The widely popular platelet rich plasma therapy is a form of regenerative treatment that uses injections of platelet concentrate that are produced from a patient’s blood. The preparation process can be a bit tedious and any clinic offering this treatment needs a good PRP system that will efficiently separate autologous platelet concentrations from other blood components.
So what features make up the best PRP kit? Since the therapy requires a highly concentrated PRP product, clinics offering the therapy must prioritize finding a PRP centrifuge device that can generate a high platelet count for deliverable platelets. Getting a proper PRP kit will not only guarantee ease of pure PRP preparation but also assure consistent results for patients.
What Is Platelet Rich Plasma and How Is It Prepared?
Platelets are one of the essential components found in the blood. Together with the red blood cell and white blood cell, they sustain the organs and tissues of the body by transporting oxygen and nutrients, producing antibodies to protect against infection, and stimulating clotting to prevent blood loss.
Concentrated platelets are used in PRP therapy since they contain high amounts of bioactive proteins and various growth factor proponents that promote repair of damaged tissue and wound healing. To get the desired sample needed for PRP injection, the first step is to extract a patient’s peripheral blood and preserve it with an anticoagulant like sodium citrate.
The blood sample will then go through the process of centrifugation. Through PRP centrifugation, the platelets will be separated from other blood cell and stem cell components. Ideally, this procedure will stratify the blood into three layers:
- The bottom layer contains the red blood cells since they have the heaviest density.
- The middle layer produces a visible thin layer that is yellow to white in color. In this layer, the platelets are suspended together with some amount of leukocyte cells and it also has the highest concentration of platelets.
- The topmost layer contains the platelet poor plasma which has low platelet concentrate and is not recommended for use for PRP treatment.
Depending on the type of kit that your practice will use, the blood can be stratified using three separation methods namely: gel separator (trapping the platelets in a gel layer separated from other blood components), buffy coat, and buffy coat with double spin (the added centrifugation helps achieve total isolation of the autologous platelet rich plasma that is easily extracted from the red blood cells).
Learn more: What Are the Different Types of PRP Therapy?
What You Should Look For In A PRP System
There’s a plethora of brands offering PRP centrifuge kits such as ProSys PRP, Eclipse PRP, and Dr PRP among others. Each kit has a host of unique features that makes them differ from one another and it may be a challenge to identify which system will work best to cater to the practices’ needs.
When choosing a PRP device, it’s important to consider different factors like efficiency of use, capacity to produce potent platelet concentrate, and a closed system that protects against contaminants.
1. Easy-to-use and saves time for the PRP preparation
It’s a must to consider the efficiency of use of the PRP device. Some kits offer an all-in-one package that already has the tools and components needed for each of the procedure of the PRP injection preparation. Having a proper PRP kit also helps streamline the whole process from extraction, centrifugation, and platelet activation.
Other features that may determine the proficiency of the system is the time and speed at which it can centrifuge the blood. Higher speeds can not only decrease the preparation time but also produce autologous PRP sample outputs with the ideal concentration.
2. Yields consistent results and complete separation of platelets
An ideal PRP device must be able to consistently provide a high level of platelet concentration. Look for a kit with low red blood cell count since the final PRP product should not contain any other component than the platelets and its growth factors. The kit must also make it easy to separate the platelet rich plasma from the RBCs.
The platelet output must also pass a certain threshold of growth factor to ensure its effectiveness. In these cases, enzyme activators like thrombin and calcium are needed to facilitate release of growth factors and start the healing.
3. Closed system to ensure safety from contamination
Another way to ensure the clinical effectiveness of the PRP treatment is to maintain the quality and purity of the platelet rich plasma sample. When the final PRP product is exposed to contaminants like bacteria and viruses, it is likely to lose its efficacy and diminish its results. This can be avoided by making sure that the test tube is properly sealed or getting a system with a hood to act as a cover when the buffy coat is being extracted.
Learn more: What Is Included in a PRP Kit?
PRP for Hair Regrowth and Skin Rejuvenation
Once a practice gets a grasp of the PRP preparation and properly sets up a standard centrifugation process, they can expand their clientele and services to offer PRP treatment. This therapy is steadily gaining traction for solving the hair loss problem for women and androgenetic alopecia in men.
A PRP injection to the affected scalp area can help awaken the cells in the hair follicle and stimulate new hair growth. It also improves hair density and restores hair thickness to cover any bald or thinning spots. The growth factor in PRP will promote formation of new collagen which is essential to maintain healthy and strong hair.
Likewise, PRP can provide benefits for skin treatment such as minimizing appearance of wrinkles, erasing wound and acne scars, and under eye circles and sunken hollows. Its collagen-inducing effect can also help enhance skin texture and bring back a bright and radiant skin complexion.
Is There An Alternative to Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy?
PEP Factor products are a practical option that doesn’t require too much bloodwork and injections but still provide desirable results that may be comparable to PRP therapy. These products are an outcome of continuous cosmetic innovation and they are ultimately made up of a proprietary combination of bioidentical proteins and fibroblast growth factors.
PEP Factor for scalp rejuvenation utilizes a unique formulation of fibroblast and copper peptides that can help hair restoration. When applied to the scalp area, the formulation can influence collagen production which may revitalize hair follicles to grow stronger hair. Like PRP, PEP Factor products can provide a temporary solution to manage hair thinning.
On the other hand, PEP Factor products that are paired with hyaluronic acid can be beneficial for skin rejuvenation. The nutrients and growth factor compounds can improve skin hydration to keep it plump, soft, and smooth. It may also visibly reduce the appearance of acne scars and wounds by increasing production of natural skin proteins.
Shop PEP Factor Products and Other Medical Tools at FACE Medical Supply
The success of PRP injections are highly dependent on the concentration of the platelets that is produced from the centrifugation. That is why equipping the clinic with the proper PRP kit is essential to the preparation process since the best kits can guarantee a usable concentrated final platelet product.
FACE Medical Supply is dedicated to offering a wide range of quality medical tools for PRP treatments and other cosmetic and wellness services. We also strive to promote excellence in the industry by providing the latest innovative products like PEP Factor so aesthetic practices can continue to service patients with the best treatment possible. Call us to inquire more about our available stock and prices.