Microneedling With PRP To Rejuvenate Skin

The twist that Macy* puts on the tradition of leaving cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve was conceived by her grandmother, who might be stunned to learn what it could be leading to three generations later.
“The story, according to my mom, is that my grandmother loaned her cookie sheets out to a group of ladies at her church,” Macy explains. “The women were going to make cookies to give to underprivileged kids at Christmas.
“Well, a couple of days later, Christmas Eve comes around and my grandmother realizes she never got the cookie sheets back. So instead of making cookies for Santa, she and my mom, who was about 5 years old at the time, made cupcakes.
“My mom was the youngest of four daughters, and her sisters all picked up on the idea and did the same with their kids. My mom eventually did the same with me, but I’ve taken the idea a bit further than anyone else has. Or at least, I hope to.”
What Macy, 62, hopes to do is open her own gourmet cupcake shop. The financing for the shop is secure and a location has been chosen. Once she closes on the property, Macy will order the equipment to bake, store and sell her cupcakes.
“I was hoping to get all that done before Christmas, so I could open in time to pass on our tradition to others, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen,” says Macy, whose plan was temporarily derailed by a medical emergency.
After fainting twice within a week late last year, Macy learned she had an abnormally small heart valve that needed to be repaired. After open-heart surgery, Macy is recovering nicely. There’s just one problem.
“I’m not a vain person, but the surgery left a very noticeable scar that runs from that little indention in my throat all the way to my navel,” Macy relates. “It made me a bit self-conscious about what I wore, but Dr. Dean had a solution that worked really well.”

Nature Takes Its Course

Melissa Dean, MD, is founder of the Dean Wellness Institute in Vero Beach. She practices traditional medicine, but also offers a holistic approach to wellness while specializing in the treatment of menopause and andropause.
Dr. Dean also specializes in a variety of wellness treatments, including bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), which is considered the most natural and effective solution for hormone-related issues such as insomnia, vaginal dryness and lack of focus.
Macy has been Dr. Dean’s patient for several years. She sees the doctor for regular checkups the same way many would see a primary care physician. Earlier this year, after seeing Macy’s scar, Dr. Dean naturally inquired about it.
“I told her the whole story behind it and mentioned that it was making me think twice about what I wore most days,” Macy relates. “When she heard that, Dr. Dean said, Well, I actually have something that could take care of that for you.”
Dr. Dean was referring to microneedling with PRP. It’s a skin-rejuvenation therapy used most often to rejuvenate the skin of the face and neck. As Dr. Dean explained to Macy, however, it can also reduce scarring.
“A lot of people think of microneedling with PRP as a way to get rid of wrinkles and fine lines and to tighten the skin,” Dr. Dean reports. “But the same physiological concept of tissue growth can also be used to treat scars, acne scars, even stretch marks.”

“I am thrilled with my decision to give microneedling with PRP a try.” – Macy

No matter the objective, microneedling with PRP sessions begin with a blood draw from the patient’s arm. The blood is then placed in a centrifuge and spun down. Finally, a special kit is used to separate the red blood cells from the plasma and PRP.
“What you’re left with is what we call liquid gold,” Dr. Dean explains. “That’s the plasma with all the growth factors, or PRP. We put that into a syringe and disperse it like a lotion across the targeted area while performing the microneedling.”
Microneedling is performed by a trained technician who uses a handheld device to induce microtraumas to the skin. The application of PRP to those microtraumas further enhances the therapy’s effectiveness.
“When microneedling is performed, the body naturally responds by sending growth factors from inside the body to the site of the microtraumas,” Dr. Dean adds. “With PRP, we’re also applying growth factors to the outside of those microtraumas.
“By itself, microneedling is an excellent skin-rejuvenation tool. By combining it with PRP, which contains natural growth factors obtained from the blood, the rejuvenation process is enhanced exponentially.
“When treating scars or stretch marks, we sometimes use little bits of filler and things along those lines to enhance the results even further. It all depends on the severity of the scar or the stretch marks, but either way, the treatment is very effective.”
The microneedling treatment, including prep, blood draw and procedure, lasts about an hour, with no downtime afterward. Some patients may look like they have a slight sunburn, but they can return to normal activities immediately.

Silky Smooth

Intrigued by the possibilities, Macy agreed to undergo six treatments of microneedling with PRP beginning in April. By the time she completed the treatments in July, her scar was “virtually invisible.”
“There was still some discoloration because I hadn’t been out in the sun, but as far as that lumpy scar that I had, it was all gone,” Macy reports. “The microneedling with PRP treatments really smoothed everything out.
“I don’t even feel it when I rub my fingers across it anymore, so I was really pleased with the results. I was so pleased, in fact, that I went back and had some treatments done on my belly, where I still had some stretch marks from when I was pregnant.
“Those are all gone now, too, so I am thrilled with my decision to give microneedling with PRP a try. I’m really happy that Dr. Dean suggested it, and I recommend it to anyone who’s feeling self-conscious about a scar or stretch marks.
“The microneedling with PRP treatments worked great, and they’re absolutely painless. Another great thing is that Dr. Dean and her staff do everything right in her office. And they’re great people, so kind and caring. I’d recommend them to anyone.”

*Patient’s name changed at her request.