If you want to restore lost volume in your face but want a more natural approach than fillers, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) may be the answer. While many people aren’t particularly fond of having synthetics injected into their skin, rejuvenation is now achievable with excellent biological treatments that use the body’s own specialized cells.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) is another treatment related to skin rejuvenation but it does not address volume loss associated with facial skin aging, which is where PRF plays a part in re-volumizing the face.
Kumar Aesthetics offers a variety of regenerative medicine procedures, including PRP and PRF treatments. Our team of professionals, led by Dr. Sujay Kumar, has effectively provided these treatments for years.
In this article, we will look at the cosmetic platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich fibrin treatments and how they are used in anti-aging aesthetics as an alternative to dermal fillers.
What is PRF Facial Treatment?
Platelet-rich fibrin derived from your blood is used in PRF Therapy. A sample of your blood is taken and placed in a centrifuge, which then spins your blood to separate the platelets and fibrin from the other components of the blood.
The resulting compound is refined and injected into the areas that need treatment. Platelets and fibrin then bind together to create a scaffold that fills up and heals the treated areas.
Instead of using synthetic fillers or surgical treatments to improve your appearance, you can benefit from PRF’s anti-aging and skin-healing properties. This facial treatment releases growth factors over time, to enhance and rejuvenate the appearance, eliminating distressing signs of aging.
Do PRF Injections Work?
Platelets are blood cells that aid in clotting and healing, stimulating stem cells to produce collagen and elastin in the skin. If you are injured, your platelets will gather at the wound site to form a clot, prevent bleeding and initiate the healing process. Fibrin, a protein also found in the blood, is essential in this process because it helps the platelets stick together to perform their function.
The platelets and fibrin in the PRF injection then go to work to form a supportive healing structure that gives rise to tissue regeneration, hydrating and restoring facial volume.
Who Could Benefit From PRF Therapy?
Genetic make up, poor blood flow and nutrition, our facial expressions, aging and dehydration all affect our skin.
External factors such as air pollution, sun damage, exposure to the wind, smoking, late nights and poor skin care can cause the following signs of aging to develop:
- Sunspots
- Wrinkles
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Poor tone and texture
- Dryness
- Dull complexion due to dead skin cell build-up
- Depletion of elastin, which results in loose, saggy cheeks and jowls
- Sagging tear troughs and facial folds
How Does PRF Work to Restore Facial Volume?
PRF’s concentration of platelets, fibrin, white blood cells, and stem cells work in unison to help turn back the clock and restore facial volume. The injection of white blood cells ensures a slower release of growth factors than PRP treatments, promoting longer-lasting results.
Platelets stimulate growth factors so that the skin’s all-important collagen goes into production mode. Blood vessels perform optimally, improving blood flow and new skin cells generate – all of which are essential to restoring facial volume.
How Long Does PRF Last?
Considering that the treatment makes use of the client’s own blood and that each person is different, the effects do vary. Administered on average, approximately six to eight weeks apart, the results will gradually dissipate with time.
With the white blood cells and a fibrin matrix supporting the platelets, there is a high release of growth factors over seven to 10 days. Effects should be noticeable within 48 hours of the 45-minute procedure, and once the treatment of 2-5 sessions is complete, you should notice the difference in your complexion for months to come. In some cases, the effects last as long as a year.
Is PRF Better Than Filler?
Injected into the dermis or subcutaneous layer, dermal fillers, which comprise a non-animal-based hyaluronic acid gel, help restore volume to the face. Used in excess, you might notice puffiness and a blue tinge in the more sensitive areas.
Fillers seldom combat dark circles, but the results of using fillers in combination with PRF for dark circles have been positive. Likewise, microneedling used with PRF has excellent results in acne scarring.
The results for fillers are instantaneous, whereas PRF takes longer to yield results. It is more natural than chemicals such as Botox or dermal fillers since the platelet-rich fibrin is from your own body, so there is no risk of allergies.
As the regeneration process involves your natural tissues, there is also no risk of over-filling. Excessive cell production will die off. Volume wears off gradually as for dermal fillers. Unlike fillers, in the case of PRF facial, the skin will have been exposed to a regeneration process.
As collagen production increases, firmer, brighter, more even skin results and facial volume is restored in localized areas, such as the hollows of the cheeks and the under-eye areas, where the skin is thin and more likely to show fine lines and wrinkles.
PRF vs. PRP For The Face: Which is Better?
PRP has a higher platelet concentration than is usually present. The growth factors can be five to ten times richer. Athletes sometimes use the procedure to promote healing.
PRP is limited in its capacity to restore facial volume. In considering PRF vs PRP for facial use, we should remember PRP has a more liquid consistency.
PRF is centrifuged more slowly to separate platelets and white blood cells from the red, so there is a higher concentration of platelets.
Since PRF is created without biochemical manipulation of the blood, it forms a spongy, gel-like product rich in platelets, growth factors, fibrin and stem cells. This is injected into the deeper layers of skin, and is prized above PRP therapy for its long term benefits.
Restoring facial volume naturally through PRF facial rejuvenation is undoubtedly the way forward in dermatology, but it must be noted that patients with abnormal platelets, or who are on anti-clotting medication are advised to avoid PRF facial treatments.
Platelet-Rich Fibrin Therapy Available in Franklin, Tennessee
If you have any questions regarding PRF, the procedure, or how it can help you, contact Aesthetic Services Franklin, TN, today! Our expert team is more than happy to answer any questions you may have and is ready to take your call.
Call our offices to speak with a team member or schedule a consultation online today!
