The latest advance in skin rejuvenation techniques is available at the office of Dr. Jennifer Walden. When Dr. Walden performs a facelift, she uses a combination of the Sciton Joule ProFractional Laser, microneedling, and adds your own platelet rich plasma for an innovative procedure that Dr. Walden’s laser specialists offer. These procedures work together to form one cohesive technique to produce beautiful skin.
What Is Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP)?
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are a treatment method that uses components of the body’s own blood that contain a high concentration of proteins and growth factors. In lay terms, this is similar to “juicing”, or extracting the best factors out of something…but in this case for healthy, glowing skin. These proteins and growth factors are efficient in stimulating a healing response in damaged tissue areas.
The body utilizes platelets, growth factors and white blood cells to initiate and accelerate the growth of new tissue and repair injuries related to aging, sun damage and other conditions. By adding this fluid with the laser treatment, collagen and elastin production within the skin are stimulated, diminishing fine lines and tightening the contours of the face with expedited healing times. Collagen enhancement therapy (PRP) is an effective adjunctive treatment combination with many other non-surgical protocols such as
- Wrinkles
- Texture
- Tone (fine lines)
- Crepiness
- Brown Discoloration
- Hypopigmentaion
- Tighten skin
- Reduce acne scaring
- Scaring
- Stretch marks
- Hair growth
Most patients tolerate the injections well and experience little discomfort. The number of sessions recommended will vary depending on the condition of your skin, but optimal results are usually achieved in one to four treatments. The treatments are normally spaced three to six weeks apart. New collagen synthesis occurs approximately six weeks after the initial treatment. The full effect of the treatments can be seen in approximately six months.
What Is the Profractional Laser?
The ProFractional (fractionated) laser effectively resurfaces the skin and improves the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, acne scars and other imperfections through a safe and predictable resurfacing procedure with minimal downtime. Anyone seeking smoother, younger-looking skin on their face, neck, chest or hands may be a candidate for the ProFractional treatment. Normal columns of skin are next to ablated columns of skin that help speed healing due to the fractionated nature of this laser.
Combining Laser, Microneedling, and PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) for Beautiful Skin
What Is Microneedling?
During microneedling the needles make tiny paths into the layers of the skin and spur collagen production. These micro-wounds stimulate the body to develop more elastin and collagen to initiate repair, which cause a regeneration of skin cells. It can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, various types of scars, sun damage and dilated facial capillaries.
The Facelift Procedure
The procedure itself has three steps.
Step 1
The Sciton Joule ProFractional Laser promotes collagen production that results in increased firmness and radiance of the skin. The laser promotes a visible reduction in acne scars, wrinkles, and fine lines.
Step 2
A microneedling device is used either before or immediately following the laser treatment. These needles create microscopic punctures in the face that allow the next step in the process to penetrate deeply into the layers of the skin. Despite the normal aggressive connotations of “needles”, the tiny needles are gentle enough to not draw blood or bruise the skin. The combination of laser resurfacing and microneedling treatments promote healing and the deposition of normal woven collagen rather than scar collagen and patients often report glowing skin within a matter of hours that heals over 2-3 days.
Step 3
Following the microneedling, a small amount of blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and placed in a processing unit to separate the platelets, white blood cells and serum from the red blood cells. The platelets, growth factors and white blood cells are then placed in a centrifuge and concentrated. The platelet-rich plasma that is produced is loaded into a sterile syringe. The tiny needles on the device make microscopic punctures in the skin to deliver the PRP directly into the targeted areas to maximize its absorption. This helps to expedite the healing process, giving almost immediate results that give the skin a younger appearance.
Schedule a Consultation
Dr. Walden and her laser providers can help you to determine whether this procedure is right for you. If you are interested in learning more about microneedling and platelet-rich plasma, please contact us today at 512-328-4100
to schedule an appointment.
