PRP treatment: what it does for skin, hair and the intimate area

PRP treatment in Eindhoven at Bloy Institute

Skin that is losing its resilience, thinning hair, or tissue that feels dry and fragile: these are changes where your body can use some extra support. PRP uses your own blood plasma for this. At Bloy Institute in Eindhoven, we determine during a personal consultation whether this treatment is right for you.

What is PRP and how does it work?

PRP stands for Platelet-Rich Plasma, or blood platelet-rich plasma. Platelets are primarily known for their role in blood clotting, but they also contain growth factors involved in tissue repair and renewal.

For a PRP treatment, we take a small amount of your own blood. That blood is centrifuged, causing the blood components to separate. We then apply the plasma with an increased concentration of platelets, the PRP, to the area we are treating.

The growth factors in PRP can stimulate, among other things, fibroblasts: cells involved in the production of collagen and other building blocks of the skin. In this way, the treatment supports your body's natural healing process.

Because we work with your own blood, PRP is also known as the 'vampire facial' in cosmetic treatments. That sounds more spectacular than it is: the principle is simple.

What can PRP be used for?

PRP can be suitable if you want to support the quality and condition of your skin, hair, or tissue in a natural way.

Skin

• skin improvement of the face
• the skin around the eyes
• acne scars
• reduced skin quality or skin texture

PRP is aimed at skin quality and is not a volume treatment. It therefore does not provide the volume effect of a filler.

Hair

• thinning hair
• hair loss
• certain forms of alopecia
• after a hair transplant

Whether PRP is useful depends on the cause of the hair loss. We therefore first map this out during your consultation.

Intimate zone

PRP can also be applied to the vulva, for complaints such as:

• fragile or dry vulvar skin
• recurring small fissures (cracks)
• tissue that becomes irritated quickly

Further down on this page you can read more about this.

When is PRP not suitable?

As with any medical treatment, there are situations in which PRP is less suitable or is advised against. This may be the case with:

• certain conditions of the blood or platelets
• severe or chronic liver problems
• an active infection
• certain forms of cancer
• certain heart or blood circulation disorders
• the use of anticoagulant medication

This does not mean that PRP is automatically ruled out in these situations. During your consultation, we discuss your medical situation and any medication, and assess whether the treatment is responsible and appropriate. If in doubt, additional medical advice may be needed.

How does a PRP treatment proceed?

1. Personal consultation
We discuss your wishes, complaints, and medical history and assess the area you want to have treated. After that, we determine together whether PRP is a suitable treatment for you.

2. Blood draw
We take a small amount of blood, comparable to a regular blood draw.

3. Preparation of the PRP
The blood is centrifuged directly in the clinic, so that the PRP is separated from the other blood components.

4. Administration
We apply the PRP with microneedling or with fine injections. Which technique we choose depends on the area and the goal of the treatment.

After the treatment

After a PRP treatment, the skin may temporarily be red and feel slightly swollen or sensitive. This is a normal reaction, which usually subsides within a few days.

We advise to:

• not use makeup on the treated area for the first 24 hours
• not visit a sauna or swimming pool for the first 48 hours
• avoid intense exercise for the first 48 hours
• care for the skin according to the aftercare instructions you receive

The exact aftercare varies per treated area and per technique.

How many treatments are needed?

We usually start with a series of three treatments, with about a month in between. After that, you can consider a maintenance treatment, often about once a year. We always personally coordinate the number of treatments and the intervals.

What can you expect from PRP?

The effect of PRP varies per person. It depends, among other things, on your complaint, the quality of the tissue, your age, your lifestyle, and the way your body reacts to the treatment. How much redness or swelling you have afterwards says nothing about how well the treatment works.

Your lifestyle also plays a role: sufficient sleep and varied nutrition support the recovery of your body. In addition, PRP can be part of a broader treatment plan, in which different treatments complement each other.

PRP does not turn back the aging process. The goal is to support the natural processes that contribute to the quality and condition of skin, hair, or tissue.

PRP for the vulva

PRP can also be applied in the intimate zone. At Bloy Institute, this treatment is performed by dr. Esther Mesters, plastic surgeon. PRP can be considered for fragile or dry vulvar skin, for complaints that fit vaginal or vulvar dryness, for recurring small fissures, or for skin that becomes irritated quickly.

A fissure is a small crack in the tissue. This can be sensitive or painful, for example, upon touch, during sex, or while urinating. If the tissue is dry or fragile, the recovery often proceeds with difficulty as well.

The growth factors in PRP are involved in the natural repair of tissue. The treatment is therefore aimed at supporting the condition of the tissue, and not just to temporarily mask complaints. PRP can be part of a personal treatment plan.

First map out the cause

Intimate complaints can have different causes, and PRP is not the most suitable treatment for every complaint. Persistent pain, bleeding, itching, recurring fissures, or changes to the skin of the vulva are therefore always first medically assessed by us.

During your consultation, dr. Mesters discusses your complaints discreetly and carefully. She assesses whether PRP is suitable and also discusses other treatment options where necessary.

Curious if PRP is right for you?

Do you want to know if PRP is suitable for your skin, hair, or intimate complaints? During a free personal consultation, we discuss your wishes and expectations and assess the area you want to have treated. You will receive an honest and personal advice about the treatment that best fits your situation.

Schedule your free consultation at Bloy Institute, Wilhelminaplein 17 in Eindhoven.