Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Specialist

What is PRP Therapy?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has been shown in several studies to effectively treat pain and stimulate healing in the body.  PRP is a concentrated form of your own blood that contains platelets, proteins, stem cells, and growth factors that promote healing and regeneration of injured or painful areas.

PRP therapy is a popular and useful treatment for soft tissue injuries and chronic pain conditions as well as for facial rejuvenation and hair restoration.  For cosmetic indications, Dr. Huang-Lionnet can incorporate PRP therapy using cells from your blood to create a powerful serum that can be applied to your face or scalp, where it boosts your own body’s natural regenerative abilities. This may result in hair regrowth in sparse or bald areas of the scalp, and a reduction in the effects of aging on the face, including:

• Fine lines
• Moderate wrinkles
• Moderate skin laxity
• Diminished texture, tone, color
• Stretch marks
• Photo-aging and hyperpigmentation
• Acne scars
• Large pores
• Hair restoration for age-related balding or other forms of hair loss

For sports and pain medicine, some indications for PRP therapy include:

• Tendon and ligament pathology
• Osteoarthritis of major joints (early-moderate degree)
• Lateral epicondylitis - Tennis Elbow
• Medial epicondylitis - Golfer’s Elbow
• Hip pain secondary to OA and labral tears
• Knee pain secondary to OA and soft tissue injuries
• Patellar tendonitis or injury - Jumper’s Knee
• Achilles tendonitis
• Plantar fasciitis
• Bursitis of major joints
• Rotator cuff and labral tears or injury of the shoulder
• Joint-related sprains
• Preoperatively and intraoperatively for total and partial joint replacements

How does PRP Therapy Work?

To produce platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a sample of your blood is drawn into a special collecting device and centrifuged at high speed to isolate the growth factors and platelets.  PRP therapy is carefully injected into your affected site by Dr. Huang-Lionnet, a board-certified physician with expertise in minimally invasive procedures and additional training in regenerative injection techniques.  

Because your own blood is used, PRP therapy is a safe form of treatment without any significant adverse reactions. There is no risk of transmissible infection and a low risk of an allergic reaction. The concentrated platelets are also full of growth factors that assist the healing process and stimulate the growth of new cells and collagen fibers.  When the PRP reaches the target tissues, it kick-starts the natural healing process, making new, healthier cells to replace the old, damaged ones.

In addition to its many medical uses, Dr. Huang-Lionnet uses PRP therapy for facial rejuvenation and hair restoration by following a pattern that she designs beforehand to ensure symmetrical rejuvenation and even hair growth respectively.

Why Choose Regenerative Therapy?

The concept behind the clinical use of PRP is to harness the natural biological components of a patient’s blood―primarily platelets―which may help optimize the conditions for healing, improve inflammatory response, control infection and promote angiogenesis. There are several benefits for considering regenerative therapies, such as, PRP and stem cell injections:

• Same-day procedure: Most procedures are performed in less than an hour.  Many patients are able to return to their regular routines the next day.
• Reduce the necessity for major surgery. The goal of regenerative therapy is to heal injured tissue and not just alleviate pain temporarily. Regenerative therapies may reduce or eliminate the need for surgery by treating injured tissues before the damage progresses further.
• Pain relief and healing for common back, joint and connective tissue injuries as well as cosmetic indications - facial rejuvenation and hair restoration. Regenerative therapy has been proven to accelerate healing for osteoarthritis, ligament injuries, rotator cuff tears, tennis and golfer’s elbow, tendonitis and tendon-related injuries and plantar fasciitis. These therapies are also proven beneficial to treat osteoarthritis of the knee, shoulder, hip and spine.  For cosmetic indications, regenerative therapy has been shown to provide benefit in facial rejuvenation and hair restoration.  

PRP therapy offers the physician an alternative to current widespread treatments, such as steroid injections. Such treatments may provide short-term relief by masking symptoms such as pain and inflammation that are the result of an injury, rather than actually addressing the cause of the injury directly through the repair of damaged tissue.

A double-blind randomized controlled trial by Gosens et al. showed that PRP generated sustained improvement with two years follow-up after the procedure for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis, compared to corticosteroid treatment. Ongoing clinical studies are being performed to further understand the efficacy and potential indications of such treatments.

How Long Will it be before I See the Results from PRP Therapy?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a safe, non-surgical procedure that stimulates healing and outcomes are not immediate as it takes time for new, healthy tissue to grow. The positive effects of PRP therapy occur within the first week. Although your own response will depend on your particular condition, patients generally see improvement in pain and mobility within 4 to 6 weeks. Improvement may continue for up to 12 months.

With these therapies, a steroid injection is not recommended for at least one month prior to the procedure. Most patients require two or more treatment sessions to enjoy the full benefits of PRP therapy, but once the series of treatments end, you benefit from the effects for many months, and in some cases, years.

To find out more about these exciting new options for advanced regenerative-based treatments, call Greenwich Health today or book an appointment online.