Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a concentration of the platelets and growth factors from a small sample of your own blood, prepared in clinic and returned to the skin by injection or during microneedling to stimulate repair and collagen. Because it comes from you, there is nothing foreign to react to, and results develop gradually as the skin rebuilds.
The skin under the eyes has thinned enough that the color beneath shows through as shadow. The cheeks and forehead have a fine crepiness, the tone is less even than it was, and old marks from breakouts or sun have stayed longer than they should.
Skin repair depends on signaling molecules called growth factors, which tell cells to divide, build collagen and heal. Their output slows with age and with cumulative stress from sun and sleep debt, so damage accumulates faster than the skin can resolve it. You would rather not put anything foreign into your face, and you want an improvement that looks like health rather than intervention.
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Where you want to be
PRP begins with a small blood draw, roughly the amount taken for a routine lab test. The sample is spun in a centrifuge that separates it into layers, and the platelet-rich layer is drawn off. Platelets carry the growth factors that direct healing, and concentrating them produces a plasma with several times the normal level. Nothing is added; what is returned to your skin is entirely your own.
How it is returned depends on the goal. For overall tone, texture and brightness, PRP is applied across the face during and after microneedling so the micro-channels carry it into the dermis. For specific areas, most often the thin skin under the eyes, fine lines around the mouth or shallow acne scars, it is injected in small amounts to concentrate the effect where the skin most needs to rebuild. There is no heat and no chemical, and because it is autologous, there is nothing foreign for the body to react to.
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What to expect
The visit begins with the blood draw, and while the sample is processed a topical numbing cream is applied. Your provider then treats according to the plan: microneedling with PRP across the face, injections in targeted areas, or both. The needling feels like a fine scratch; the injections are small pinches, more noticeable under the eyes.
Afterward the skin is pink to red where it has been needled, and injected areas may show small bumps or a little bruising, particularly under the eyes. Most of this settles within two to three days, though bruising can take a week. The remaining PRP is left on the skin as a mask for the rest of the day.
The visit
45–60 minutes, including the blood draw. Processing and numbing follow, then microneedling with PRP, injection into targeted areas, or both.
First days
Redness for about 24 hours where needled. Injected areas may show mild swelling or bruising for three to seven days; makeup after twenty-four hours.
Results
Brighter skin within one to two weeks. Texture, thickness and under-eye tone improve over four to twelve weeks and build with each session.
Longevity
Maintenance every 4–6 months. An initial series of three sessions builds the result first.
Who it tends to suit
Thin, crepey skin under the eyes with shadowing that concealer doesn't fix
Dull, uneven tone and fine lines across the face that have not responded to skincare alone
Shallow acne scars and early sun damage where a natural approach is preferred
Patients who want to avoid synthetic products and prefer a treatment derived from their own body
Skin of any tone, since there is no heat and no chemical involved
Not suitable for patients with platelet or clotting disorders, those on blood thinners, active infection or cancer, or during pregnancy; a brief medical screening at your assessment confirms suitability
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Who performs it
Your provider is trained in blood collection, processing and injection. Your medical history and skin are reviewed at your assessment to confirm the treatment is appropriate, and the delivery method, microneedling, injection or both, is planned area by area.
PRP is often combined with SkinPen® Elite or RF microneedling in the same session to strengthen the collagen response, and it can be scheduled around injectables and peels within a longer personalized treatment plan. Your provider decides where it adds the most and sequences it accordingly.
Less than most people expect. The blood draw is a standard needle stick. With numbing cream, microneedling feels like a fine scratch and the injections like small pinches, most noticeable under the eyes. Because PRP has no anesthetic in it, injections can sting briefly.
How many sessions do I need?
Growth factors work cumulatively, so most patients need a series of three sessions spaced four to six weeks apart before the full result is visible. After that, a maintenance session every four to six months sustains it.
How much does it cost?
Cost depends on how the PRP is delivered, whether by microneedling across the face, injection into targeted areas or both, and on the number of sessions your provider recommends. Pricing is set at your assessment.
It's my own blood, so is it suitable for everyone?
Not everyone. PRP is prepared from your own blood in a closed, sterile system and returned in the same visit, so there is nothing foreign to react to, and the main side effects are bruising and temporary swelling. A brief medical screening at your assessment rules out conditions, such as clotting disorders, that would make it unsuitable.
What's the difference between PRP and Toskani Med polynucleotides?
Both are applied through the channels that microneedling creates. PRP delivers your own concentrated growth factors, which signal the skin to repair. Toskani Med delivers a formulated serum of polynucleotides, vitamins and antioxidants that supplies material for that repair. They are complementary, and your provider may recommend one, the other or both at different points.
Can PRP help under my eyes?
Under-eye thinning and shadowing is one of the areas where injected PRP is most useful, because the skin there is too delicate for many other treatments. It gradually thickens and brightens the skin over a series of sessions. Expect some bruising in this area, which fades within about a week.
When will I see results?
Skin looks brighter and better hydrated within a week or two. Structural changes, such as thicker under-eye skin, smoother texture and softer scars, develop between four and twelve weeks as new collagen forms, and continue to build across the series.
