A treatment that concentrates platelets from a person's own blood and returns them to the skin to rebuild collagen. Safety is favorable, with mostly short-lived redness and bruising; the worst harms trace to unlicensed handling of blood. Benefits are modest and mixed, strongest for skin texture, smoothness, and the under-eye area. (Full Review)

Protocol

Induction Series

3 sessions

Spaced about 4–6 weeks apart

Delivery

Injection or microneedling

Intradermal/subdermal injection, or topical after microneedling

Maintenance

Every 6–12 months

Repeated to sustain results as effects wane

Time to effect

Texture & Glow

3–4 weeks

Initial texture and glow improvements often noticed

Collagen Changes

3–6 months

Collagen-driven changes continue to develop

Durability

6–18 months

Gains typically diminish, prompting maintenance

Benefits

Medium: Improved skin texture and smoothness; periorbital rejuvenation; enhanced outcomes as an add-on to microneedling or laser resurfacing

Low: Reduction of fine lines and wrinkles; increased dermal collagen and elasticity; improvement in skin tone and pigmentation

Speculative: Durable biostimulatory regenerative remodeling; soft-tissue volumizing effect

Contraindications

Active hematologic malignancy or platelet dysfunction disorders

Active infection or cancer at treatment site

Severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count under ~105 ×10⁹/L)

Uncontrolled anticoagulation

Active inflammatory skin disease at site

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Key Interactions

Anticoagulants (warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, heparin)

Antiplatelet drugs (aspirin, clopidogrel)

Over-the-counter NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen)

Systemic corticosteroids

Antiplatelet supplements (fish oil/omega-3, vitamin E, Ginkgo biloba, garlic extract, high-dose curcumin)

Other aesthetic interventions (dermal fillers, ablative laser, microneedling)

Risk & Side Effects

High: Injection-site pain, swelling, bruising, and redness

Medium: Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; local infection

Low: Serious transmissible infection from unsafe technique; nodules, lumpiness, or granuloma formation

Speculative: Theoretical stimulation of unwanted tissue growth

Monitoring

Marker	Target	Why
Platelet count	~200–400 ×10⁹/L	Determines quality of the PRP concentrate
Hemoglobin	~13–15 g/dL (women ~12.5–15)	Flags anemia that impairs healing and product quality
Ferritin	~50–150 ng/mL	Low iron impairs skin and tissue repair and may signal anemia
HbA1c	≤5.4%	Poor glucose control slows wound healing and collagen formation
Vitamin D (25-OH)	~40–60 ng/mL	Supports skin repair and immune function
hs-CRP	<1.0 mg/L	High systemic inflammation may impair healing response

Cadence: Baseline before starting; reassess at end of induction series (~8–12 weeks), then at each maintenance visit every 6–12 months

Qualitative Assessment

Skin texture and smoothness — roughness and glow
Fine-line and wrinkle appearance — softening of static lines
Under-eye appearance — infraorbital color and crepiness
Overall satisfaction — global aesthetic improvement judgment
Tolerability — duration of redness/bruising and any pigmentation change

Platelet-Rich Plasma for Skin Rejuvenation

Protocol

Benefits

Risk & Side Effects

Monitoring

Qualitative Assessment