Do PRP injections (Platelet Rich Plasma) help restore facial fat loss?

Thank you for your question. I understand that you’re concerned about the crepiness of your skin, and you’d like to know how to restore lost fat after using
Thermage, an at-home thermal heating device.



PRP is a very significant part of my practice. I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon, a
Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and I’ve been practicing in Manhattan and
Long Island for over 20 years. I’m also
the founder and developer of Trichostem™ Hair Regeneration, which is a non-surgical hair loss solution and
alternative treatment to hair transplants, in which we also use PRP, in
addition to extracellular matrix.



It seems that you, like many others, have believed in
the notion that heating the skin stimulates collagen, and subsequently tightens
and makes skin look more youthful. While this is true to a certain extent, the
real determining factors are how much heat, how high, and over what period of
time.



In my practice, PRP is used regularly for skin
rejuvenation, and we see many patients like yourself constantly—people who have succumbed to the hype of the latest
non-surgical skin tightening device. What usually ends up happening as they
continue to use such devices is that their skin loses all that youthful volume
and becomes thinner and crepier. This is because the heat projected into their
skin invariably affects the layer of fat directly underneath. It believe that
fat under the skin is critically important, not just as padding, but because
its cellular activity and interaction with the skin is what keeps you looking
younger.



For example, when we do body liposuction on flanks or
love handles, we always leave behind a thin layer of fat so that the skin does
not ripple after the procedure. In some cases where liposuction is overdone,
the skin becomes wrinkly. Comparatively, heating devices can do the same thing
when overused. If you think about it, what happens when you heat fat? The fat
gets cooked, and when that happens, it is no longer viable.



In my practice, we have treated a particular patient
with recurring infections due to a chronic biofilm. We treated her with
platelet-rich plasma first, and then combined that with extracellular matrix,
which is a wound-healing material, and we were able to build up the fat, build
up the skin quality, and ultimately rehabilitate her skin in spite of the
recurrent infections.



With that said, I think PRP would be a good option for
you. I don’t think you’ll be
able to get back all the volume that you had prior to your procedure, but if
you can address the skin quality, then you’ll be
in a much better place.



I suggest that you seek out experienced doctors who
use PRP and get a sense of your own confidence in their experience, because
when you a meet a doctor who knows their stuff, you can definitely feel it. I
can tell you that in our practice, we truly understand and see the benefits of
PRP. In fact, many of my own staff members regularly get PRP treatments to keep
their skin looking youthful, and I don’t think
there is a better supporting statement than that with regard to its value.



I hope that was helpful and I wish you the best of
luck!

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The only treatment for this is to revolumize with fillers or fat.  Long term sculptra and bellafill can be used to stimulate collagen as well.  PRP would not hurt along with fat injections but PRP alone doesn't volumize.  Best, Dr. Emer.