PRP Coming Soon

I believe in trying all products on myself first and such is the case of PRP. Some people call this new skincare strategy "Vampire Facelift" others call it "Blood Simple." It's the rage and has already appeared in Vogue Magazine and New Beauty. My belief is that by submitting myself to the products or services first, I can prepare you for the possibilities and realities of the product. So, about 4 weeks ago, I was trained in and had the procedure performed on me. Here's what happened:

Giving up a little skin in the service of your own pales in comparison to giving blood, but that's what some marketers are calling the "Dracula Facial" an injectable derived from your own plasma. Formally known as platelet-rich-plasma therapy (PRP), this technology is borrowed from the world of orthopedics, where it's used in about 500 hospitals for the treatment of tendonitis, particularly tennis elbow. Because tendons get very little blood, the idea is to speed healing by flooding the injured site with your own concentrated platelets, the tiny colorless bodies that release growth factors to repair tissue. In fact, Tiger Woods credits PRP with healing his knee last year. It didn't do too much for his game; but I digress.

Savvy dermatologists and plastic surgeons decided to try PRP on wrinkles, since the growth factors it releases are the same ones that spur fibroblasts (the cells that make collagen) into action. While PRP has been FDA approved for orthopedic injuries, practitioners may legally administer it, off label, for cosmetic use. That's when Sharon Palm steps up! (Yes, I am brave for all the right reasons, ladies and gentlemen). You'll need to submit to a blood draw similar to donating blood. The blood is then spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the red and white blood cells, and a few minutes later, the platelet-enriched "broth" is ready. The PRP is then injected around your crow's feet, into the cheeks, into vertical lines around your mouth; even into wrinkles in the neck or décolleté!. The results take about 6 weeks to manifest and have been found to last about a year. It's still hard to predict because the aesthetic use of PRP is still in it's infancy and published research is lean.

The difference between PRP and prepackaged fillers with the exception of Sculptra is that you get an immediate change. With PRP you have to be willing to wait for the change, My feeling is why not do it all, since all these treatments work synergistically with one another? The jury is still out, but I'll keep you adventurous beauty seekers in touch with all the latest advances. Just be sure to stop by the blog on a regular basis. I'll have before and after photos for you to be the judge.