If you are considering a New Year’s anti-aging resolution, then a PRP treatment should be on your list. Dr. P Aesthetic Lifestyle Centre, located in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, and run by aesthetician Dr. Portia Gumede, has a solution to your aging skin. A skin treatment that is so effective, in fact, that it can be used all year round. Introducing the PRP Face Supreme Treatment.
How does it work?
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) Face Supreme is a treatment that not only injects a concentration of your own blood platelets into your skin, but also incorporates botulinum toxin, and a skin booster that is rich in hyaluronic acid and other antioxidants.
Platelets are tiny blood cells that help the body form clots. These blood cells contain powerful healing properties, and also trigger and regulate cell growth. By harnessing the power of platelets for aesthetic purposes, one can encourage cellular regeneration. This then stimulates the production of collagen, which results in revitalized, firmer, and much smoother skin.
The inclusion of botulinum toxin in the treatment helps to address my own skin concerns – it’s used here not for the purpose of preventing wrinkles, but for regulating my oily skin. The sebaceous glands are responsible for the production of sebum, but if
they produce too much of it, and you are left with an oily complexion. However, injecting botulinum toxin into the sebaceous glands causes them to shrink. Botulinum toxin also visibly reduces pore size, resulting in clearer and less oily skin.
Lastly, the inclusion of hyaluronic acid and antioxidants helps to hydrate the skin and provide it with that effortless glow.
What to expect
At the start of the treatment, 20ml of my blood was drawn. During this time, a numbing cream was spread across my face so that, by the time my platelets had been collected, I would be ready for treatment.
I was then taken to the treatment room, where Dr. Gumede proceeded to explain how my treatment would work. She then placed two vials containing my blood into a centrifuge, the machine used to separate the blood into red blood cells and concentrated platelets by spinning it at high speeds for 30 minutes.
For the PRP Face Supreme treatment, Dr. Gumede used a derma pen
It is a hand-held device that contains multiple small needles that pierce the skin and create damage to its surface. The purpose of this is to trick the injected platelets into believing that the skin has suffered some sort of injury. The platelets will then penetrate the skin barrier and encourage the regeneration of newer and younger skin cells.
Dr. Gumede then injected both the botulinum toxin and the hyaluronic acid and antioxidant mix into my skin. While the platelets were doing their job, the Botox was at work shrinking my pores and helping to regulate sebum production. The procedure, from start to finish, took at least an hour.
Does it hurt?
Admittedly, the derma pen did at times cause slight discomfort (especially on the more sensitive areas of my skin), but the process was, for the most part, pain-free, thanks to the numbing cream.
Following the procedure, Dr. Gumede applied a hydrating face mask that would help to soothe the skin and combat potential irritation. After 10 minutes, she gently pulled it off and applied a broad-spectrum sunscreen to my face.
My skin was slightly red from the PRP treatment, but I was given the remainder of my platelets to apply on my skin before I went to bed, so that the platelets can do their job overnight. The next day, I went to work as normal, with the only reminder of the treatment being that my skin was a little sensitive throughout the day.
How many treatments are required?
You can have the treatment three times a year, and you don’t need to include the same ingredients each time. For example, if you use both the botulinum toxin and skin booster in your first session, you don’t need to use both in your second and third sessions. The second session could use the skin booster with the platelets, and the third session only the platelets.
Would I recommend this treatment? Absolutely, especially when it helps to address my skin concerns, whatever the season.
It’s not just women opting for aesthetic treatments. Read why more men are, too.
