PRP: using your body's own resources to treat arthritis, sports injuries, painful scars
PRP means "Platelet-Rich Plasma. Plasma is obtained by centrifugating a small amount of your blood and thereby removing red and white blood cells. It is the "clear" part of the blood, which, after the process of centrifugation, is very rich in platelets.These platelets are mainly involved in producing blood clots, but also contain a dozen identified growth and regeneration factors.These factors are able to improve or even repair damaged tissue, such as articular cartilage, tendon, ligaments, and painful scar tissue.
Only a few mililiters of your blood need to be taken, with a special syringe, and then it is inserted into the centrifugator. After 5 minutes, the process of separation is complete, and the PRP is ready for immediate injection into a joint, or around a tendon or ligament.
Conditions for which PRP can be used:
- degenerative joint disease: arthritis of any joint, cartilage lesions, wear of the load-bearing joint surfaces, provided that there is still some cartilage left: PRP will not work on "raw" bone.
- acute sports injuries, such as muscle sprains, tendon or ligament injuries.
- chronic sports injuries, such as Achille's tendinitis, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, jumper's knee, etc.
- painful scars
PRP for arthritis, sports injuries, painful scars, face and hair: a simple and safe treatment
What is PRP?
Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, is also known as Enriched Plasma, or even Vampire Facelift " at the " people »! It is a tissue treatment by injecting your own plasma, which contains growth and regeneration factors.
This technique has been practiced for several years to treat joints, muscles and tendons. More recently, it has been found that the quality of the skin can also be improved at the level of the scars, as well as at the level of the non-injured parts, such as the face, the neck, the hands and the scalp.
PRP stands for "Platelet Rich Plasma". Plasma is the clear part of the blood that is obtained after having passed it through a machine that centrifuges it, in order to be able to eliminate the red and white blood cells.
Platelets are then concentrated in this plasma, small corpuscles which normally play a role in coagulation, but which are used here for their regenerative properties: they contain numerous growth and regeneration factors.
Your own blood is therefore taken with a special syringe which will separate the plasma from the platelets during centrifugation.
No additives whatsoever are added, it is with your pure plasma that we work!
The PRP thus obtained can be injected into a joint or in the vicinity of a tendon or a ligament, into a scar or into the face and into the scalp, and the growth factors can exert their protective and regenerative effect.
For example, we can treat osteoarthritis:
- osteoarthritis of the knee,
- osteoarthritis and periarthritis of the shoulder,
- osteoarthritis of the foot and ankle, etc.
You can also treat sports injuries:
- patellar tendinitis,
- Achilles tendinitis,
- damage to the shoulder tendons
- epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
- epitrochleitis (golfer's tendonitis)
- breakdown
- after an operation on ligaments or cartilage , to accelerate and promote healing
We can improve the skin quality on scars, and partially regenerate the face, neck and hair.
How it works ?
About 15 ml of your own blood is taken with a special syringe, which will separate the plasma from the red and white blood cells by centrifugation. It is a usual blood test, as in the laboratory or at the general practitioner.
Plasma is the clear part of the blood, in which the platelets concentrate under the effect of centrifugation. These platelets will release growth and regeneration factors, which, once injected, will activate and do their job on the target tissues.
Once the centrifugation is complete, the PRP is immediately injected into the “ target tissue » :
in the joints , these molecules improve the quality and resistance of articular cartilage and ligaments. This results in less pain, and sometimes better flexibility.
at the level of the tendons, the injections reduce chronic inflammation, and regenerate the tendon fibers : again, reduction of pain and improvement of function.
at the level of scars , softening and improvement of the quality of the skin.
at the level of the skin , these factors increase the suppleness and elasticity of the skin, its thickness, and improve its appearance. It's a kind of " good-looking shot which reduces fine lines, but does not erase deep wrinkles. Warning : this treatment is not intended to fill hollows, nor to tighten the skin, nor to change the shape of the face. This one stays the same, but just looks healthier.
to the scalp , one can expect an improvement in thickness and " health » of the remaining hair, and a slight regrowth. There is no effect on bald areas, where the hair follicles have already disappeared.
Face and neck treatment : multiple micro-injections are performed on the entire surface of the face, by an injector gun, and by manual injections with a syringe.
We start by removing make-up from the face and preparing it with a skin degreaser. Then a small connective tissue massage is performed. Then, an anesthetic cream is applied all over the face, and left for 15 minutes, after which one can start injecting one half of the face. We take a little break, then we move on to the second half. Finally, a soothing cream is applied.
How long does it take to notice an effect? ?
The effect develops in 3 to 4 weeks, so it is not immediate. It takes a little patience. This is valid for all types of treatments : joints, tendons, scars, skin, scalp.
How many sessions should be done ?
We recommend a cure of three injection sessions, in order to obtain a maximum effect. This cure can be repeated once or twice a year.
Is it painful ?
Yes, like any injection, the PRP is a little painful during the treatment. The pain is greatly reduced by the application of anesthetic cream. In addition, extremely fine special needles are used (34 G = 1.6 tenths of a millimeter), which reduces the pain accordingly.
There is no more pain once the injections are finished.
Are there any risks ?
As the PRP is autogenous, that is to say that it comes from your own body, without any added chemicals, there is no risk of allergy or rejection. On the other hand, there are sometimes small hematomas at the injection sites, which disappear completely in a few days.
