Microneedling + PRP in Texas & Louisiana
At Sanova Dermatology, we pride ourselves on delivering top-tier skin care through a combination of experience, education, and advanced technology. Our team of highly experienced physicians are dedicated to providing treatment for acne, surgical scars, wrinkles, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation. We have convenient locations across Texas, including Houston, Pflugerville, Austin, Bee Cave, and Dripping Springs. We also serve Louisiana with locations in Metairie, Old Metairie, Uptown New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Chances are, you have struggled with acne scars, fine lines, wrinkles, or sun damage that resulted in hyperpigmentation. Consequently, you have probably sought out a minimally invasive beauty treatment that could fix your skin concerns.
What Is Microneedling?
Microneedling, also referred to as collagen induction therapy, involves using fine needles to make hundreds of tiny, invisible puncture wounds into the top layer of your skin.
The tool used for microneedling results in micro-tears on your skin’s surface. As a consequence of these micro tears, the self-healing mechanism of your skin is triggered. This includes an increase in collagen, which should restore your skin’s health, elasticity, and strength.
Mainly, collagen is a structural protein that should keep your skin rejuvenated, lifted, strong, and resilient. As we age, our collagen begins to weaken and break down. This manifests as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging.
What Is PRP?
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy uses the patient’s own blood for treatment. Specifically, this treatment isolates the platelets from the patient’s blood using a centrifuge. By using the patient’s blood, the treatment reduces any risk of an allergic reaction or plasma rejection.
PRP therapy has shown great promise as a facial rejuvenation procedure. Popularly referred to as the vampire facial, the PRP is applied onto the skin (in the setting of microneedling) or injected into your skin at a specific depth based on your doctor’s recommendation. Eventually, the PRP will be absorbed into your skin which should help reduce the recovery time following microneedling.
Benefits of the PRP therapy include increased collagen production, reduced fine lines and wrinkles, firmer skin, and improved moisture retention. Besides, you should notice enhanced skin tone and texture as the old skin cells make way for the newer, healthier ones. Overall, the skin should experience mind-blowing improvement in appearance following the PRP application.
Why Pair Microneedling with PRP?
To improve the results of microneedling, you might want to consider combining this procedure with PRP. The latter speeds up the healing process of the tissues within your skin. An additional advantage of the pair is that the therapy significantly reduces the appearance of pigmentation and acne scarring.
Where Can You Use This Treatment?
Microneedling with PRP is essentially a cosmetic procedure that is used for the face and neck area. On the face, it is used to correct certain forms of hyperpigmentation, age spots, and fine lines and wrinkles. Additionally, it is a popular treatment plan for acne and persistent acne scars.
What Is the Treatment Process?
Before the treatment, it would be prudent first to find a qualified provider. You want to go with a medically trained professional. Once you have identified the facility and the practitioner, it would be best to conduct a simple meet-and-greet. During this meeting, you want to inquire about their experience and certification, all of which should inform the doctor you go with. Look out for their portfolio as well, as this will show you the before, and after pictures of the patients, they have treated before.
To prepare for the treatment, you will need to avoid excessive and unprotected exposure to the sun. You will additionally need to drink lots of water days before the treatment. Finally, you will need to show up to the appointment with a bare face. Specifically, avoid wearing a moisturizer or makeup just before going in for your appointment.
Ensure you arrive for the appointment 15 minutes before the start of the treatment. This should give the provider’s office sufficient time to go through your paperwork. At the prompt of the specialist, a doctor or nurse will apply a topical anesthetic on the treatment area. This will need to be set for a maximum of 30 minutes before the microneedling and PRP treatment commences. During this time, a syringe of blood is drawn from your arm. The blood is then separated into its different components using a centrifuge.
The treatment session itself lasts around 30 minutes. For the microneedling portion, the practitioner rolls a professional-grade derma roller on the treatment site. The PRP solution is then applied to the target area after the microneeding is done. The micropunctures created on the skin should allow the penetration of the PRP. The micronedling and PRP application may take up to three rounds in one sitting. Depending on the patient, the physician may also inject PRP prior to microneedling. After the microneedling and PRP procedure is complete, the doctor will apply a balm or a serum to soothe the irritated skin.
Some patients report bruises and inflammation following the procedure with overall redness in the appearance of the treatment area. To avoid any potential side effects, including infections and cross-contamination, it would be best to follow a strict post-treatment care program.
Who Is A Candidate?
Microneedling with PRP is pretty safe. This is primarily since PRP uses the patient’s own blood. When done by a professional and the patient follows the aftercare instructions, there should essentially be no risks involved.
Still, microneedling with PRP treatments cannot be performed on anyone. For starters, pregnant patients cannot have this treatment. Additionally, those on isotretinoin, skin conditions including eczema and rosacea, active infections on the face such as herpes, and platelet or blood disorders are not appropriate candidates for the procedure. Patients with active acne, HIV, or those who have had major surgery within the past six months are also not viable candidates for the treatment.
How Many Treatments?
As with most elective aesthetic procedures, you will require more than one session to see the results. Specifically, you might need three to six sessions for you to start noticing any improvements on your skin.
Note that while the treatment is minimally invasive, you will still require a medically trained professional to undertake the treatment. It would be best if you considered a licensed dermatologist or a surgeon to reduce any risk significantly. Overall, your practitioner should be able to sufficiently advise on how many treatments would be best.
Microneedling with PRP is an advancement in medical science that has drastically surged in popularity recently. While it may seem like an indulgence, it is a much-needed treatment that has shown great promise in facial rejuvenation. Besides, as an anti-aging treatment, it has greater advantages than the traditional facials. The bottom line is that microneedling with PRP helps improve the strength, beauty and quality of your skin, ensuring you continue to look young without the need for invasive techniques.
Contact Sanova Dermatology
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