Boulder Plastic Surgery is proud to be one of the few practices on the front range to offer regenerative aesthetics to our patients. Utilizing your own blood or fat tissue, we can maximize your healing as well as repair the cumulative damage to your skin and other tissues caused by time and environmental factors. We are truly harnessing the power of your own cells.
The definition of regenerative medicine is to stimulate the regenerative properties of a patient’s own tissue and cells and use these to supplement the body’s natural healing processes. In theory, we are concentrating and purifying a patient’s intrinsic healing potential and placing it into sites needing tissue regenerative stimulus. Cells utilized include platelets and stem cells as well as hormonal growth factors and the tissue/stromal vascular fraction from your fat tissue.
There is a hierarchy of treatment options beginning with off-the-shelf fillers such as Juvederm progressing to utilizing regenerative medicine to enhance surgical procedures. Options for patients depend upon anatomy, tissue health, and patient desires and tolerances. Regenerative medicine options are synergistic with surgical procedures, laser treatments, and injectables.
Platelet Rich Plasma, also known as “PRP” is an injection treatment were by a person’s own blood is used. The retrieval of your blood is performed in the office using the same technique as having your blood drawn for routine testing. The blood is spun in a special centrifuge to separate its components, and to extract the most concentrated “platelet rich” portion of the plasma. Platelets are very small cells in your blood that are involved in the clotting and healing process. When PRP is injected into the damaged area it causes a mild inflammation that triggers the healing cascade. As the platelets organize in the treatment area, they release a number of enzymes to promote healing and tissue responses, including attracting stem cells and growth factors to repair the damaged tissue. As a result new collagen and elastic fibers begin to develop. As the collagen matures, it begins to shrink, causing a tightening and strengthening of the tissue in the damaged area. When treating injured or sun and time damaged tissue, a remodeling of the tissue to a healthier and younger more elastic state occurs.
Treatment results are generally visible at 4 weeks and continue to improve gradually over 3-6 months when PRP is used alone or synergistically with fillers, lasers and skin pen (aka micro-needling). Most treatments require 60-90 minutes including the drawing and processing of your blood. Generally, 2-3 treatments are advised at intervals suited to the patient’s clinical skin and tissue health. Touchup treatments may be done once a year after the initial series of treatments to boost and maintain the results.
PRPs safety has been established for over 20 years for its wound healing properties and its proven effectiveness has extended across multiple medical specialties including cardiovascular surgery, orthopedics, sports medicine, podiatry, neurosurgery, dermatology, urology, dental and maxillofacial surgery as well as aesthetic applications. PRPs use in wound healing, aesthetics and skin rejuvenation began in approximately 2004 in Europe and Asia. Areas typically treated for aesthetic purposes, volume restoration and skin rejuvenation include the face, neck, lips, and back of the hands. PRP is also used to stimulate hair growth in various forms of alopecia in both men and women.
PRP has been shown to have overall rejuvenation effects on the skin by improving skin texture, thickness, fine lines and wrinkles, increasing volume by stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin. When combined with cosmetic fat grafting procedures, it can improve fat graft take, he as well as long-term results. PRP can improve the appearance of scars as well as pigmentary irregularities. It is not designed to replace cosmetic or reconstructive surgical procedures, where appropriate, but can actually enhance and supplement the overall results of a surgical procedure.
Concentrate your healing with aesthetic regenerative medicine at Boulder Plastic Surgery and IV Seasons Skin Care.
Harness the power of your cells.
The body’s natural healing solution.