When a young person gets a microneedling treatment, will PRP give more benefits?

Hard scientific data to support the use of PRP, despite its expense and the marketing hype that surrounds its use, remains lacking. At $800-$1000 (at least that is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan) to draw off your blood, spin it down and apply superficially or reinject the concentrate, it hardly seems worth it. I have been performing medical microneedling for over two decades. I simply microneedle to the point of achieving pinpoint bleeding and then cover the site with an occlusive dressing for several hours to allow the blood components to access the microchannels created--without the need for any additional time and expense. Make sure that you consult with a board certified aesthetic physician. Best of luck.

Our treatments use combination therapy to improve the epidermis and dermis for most deep scars. The options available for acne scars depend on the character of your scars, in terms of topography and contour. We see atrophic and hypertrophic acne scars, as well as scars that have hypo and hyperpigmentation. We begin each scar evaluation with an assessment of scar quality and subtype. Our main concern is rebuilding collagen and that is why we use a HIDEF protocol that includes combination therapy. Morpheus 8, scar subcision, fibrous release, fractional laser, CO2 laser, Thulium laser, PDL Vbeam laser, and fractional resurfacing can be used in addition to TCA Cross and chemical peels to further improve skin. Patients should start Melarase AM and Melarase PM for active hyperpigmentation. Always begin with a consultation to decide whether early subcision should be started.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Hi @500c! PRP is a great add on to help with acne scarring. I recommend 3-6 sessions of microneedling for optimal results. Best of luck, Dr. Nima!

If you are struggling with acne scarring, adding PRF to your microneedling is a great
option for you regardless of age. PRF will help your skin heal and regenerate quicker by
stimulating collagen production and restoring growth factors in the skin. Adding PRF to
your treatment will rejuvenate dull skin and improve texture further than just
microneedling alone. If you are still struggling with active acne, another great option
would be microneedling with CBD. This is a groundbreaking treatment that has
phenomenal results for calming and inhibiting acne production. Applying the CBD
topically during a microneedling treatment will also promote an anti-inflammatory
response to cut down recovery time even if active acne is not present. Going forward, I
would recommend you to complete multiple in office consultations with a board
certified plastic surgeon to discuss your aesthetic goals. This way, they can work
alongside you to determine your best treatment option.
Best of luck,
Kian Karimi MD, FACS

In our practice we refer to PRP as "liquid gold" because it provides healing and rejuvenation and is a natural way to improve the appearance of your skin. Platelet-rich plasma is a high concentrate of protein derived from the blood; blood is drawn from the patient and placed in a tube that, once spun in a centrifuge, separates natural growth factors and stem cells from red blood cells. In addition to helping you maintain a fresh, youthful appearance, PRP can address localized conditions such as acne, wrinkles, cellulite, scars, and sun damage, and it's great when used in conjunction with lasers, radiofrequency devices, and microneedling treatments. The Vampire Facial uses PRP and stem cells to improve complexion, texture, and fine lines and wrinkles. When combined with lasers and radiofrequency treatments, it can also address scars, pores, and pigmentation.

For Acne Scarring, at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and aerify along with dermarolling (Emerageskin roller with anteage MD AERIFY ampules weekly) should be started now (see link to emeragecosmetics). If you have post inflammatory hyperpigmentation/melasma/discoloration, that needs cosmelan or enlighten peels at home, which we can do virtually and send to your home along with aerify peels regularly, vivatia foam, restorsea 10x, faith essence serum, and cosmelan 2 cream.

Acne scar treatment needs a combination approach for improvement. For the best results, one should target the acne scar type. As everyone has a unique pattern of acne scarring, the best solution is a tailored one. Typically you need fillers like bellafill and sculptra for atrophic indented type scars with or without subcision. Subcision for depressed tethered scars. Vascular lasers like yellow laser, aerolase, excel V or IPL for redness or thick scars. And lasers such as fraxel, halo, moxi, pro fractional laser/erbium, co2 or fractional radiofrequency like venus viva, skinfinity, intensif or fractora microneedling RF for textural issues and superficial scarring. Deep ice pick scars and narrow box car scars are best treated with TCA CROSS and punch excision.

ALL LASERS are combined with Microneedling AND PRP to get even better results and improve healing times. The majority of patients will have a collection of different scar types, and hence a tailored treatment plan is needed by an expert physician. It is never about the laser or product that gives the results, it's about the expert behind the equipment that gets you the outcome. Scars cannot be cured and will need life-long treatments to maintain and build on the results. For those at high risk for hyperpigmentation (darker skin types or asian or hispanic or mixed ethnicities) we already pre-treat the skin with cosmelan or enlighten lightening peels to prevent complications from energy-based or chemical-based treatments.

I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer

Hi,

Thank you for your question. Microneedling can give a young person with mild acne scarring some benefits. It can stimulate collagen to help improve the texture and tone of the skin. The microneedling machine that we think works the best is SkinPen, which was the first to be FDA approved. So make sure you are having the treatment done with a FDA approved pen.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) is going to give you a better result, as this helps to restore the cells in the skin making the skin thicker, tighter, and improving texture and tone. Adding PRP to a microneedling treatment will make the treatment especially more effective for acne scars.

I hope that helps.

Hello and Happy New Year
we would always offer PRP + microneedling .
PRP augment the results by great percentage. doing microneedling alone is kind of outdated.
Being said that, I am not entirely sure microneedling is thee best option for every patient with acne.
sometimes may create more scars as the skin does not regenerate well.
PRP alone + filler / Bellafill, LED treatment , Fraxel laser,.... are potential methods.
so have a formal assessment by an expert and come up with a decision for best option for YOU!
Best