’s own healing and rejuvenation resources by extracting and purifying a sample of the patient’s blood to create a plasma solution which has a super-rich concentration of platelets. The platelets contain intensive healing potential, which is then delivered back to the skin. As the process involves no other ingredients than the patient’s own plasma, it is readily accepted back and kick-starts skin cell regeneration.

Platelet Rich Plasma therapy has previously been dubbed the ‘vampire facial’ as it utilises a purified form of the patient’s own blood. Some practitioners reapply it to the surface of the skin, perhaps following a chemical peel or Dermaroller micro-needling to help the plasma to absorb into the skin (a certain Hollywood celebrity was photographed smeared in blood in the doctor’s office as part of the process).

However, at ClinicBe, we have developed our own, more precise techniques of making the very most of every drop of platelet-rich plasma. Rather than washing it over the surface of the skin, which will waste a lot of the precious purified blood resource, we use a very fine needle to inject the plasma back into the skin where it will release the healing and regeneration effect.

For a couple of years, we have been using platelet rich plasma in our mesotherapy, using multiple tiny injections to treat a large area. This has been very effective for anti-ageing treatments, but also used within other applications, such as our Triple Synergy Hair System, which is designed to stimulate the scalp and help those with hair loss.

PRP Fillers

For 2014, we have further refined this approach and are now seeing excellent results from using PRP in place of dermal fillers. This means very precisely injecting platelet rich plasma into specific creases and folds that can appear with age. The technique stimulates localised cell renewal and production of collagen, which will in turn smooth out the lines and also tighten the skin for a more youthful texture and complexion. It is a high-tech and innovative skin treatment, yet entirely natural.

Article by

Dr Barbara Kubicka

Aesthetic medical doctor

A top aesthetic medicine practitioner with her own central London clinic.

Discover more

Article by

Dr Barbara Kubicka

Aesthetic medical doctor

A top aesthetic medicine practitioner with her own central London clinic.

Discover more