If you’re looking to refresh your face, the answer might be your blood. Wellness Centre 4 You can freshen up your look with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), which has no additives and nothing artificial.
Platelet-rich fibrin is a variation of our infamous Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy (PRP). Its prolonged release of growth factors is recognized to help stimulate collagen production and work as a great substitute to another popular cosmetic injection procedure — Dermal Fillers.
The “solution” forms a clot, just like a filler after about 12-15 minutes, so the injector only has a short window of injection time to perform the procedure. This type of injection treatment is better than a synthetic injection because fibrin contains a high concentration of platelets, which form the scaffolding to add volume and provide some stem cells to the injection area.
Using your own body’s blood products can minimize adverse reactions that can be obtained from synthetic fillers. The PRP procedure is recommended to be performed three to five times, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart. The results may last for up to one year for volume increase procedure and beyond for improved skin quality and texture.
As PRF is the next generation of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), it contains very high concentrations of fibrin and white blood cells that have been shown to provide rejuvenating effects for the skin.
These effects can enhance skin rejuvenation, collagen production, and skin elasticity. Patients usually seek this treatment to enhance facial soft tissue volume and the potential beneficial effects of increased production of collagen and elastin, the improvement of skin texture and thickness, the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, and the improvement of scar appearance.
PRF initially acts as a temporary volumizer; however, the true advantage of PRF injections is the rejuvenation of skin quality.
Patients may choose to have PRF injected alone or in combination with hyaluronic acid fillers.
Frequently Asked Question
PRF is derived from your blood that we draw immediately before each treatment.
Before a PRF treatment, blood is collected in the same fashion as any blood draws into two to three PRP/PRF tubes. Next, the blood is placed into a specialized centrifuge designed to separate PRP/PRF from red blood cells. After centrifugation, PRF is drawn into a syringe. PRF is injected into the face using a blunt cannula passed through tiny holes in the skin made with a small needle.
The areas of the face that can be injected include but are not limited to: cheeks, temporal hollows, tear troughs, nasolabial folds, the jawline and chin. There is a limited time window of approximately 12 to 15 minutes until the PRF turns into a gel-like consistency.
The entire procedure takes about 30 minutes (this time does not include the time for topical anesthesia if needed).
PRF injections are performed in a series of treatments spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart. Initial volume enhancement will typically last one to three weeks, which will then dissipate.
Long-term effects such as collagen production, skin tightening, and enhanced skin quality may take up to three to four months to be noticed and can last from six to 12 months.
Improvement of scars is long-lasting. Visible improvement following PRF treatment is typically seen six weeks or more from the initial treatment.
Unfortunately, this treatment cannot reverse the appearance of deep lines and advanced wrinkling of the treated tissue.