Latest breakthroughs in the world of science allow the medical fraternity to treat patients with problems of wound and tissue healing in more effective and exciting ways. One of the most popular treatments these days for the medical condition mentioned above is PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma therapy. This treatment procedure is not only natural but also autologous as well. That is the treatment involves the blood and the flesh from a patient’s own body to facilitate healing. This modern treatment approach proves effective for certain parts of the body, including the scalp and the skin. It also responds well to hair stimulation.
Medical practitioners in London, who provide this treatment, describe PRP as a nonsurgical and safe procedure.
The Treatment Procedure
Although blood is considered to be liquid but actually, it is a combination of a liquid part or the plasma and some small solid components like the red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and platelets. The platelets contain hundreds of protein particles, which are called growth factors. These growth factors have exceptional healing capacity.
PRP treatment in London involves using of the plasma with a large number of platelets in it. Because of high concentration of platelets in the plasma, there is also a high concentration of growth factors in it. This concentration can be as high as 5 to 10 times as the normal platelet concentration in the blood.
A PRP preparation needs to be developed carefully. As the first step, blood is drawn from a patient. Then, the platelets are separated from the other components present in the extracted blood. In the next step, platelets concentration is multiplied through a process called centrifugation. Then the increased concentration of platelets is carefully combined with the remaining blood.
The Way PRP Works
Studies conducted in laboratories have confirmed that the increased concentration of growth factors in PRP acts as the key to speed up the healing process. However, its in-depth mechanism is still being studied. Treatment for PRP in London involves injecting the preparation obtained through centrifugation into the place of an injury.
Usually, the preparation is injected at an injury site. But in special cases, it may also be stitched into the injury site following a surgical procedure. Medical experts decide on which of the approaches to follow in pushing the PRP preparation into a patient to facilitate faster recovery.
Related Factors
Rate of success in PRP treatment depends on certain factors. These are:
- The area of a patient’s body being treated
- The overall health of the patient and
- Whether the injury is acute (such as from a fall) or chronic (an injury developing over time)
The cost of PRP treatment is another factor to consider. The price of the treatment is not reasonable and moreover, as the therapy is still in experimental stages, it is hard to get medical coverage in most cases.
However, the results of the modern therapy have been positive so far. A lot of sports celebrities have undergone this treatment and have been benefitted from it.