What Is Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment and what is it used for
Mankind has been in search of the magic potion that gives eternal life, right from the ancient mythological age to present times. Modern man has been little more practical and focused more on anti ageing and healing and repair of damaged tissues rather than looking for eternal life. The billion dollar industry of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic products is proof enough of our desperation.
PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma has probably been in use since the early ‘70s when it was used by the Dentists for root canal and other dental procedures. Later it was adopted by the Cardiac surgeons to heal the damaged heart faster. Today Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment it is used by the Orthopaedic, Cosmetologist, Urologist, Sexologist, Physiotherapists and many more. Google the likes of Rafael Nadal, Kim Kardashian or Tiger Woods and you will see how each one of them has used PRP to help them with anti-ageing or sports injuries.
What’s PRP Therapy?
PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma is an extract from the blood which has a concentrate of Platelets and other Growth factors which help in clotting and healing. Platelet rich plasma therapy involves giving platelet rich plasma injection into affected areas to repair the damage and regenerate cells.
PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma is an extract from the blood which has a concentrate of Platelets and other Growth factors which help in clotting and healing. Platelet rich plasma therapy involves giving platelet rich plasma injection into affected areas to repair the damage and regenerate cells.
What are Platelets?
Platelets are cells, contained in blood, that are primarily responsible for clotting of blood and secondarily help in healing the tissues after an injury. They also act as store houses for energy and growth factors. They have 2 types of stores:
Dense Granules:
which store Adenosine triphosphate, Adenosine diphosphate, Serotonin and Calcium.
Alpha Granules:
which contain Mesenchymal stem cells, Cytokines, Vascular endothelial growth factors, Transforming growth factor and many more such.
It is these growth factors that induce cell division and tissue repair. Platelet injection into damaged areas/ tissue is thought to induce stem cells in that damaged area to regenerate into the tissue specific cells thereby healing the damage. Encouraging PRP results in experimental trials issuing PRP injection therapy has opened up a potential window for treating a variety of problems in women.
What is PRP used for?
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Ovarian Rejuvenation:
Women are born with a definite number of eggs and once the numbers reduce their quality also decreases. This makes pregnancy quite difficult or near impossible even with IVF. PRP injection into the ovaries has shown to restore some of the natural function of ovaries by causing ovarian rejuvenation. -
Uterine lining improvement:
Some women damage their lining of the uterus either because of infections (like Tuberculosis) or after having certain procedures done. The treatment for the same has been quite frustrating till now. PRP offers a ray of hope in that the rejuvenation process has shown to improve the lining good enough for pregnancy to happen. The PRP medical procedure needs to be done repeatedly before any improvement is seen. -
Face Lift:
When PRP is being injected into the facial tissues, tightening of the face has been seen. This procedure is known as Vampire facial or if done more aggressively, a Vampire Facelift. -
Baldness reversal:
Various cosmetologists claim hair strengthening to less hair fall to actual growth of new hair with PRP treatment. -
Osteoarthritis:
Degeneration of the knee joint, especially in the younger age group has shown to be quite responsive to plasma healing avoiding knee replacement in quite many of them. -
Scar management:
because of its inherent healing properties, PRP has been used both for prevention of scars (like Caesarean scars) and also management of old scars and keloids. - The many other uses of PRP treatment has been in Orgasm enhancement, Breast rejuvenation and Shoulder and other joint injury treatment.
Can menopause be reversed using PRP Plasma Therapy?
In one study in Greece, even menopausal women conceived using their own eggs. It’s a new concept , science is hopeful that it may offer a possibility to reverse menopause, although it still needs more research but the PRP treatment results in current work is more than encouraging. It may not increase the number of eggs but definitely improves egg quality and may be of help for women with problems like advanced maternal age, poor ovarian reserve, premature ovarian insufficiency, loss of ovarian function after chemotherapy to revive their fertility potential and possibly conceive using their eggs.
What are the chances of having a bad reaction to the PRP?
There is practically no possibility of a bad reaction since the blood is derived from the patient’s own body and the same is used to extract the PRP.
If the componenets are already inside my body, how does giving the same again help ?
PRP Plasma injection delivers a concentrated form of the required components to a particular site thus enhancing the rejuvenation and healing.
Why is there ambiguity regarding the efficacy on the internet ?
The whole process of using PRP is still undergoing research and development and anything new is bound to draw scepticism and criticism. Again because there is no standardization in the process of platelet rich plasma preparation yet, many cheaper methods of preparing and extracting PRP are made available reducing PRP success. Good results come from proper selection of cases, scientific clean extraction of PRP from the blood and then using it safely and without complications.
