What is PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) and P-PRP (Pure Platelet Rich Plasma)? 

Our blood consists of a liquid component known as plasma and 3 main solid components: Red cells, white cells and platelets. Platelets are  well known for their ability to stop bleeding during injuries. What is less well known is that they contain multiple bioactive proteins, known as growth factors, which they release during injury to help the healing process. With the recent advances in technology it is now possible to isolate and concentrate platelets from the blood so they can be injected to help healing and repair. 

 

Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) is concentrated platelets suspended in a small volume of plasma. This is achieved by spinning the blood in a machine then collecting the clear plasma which contains the platelets. The normal count of platelets in blood is between 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microlitre (µL). This process concentrates the platelets in the plasma to double figures or slightly more. However, the ideal PRP should have a concentration of at least 1 -1.5million/µL, i.e at least x3 concentration of platelets. This can only be achieved by repeating the spinning for plasma obtained from the first spin to concentrate the platelets further. The result of this is a high purity concentrated PRP called Pure-PRP (P-PRP). Remember: More platelets = more growth factors = better results. Any count less than 1 million is not PRP and is not biologically active. 

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What can be treated with PRP therapy?

PRP is a natural product using your own blood. PRP therapy has been safely used in various medical and surgical fields including sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, wound care, and plastic surgery.​ Growth factors in PRP regenerates and rejuvenate tissues and start the healing process. This is a list of conditions that we can treat with PRP at our clinic:

• Hair loss, including alopecia areata, male and female pattern baldness: PRP has also been used in aesthetics by injecting small amounts of PRP into certain areas of the skin and scalp to promotes new collagen development, regenerates tissues and helps to increase hair growth in areas of hair loss. It should be noted however that those who are completely bald should not opt for this because this treatment can only make the existing hair thicker by stimulating hair growth. People with no existing hair in an area will not benefit. 

• Musculoskeletal injuries: Torn tendons, ligaments and sports injuries.

• Arthritis, especially knee osteoarthritis.

• Tendinitis: Achilles tendinitis, tennis elbow, and other overuse injuries

• To accelerate wound healing.

Unlike the popular belief, it is not the plasma but the growth factors contained within the platelets that are responsible for the healing power of platelets. Plasma and Platelet-POOR-Plasma (PPP) are not the same as PRP; in fact the plasma may have a dampening effects on platelets that could lead to negative results e.g. more hair loss instead of hair growth.

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How is PRP therapy done?

Preparation of PRP is performed in the clinic on the same day as the procedure, and can take anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on the method used (single spin vs double spin - see below).  After the right amount of blood is collected, a centrifuge (in the picture above) is used to separate the platelets from the other cells.  PRP's prepared by most clinics are done using the “Single-Spin” technique, meaning that only one centrifuge cycle is used before collecting the PRP for use.  To obtain higher concentration, a “Double-Spin” process can be used, which can produce much higher levels of concentration, but it also takes more time, effort and skill to produce.  Unfortunately claims about PRP concentration are often not true. ​Studies have shown up to a 2100% difference in platelet concentration between different PRP methods. Some PRP kits have been shown to actually lead to LOWER platelet concentration compared to baseline! Even if the count is satisfactory, some subttle mistakes in the preparation of PRP or P-PRP can lead to the premature activation of platelets during the preparation process prior to the injection thus the platelet growth factors are partially lost.

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More technical details on the production of P-PRP:

A double spin (2 stage spin) of the blood consists of a first “soft spin” to sediments the heavier red blood cells and some white cells. The liquid supernatant is then transferred to another tube and centrifuged again at higher spead and for longer time. The second “hard” spin is to concentrate the platelets in the liquid part. This takes longer time than a single spin but guarantees Pure PRP that is multiple times the concentration obtained in the first spin.

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How many treatments do I need and how soon do I feel the benefits?

In general, most PRP therapies requires 3-6 treatments at monthly intervals. For joint/tendon injections: Expected results in 4-8 weeks after your first treatment. PRP for hair growth: results can usually be seen between 4-8 months post treatment and may last unto 18 months.

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What are the advantages of platelet-rich plasma therapy?

• Very low risk of allergic reactions since platelets and plasma come from your own blood.

• Non-surgical, no scars and much faster recovery time.

• PRP is antimicrobial so the risk of infection is quite low.

• When used for joint injections, unlike cortisone injections, researchers have found that PRP does not lead to accelerated joint breakdown over time. as well as being more effective for knee osteoarthritis versus hyaluronic acid or cortisone.

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What are the disadvantages of PRP therapy?

• Many claimed uses of PRP still need confirmation with more high quality research. 

• Multiple treatments may be needed before knowing whether PRP is really working or not.  

• Mild soreness and bruising on treatment site and bruising after the treatment. This can be reduced by the use of topical anaesthesia. Infection risk is in theory possible as with any procedure that involves an injection. 

• Feeling lightheaded during the blood draw if a large quantity of PRP need to be generated. 

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Why choose Leicester Ozone Clinic?

• The procedure from start to finish is carried out by our experienced GMC registered doctors who have a through understanding of the role of PRP in therapy and they are well trained in generating P-PRP with the best quality and concentration of platelets on-site.  

• Strict infection control procedures. Our clinic is regulated by the CQC (the same health and  care regulator that overseas all NHS healthcare providers).

• We know the proper way to administer the treatment.  Our clinicians have delivered hundreds of joint and soft tissue injections in the course of their medical career.  Our lead clinician is an ex rheumatology specialist. 

• We have optimised our protocol to harvest the maximum number of platelets in the purist form. We have researched different methods and speeds of spinning and other techniques to produce a clinically-proven protocol that guarantee the extraction of genuine Pure Platelet-Rich-Plasma. Not all PRP are the same. PRP is not simply spinning blood to extract the liquid part. There is more to it. Like any medicine, PRP works in a specific therapeutic range. The increased concentration of platelets is associated with a higher concentration of growth factors and better outcomes. Our protocol also considers other factors such as volume of blood draw, anticoagulant choice, preventing platelet activation during preparation, the ideal centrifugation parameters and temperature control during the preparation of PRP and P-PRP.. 

• We understand the financial implication of these therapies so we offer two PRP choices for people with different budgets: We offer the traditional PRP (a single spin) which is offered by most clinics but we also offer the ultimate Pure-PRP (a double spin technology). As you can probably tell from the above discussion, high concentration PRP (Pure-PRP) works best for almost any procedure.  In this complicated and time consuming technique, a high total volume of blood is needed to obtain a high final platelet concentration. Double spin is the standard method of the preparation of P-PRP as confirmed by various studies and the American Association of Blood Banks technical manual. 

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Conclusion and Booking: 

PRP is not a silver bullet. To have the best chance at success, start with a clinic that is capable of producing high concentration, quality and purity of PRP (i.e P-PRP).  Ask if the clinic uses single or double-spin?  What volume is used?  And, try to talk to their PRP doctor first.  However, it’s important to consider not only the type and quality of PRP, but also the history and specific needs of the patient.  That’s why we always start with a FREE consultation, medical history and physical examination.  We may advise you to have some lab tests to look for deficiencies (e.g. iron, Vitamin D, hormones), which may need addressing before considering PRP.  Sometimes PRP is not the answer. This is why we offer you a free 15 minute consultation before embarking on PRP therapy. Please ring Dr Hamad on 0116 4887848 to have a chat if you are interested. 

 

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Cost of PRP and P-PRP:

PRP hair treatment or joint/tendon injection: £200/session.

Pure-PRP hair treatment or joint/tendon injection: £400/session.

Combine the power of PRP or P-PRP for hair with the nourishing properties of high dose biotin IV: add £100.

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