Last summer, I slipped into my favorite bikini and noticed thread like grooves crawling up my hips, wrapping around my sides, introducing themselves in areas they were very unwelcome. I remember my stomach sank and I felt hopeless – coming to terms with the permanence of my new uninvited friends. I never thought I’d have to deal with stretch marks as an active, healthy, 22 year old, female.

It wasn’t till I had a consultation with the amazing team at Novopelle Med Spa in Austin, that I learned my stretch marks could be treated. This blog post is about my experience with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) at Novopelle Med Spa, to treat the stretch marks I acquired.

About Novopelle

Novopelle offers services like wellness, anti-aging, weight loss and laser hair removal I adore the friendly staff, they treat you like a close friend every time, and really listen to your needs. I can say that the spa was clean, the staff was friendly and knowledgable, and I felt very comfortable.

The first consultation is also free!

What causes stretch marks?

Stretch marks are caused by the stretching and tearing of the dermis, or outmost layer of skin. They can be caused by hormonal changes, weight gain, or pregnancy. The elasticity of your skin also plays a big role, and sometimes you can’t control your body.

What is PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma)?

PRP is the process of using your body’s own platelets (found in your blood), and injecting these platelets into the area that needs regeneration.

PRP microneedling is nothing but swapping Vitamin C that’s used in traditional microneedling with Platelet-Rich Plasma. This is traditionally called plasma facial – due to the fact that you’re essentially spreading blood components over scars or stretch marks. This is a particularly effective treatment. But it can provide even better results for stretch marks (probably the most effective treatment for stretch marks.)

How does Microneedling work?

The concept of micro-needling is based upon the skin’s ability to naturally repair itself when injured. Immediately following an injury, our skin begins the process of dissolving tissue damage and replacing it with new cells. Micro-needling allows for controlled induction of the skin’s self-repair process by creating precise, micro-injuries in the skin, which automatically trigger new collagen synthesis without causing scar tissue formation. The repair process of your skin is accelerated by Micro-Needling through the creation of microscopic channels, which also allow products to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin resulting in better and faster results.

Novopelle_before_LR

My Experience with PRP Treatment

First Teresa, the aesthetician, cleaned the areas where I had stretch marks and applied a topical numbing cream that sit for 20 minutes. After that, it was time for Teresa to take a small amount of blood from my arm. It was quick and painless. Once my blood was drawn it was spun in a centrifuge at a fast rate to separate the highly concentrated platelets from the red blood cells. While I waited for the centrifuge to work its magic I chatted with Teresa about the benefits of this procedure. PRP honestly sounded too good to be true and at first, I was skeptical.

One of the reasons the PRP is so popular is because it works miracles on acne scars and stretch marks. It also increases skin’s elasticity, fights wrinkles by stimulating collagen, and has NO side effects. How does it work? When platelet-rich plasma is applied before and after microneedling it releases at least eight essential growth factors and proteins into the skin. These repair tissue, promote growth of new tissue, and boost healthy cell production.

With the areas on my hips completely numb and the platelet-rich plasma ready to go, I hopped onto the table. Teresa explained that she would adjust the pen to penetrate my skin anywhere from .5 mm to 2 mm deep depending on the area.

First, plasma was applied to the numbed areas, like a serum. Once the microneedling pen was turned on and in full swing, I was surprised at the feeling. I’m not going to say it was painless, but not excruciating by any means. I assume it would feel almost like getting a tattoo.

Teresa kindly warned me when it was time to needle my not-so-fatty areas because those are the spots that made me flinch. In between microneedling different sections of my sides and bottom, Theresa continuously applied more plasma. Since the “serum” came from my own body it felt extremely soothing to the touch. I imagined an extremely gruesome scene from a horror film (or Kim Kardashian’s instagram after she received PRP), but when I turned around to take a peak, there was barely any blood. The treatment took about 45 min and I was out of there! I could sit and walk just like normal, but as the skin healed for the next couple of days, my skin was pretty red and irritated.

It takes four to six weeks to see the treatment’s full results (collagen takes a bit of time to grow), but I can assure you that I saw benefits almost immediately! IT WAS INSANE!  Trust me, you won’t question whether or not this treatment is effective.

I just finished my third treatment yesterday. With each treatment, the intensity of my stretch marks decreases and my skin gets smoother. I still have three more treatments and at this point, you have to really focus to find the once prominent stretch mark lines.

So now you know the truth about this much-talked about treatment. Thinking of trying it out for yourself? Let me know if you have any questions and I would love to help out!