Any person looking for a natural, non-surgical, non-medicinal approach to healing would be a good candidate.
People with severe anemia, low platelet count, abnormal platelet function, active systemic infection, or active cancer may not be eligible. It is not known if blood thinning medication alters the effects of platelet rich plasma.
The healing process is gradual and can take up to 8 weeks to see desired results. Most people see some improvement within 2-6 weeks. The procedure takes less than one hour and has minimal to no downtime.
Depending on the area treated, repeat treatments may be necessary to continue the desired effects. Joint injections may require 1-3 treatments to heal an injured area. Hair rejuvenation with PRP and ECM (extra cellular matrix) should be repeated yearly to continue new hair follicle growth. Facial rejuvenation procedures may require 1-3 treatments yearly, depending on the treatment.
Patients usually tolerate the procedures very well. Numbing cream and/or local anesthetic is applied to the area before injections or treatments to make them as comfortable as possible. There can be increased pain, swelling, or soreness 48 hours after PRP joint injections due to the inflammatory process that occurs. Pain medication may be given if needed, following joint injection.
PRP treatment is a safe, effective alternative for people seeking natural healing without the use of surgery or medications. Because PRP is made from a person’s own blood there is no chance of allergic, hypersensitivity, or foreign-body reactions. An FDA-approved, closed sterile system is used throughout the procedure to prevent infection. A brief period of inflammation/redness at the site of application is normal and expected. There is little to no downtime following most PRP procedures and recovery time is significantly less than with surgery. PRP permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate.
There is some minimal risk involved with the PRP procedures. During research studies and clinical trials, the only risk noted was that the injection could cause an infection to develop. This is not unique to platelet injections; anytime a person undergoes an injection there is a risk. However, because there are no foreign bodies being injected into the body, the injections are considered safe.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. And this is where it can get confusing for patients and physicians. Not all PRP is created equal because the quality, strength, and duration of PRP treatments are directly related to preparation protocols, the quality of the centrifuge machine that processes the plasma, preparation kits, the use of placental stem cells, and most importantly the training of the staff. Wendy Wiggs, ARNP has been trained and certified by the world’s top experts for PRP facial and skin rejuvenation, ultrasound-guided joint injections, and hair loss treatment.
It is important to find a provider with experience in platelet rich injections. It is more likely to have a favorable outcome if the doctor administering the injections is experienced and skilled in these procedures.
Most insurance plans consider platelet rich plasma treatment to be elective and still somewhat experimental or investigational and therefore do not cover PRP therapies.
- Acute muscle tears and strains
- Chronic tendonopathies (tennis elbow, Achilles’ tendon, patellar tendon and rotator cuff)
- Ligament injuries ( i.e. Medial or lateral collateral ligament-MCL/LCL)
- Osteoarthritis
- Facial rejuvenation,
- Hair loss (males and females)
- Female urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction
Platelet rich plasma injections are an alternative to medications or surgery to heal an injured area. Ideal candidates would be those who prefer a less invasive option to surgery or those who are unable to undergo a surgery or tolerate pain medication. It allows for a much quicker recovery period and is much less painful than a surgery.