At the Austin Love Doctor™, we treat patients every day with our advanced platelet-rich plasma (PRP) services.
We use this powerful substance to treat everything from acne scars and skin discoloration to erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, hair loss, and more.
Keep reading to learn more about platelet-rich plasma and how one of our many PRP services in Austin may be able to help you!
What is PRP?
Do you remember scraping your knee as a young child? Did your mother ever tell you not to pick your scab, but you did anyway because you were curious what was hidden beneath? Yeah—us, too.
That yellow goo under a scab is called platelet-rich plasma, also known as PRP. It’s full of growth factors and other goodies that recruit stem cells, such that a week or two after you skinned your knee, it was usually fully healed: no scar, normal color, normal sensation, normal hair follicles, etc. It was as though it never happened.
With roots in orthopedic injuries and dentistry, PRP has been safely used for over 10 years. In fact, when Dr. Porter had gum grafting a few years ago, the periodontist used PRP to speed healing and enhance results. It’s also been used in veterinary medicine to help heal racehorses when they are injured. And with thousands of studies published, there have been no serious adverse events from its use. Sounds magical, right? It is!
We use PRP in several procedures in our Austin office. Dr. Porter is an expert in PRP and the only physician offering PRP services in Austin certified by Dr. Charles Runels, inventor of the Vampire Facial®, Vampire Facelift®, O-Shot®, and Priapus Shot® to teach the procedures to other physicians.
What happens during an appointment for PRP services in Austin?
Below we discuss what you can expect when you come into Austin Love Doctor for PRP services in Austin.
First, it is important to sign informed consent so that you are fully informed about your procedure and its potential consequences. Since PRP is sourced from a person’s own blood, it is not regulated by the FDA, meaning physicians can use it in any way that they see fit.
That’s because the FDA does not approve procedures, only drugs and devices. After you sign a consent form, we have you sign your name to several labels that we use as a nametag for you and to label your blood.
Next, our licensed phlebotomist will draw 1 or 2 vials of blood, usually from your arm, just as you would check your cholesterol. Your blood is drawn into FDA-cleared tubes that contain a chemical to prevent clotting, as well as a gel inside that helps separate the plasma from the rest of the blood.
The blood is labeled in front of you, placed in a centrifuge, and processed for 5 to 10 minutes. During the spinning, the red blood cells (heavier) fall to the bottom of the tube, the gel stays in the center, and the plasma lies on top of the gel. Platelets (clotting cells) rest at the bottom of the plasma, on top of the gel, in what we call the “buffy coat.”
After it is processed, both the physician and the patient verify the name on the blood matches the patient’s nametag so we can be sure we are giving the patient their own blood back, and no one else’s. At this point, the platelet-poor plasma is at the top of the tube. A small amount of the platelet-poor plasma is drawn off and discarded, thus concentrating the platelets inside the plasma.
The tubes are inverted, re-suspending the platelets in the plasma. The plasma is then drawn up into a syringe and is ready to be used.
For what treatments do you offer PRP services in Austin?
Applications of our PRP services in Austin vary greatly and can help men and women across Texas feel better than ever! We detail a few of these applications below.
Vampire Facial®
Made famous by Kim Kardashian, a Vampire Facial treatment involves the use of the SkinPen®, the first FDA-cleared microneedling device in the U.S.,combined with PRP to rejuvenate the skin.
SkinPen® uses 14 tiny needles moving at 7,000 RPM to create 1600 channels per second in the epidermis and dermis of the skin. These micro-injuries stimulate fibroblasts the skin to produce more collagen, plumping the skin.
When PRP is applied topically and microneedled deep into the channels during a Vampire Facial, results are enhanced and downtime is reduced significantly.
Vampire Facials can get closer to sensitive areas than most lasers. So while it is an overall rejuvenating treatment to improve skin texture, tone, wrinkles, and enhance collagen, it is especially effective at treating acne scarring and fine lines around the eyes.
The Vampire Facial is a year-round treatment that doesn’t take summers off. There are no restrictions on sun exposure or skin color, making it a safe and effective treatment for everyone!
Vampire Facelift®
The Vampire Facelift is a procedure that combines dermal fillers and PRP to enhance the shape of the brow (in women), cheeks, nasolabial folds, and downturned corners of the mouth.
During a Vampire Facelift at Austin Love Doctor, we first numb the skin with a strong topical numbing cream, then thoroughly clean and disinfect the area with an antibacterial agent. Small quantities of the filler is injected into precise areas using a tiny needle to create an outward and upward projection of the face (lift) and to soften lines. Next, PRP is layered over the dermal filler to create a lasting result. The addition of the PRP can help lighten dark skin under tear troughs and give the skin an overall glow.
Results of this PRP service in Austin depend on how an individual metabolizes filler and can range from 6 months to years.
Vampire Hair Regrowth® (PRP Hair Restoration)
Another application we offer in our scope of PRP services in Austin specifically addresses hair loss. Androgenic alopecia (pattern hair loss) is a very common condition that can be stressful for both men and women. It is often genetic but can be exacerbated by factors like stress, nutrient deficiencies, thyroid disease, illness, and more.
PRP Hair Restoration is a great non-surgical option for men and women of all ages who suffer from thinning hair due to androgenic alopecia. We offer this PRP service in Austin to a variety of patients suffering from pattern hair loss.
During PRP Hair Restoration, we draw 2 vials of PRP in the office, concentrate the platelets, then inject them into areas of hair loss in the scalp using a cooling device to numb the skin.
The process is repeated monthly for 3 to 4 months, then the follicles are rested for a 3-month period. Men and women can expect to see about 60 to 75% of the hair they’ve lost in the past 3 to 5 years grow back over a 6-month period. Results are best maintained with 1 to 2 sessions per year.
Vampire Breastlift®
The next application we offer as part of our PRP services in Austin is to lift and smooth breast tissue.
This treatment, known as the Vampire Breastlift, is a natural way to enhance cleavage. While it is not a substitute for surgical breast augmentation, a Vampire (PRP) Breastlift can add fullness to the central breast area and lift breast tissue from below. This helps create the illusion that you’re wearing a bra, even when you’re not!
If you’ve already had a surgical breast augmentation and are left with irregularities such as rippling or waves in the skin, the addition of dermal filler to PRP can smooth out these abnormalities. If breast implants or breastfeeding left you with decreased nipple sensation, the Vampire Breastlift can help restore that as well.
Vampire Winglift®
As women age, lose weight or have a decrease in estrogen due to menopause, their genitals can change as well.
A woman’s vulva (the outer part of what is commonly, erroneously referred to as her “vagina”) consists of the labia majora (outer lips), labia minora (inner lips), and the clitoris.
Common changes to the vulva over time can include volume loss, darkening of the skin, and decreased sensation. This loss of volume can mean that the Labia may not respond to touch the same way as they had before the change.
Luckily, our PRP services in Austin can help address these intimate issues.
The Vampire Winglift uses a combination of PRP and dermal filler to restore volume, sensation, and blood flow to labia. This results in previously dusky or grey labia to return to a healthier pink color.
O-Shot®
For every woman who’s ever sat out for jumping jacks at Cross Fit or prayed while sneezing, the O-Shot was made for you! The O-Shot is another treatment in our “PRP Services” toolbox. It’s a non-surgical way to treat the embarrassing issue of stress urinary incontinence.
In a painless 5-minute procedure using only your own blood spun into PRP, the O-Shot can stop pesky stress urinary incontinence by supporting the area under the urethra that gets weakened with childbirth and aging.
The O-Shot is also a great treatment for those suffering from vaginal dryness, whether that’s caused by lifestyle, genetics, stress, post-menopause, or cancer.
It works by regenerating the cells that produce lubrication and is a great alternative for women who cannot receive estrogen hormone therapy.
Now for the fun part. The O-Shot also enhances clitoral stimulation and orgasm. What’s not to love? The O-Shot is one of our go-to treatments for patients suffering from vaginal dryness, stress urinary incontinence, lichen sclerosus, interstitial cystitis, painful intercourse (including from tears or episiotomies in childbirth), and many other conditions.
And don’t stress about pain during the treatment. Our potent numbing cream, along with other advanced techniques we use when treating patients with PRP services in Austin at Austin Love Doctor, give the procedure an average pain score of 0-1 out of 10—less than Botox!
Priapus Shot®
For men suffering from erectile dysfunction, the Priapus Shot is another PRP service, one that offers a drug-free alternative to enhance penile function through stronger erections and enhanced sensation.
Using a topical numbing cream and nerve block, PRP is injected into erectile tissue to stimulate the growth of blood vessels and nerves. Results are augmented by at-home use of a vacuum erectile device to help strengthen muscles in the veins and arteries of the penis, allowing for greater blood flow and decreased venous leak.
The Priapus Shot is also an excellent treatment to help with Peyronie’s disease, a condition affecting 3% to 9% of men over fifty years of age. This disease is characterized by a noticeable bend in the penis that can become so severe it impairs function.
Come to the Austin Love Doctor™ for PRP services in Austin!
If you are ready to experience everything that the power of platelet-rich plasma can do for your body, do not hesitate to come to the Austin Love Doctor today.
Together, we will create a custom treatment plan that utilizes PRP services and other treatments that work best for your lifestyle.
Take our candidacy test or contact us to get started!
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