I try: a PRP treatment at The Face Place MedSpa

It’s been all over the glossy magazines of late with celebrity endorsements to boot, and it was only a matter of time before I buckled and gave it a go - Platelet-Rich Plasma  - AKA PRP - is most definitely having a ‘moment’ right now! It’s something that Dr. Catherine Stone from The Face Place in Britomart and her team are exceptionally excited about, and they have been trialling the treatment in their clinics for some time now with some great results.

So what is PRP? Essentially, it’s a treatment that uses your body's own tissue repair systems to genuinely achieve skin rejuvenation at the cellular level. Completely safe, it uses your own platelets and plasma to signal that repair is needed at the site injected. These significant advances in regeneration research were presented at an international medical conference in Venice earlier this year and immediately had the appearance world buzzing.

PRP can be a stand-alone treatment for the likes of scar reduction, hair loss and skin texture improvement - especially around the eyes, neck and décolletage, areas that have been traditionally more difficult to treat. Those looking to take things up another level can use it in combination with other cosmetic treatments like dermal needling and dermal fillers to improve their results. I decided that my under eyes were where I needed it most, so I bowled up one rainy Friday to give it a go.

A treatment starts with a nurse - in my case the lovely Summer - taking a small sample of your blood - similar to a blood test - that is then centrifuged in a special tube that separates out the blood cells. Your own platelets and plasma are then injected back into the body - in my case under my eyes - and the platelets release growth factors that are part of the natural signals to your body that it needs to repair that area. Because your own blood is used there is no risk of allergic reaction, transmission of infection or rejection of the product - a huge bonus.

The process took around an hour and was completely painless due to a local anaesthetic cream being applied to my under eyes well in advance. This was the only part that felt a little weird for me as my eyes went more than a little numb, but it was all for the best! Immediately after the treatment I could see and feel swelling from the injected fluid, which went down gradually over the next 24 hours.  By Sunday my peepers looked totally normal, and felt it too.

Within one week of treatment neocollagenesis (the creation of new collagen in the skin) kicked in and within 3 weeks neovascularisation of the treated area will start to give it a more vibrant glow. Results often start to be seen at 3-6 weeks and continue to slowly improve for about 3-6 months apparently, and I’m still in the early days. There is a cumulative effect with repeated treatments too, and 3-4 treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart is said to give the best results for skin.

Once tissue has been regenerated and remodelled, that benefit may even be permanent (although everyone is different), making this a serious contender for hottest new treatment on the block.

If this sounds like a bit of you, give The Face Place a call on 0800 COSMED - it’s pretty impressive stuff!