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PRP

Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center

Cosmetic Plastic Surgeons located in Pasadena, CA

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is one of the many complex aspects of regenerative medicine. Though initially used to heal sports injuries, PRP is now included with many aesthetic treatments to enhance their results. Gordon Sasaki, MD, FACS, at Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center in Pasadena, California, was one of the first cosmetic plastic surgeons to study PRP. He uses regenerative therapies for many cosmetic treatments, including micro-needling and hair restoration. To learn more about PRP and how it can enhance your look, call the Los Angeles area office, or book an appointment online today.

PRP Q & A

What is platelet-rich plasma (PRP)?

PRP is a form of regenerative medicine, which is an area of medical care focused on healing your body, rather than treating symptoms. It’s a blood product that contains a high concentration of your body’s natural healing powers, including:

  • Platelets
  • Growth factors
  • Specialized cells

At Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center, Dr. Sasaki creates PRP from a sample of your own blood and uses it to enhance your aesthetic treatments. 

What are secretomes?

Secretomes are part of your body’s cellular communication system. They're a lipid vesicle filled with specialized proteins and genetic information. 

Your cells release secretomes to nearby and distant cells to provide the proteins and information they need to repair or replicate. 

As some of the many complex aspects of regenerative medicine, the use of cells (Platelet-rich plasma) or cell-free growth factors (secretomes) are currently under intense investigation and limited controlled use under Institutional Review Board (IRB) and FDA auspices.  

As one of the Founding Members and Vice-President-Elect of the Aesthetic Stem Cell Society, Dr. Sasaki and others had the privilege of presenting their findings at the FDA's request on the topics of safety, efficacy, education, and regulation on the stem and stem-like properties of these entities.  

Under federal regulations, PRP and secretomes were initially used to study wound healing problems. Dr. Sasaki and other academic plastic surgeons in the world have begun investigations on the safety and efficacy of PRP and secretomes under IRB protocols in the areas of wound healing and aesthetic treatments.  

After seven years of clinical research as a consultant and investigator, Dr. Sasaki published his results in the areas of skin rejuvenation, fat graft retention, and hair stimulation. 

To further the advancements in this field, Dr. Sasaki adheres to the strict guidelines of the FDA and state regulations for the safety of his patients, providing them with realistic expectations without over-promising results.

What cosmetic treatments benefit from PRP and secretomes?

Dr. Sasaki uses PRP for many aesthetic purposes. Some of the PRP therapies offered at Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center include:

Micro-needling with PRP and secretomes

Micro-needling is a cosmetic treatment that uses a special tool that creates tiny puncture wounds on the surface of your skin. The punctures simulate an injury, which triggers your skin’s natural healing process and increases your body’s collagen and elastin production.

Collagen and elastin are structural proteins responsible for your youthful skin’s strength, thickness, and resilience. 

Dr. Sasaki’s findings suggest that micro-needling with or without radiofrequency serves as the optimal vehicle for delivering PRP or secretomes into your skin to enhance the healing effects of this aesthetic treatment. The safety and efficacy of these combined procedures are under investigative usage.

Hair stimulation

Dr. Sasaki uses PRP or secretomes to stimulate hair growth by reactivating your dormant hair follicles to resume the hair growth cycle after direct injection into the scalp with micro-needling.  These treatments are under IRB and FDA guideline protocols to ensure your safety and realistic outcomes.


 

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Secretomes

All cells normally secrete vesicles that contain their molecular messengers (growth factors, cytokines, RNAs) which influence the behavior of adjacent cells by regulating cellular proliferation, blood flow, immunomodulation, and inflammatory processes. In recent years, increasing attention has focused on the roles of extracellular vesicles in promoting normal physiological balance and regenerative repair. Secretomes are derived from stem cells in bone marrow, adipose tissue, placental tissue, and umbilical cord jelly, under strict regulatory guidelines and full compliancy of the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

In 2022, Dr. Sasaki published one of the first Investigational Review Board studies on the application of secretomes, as an alternative method, for hair loss. Moreover, the innovative topical application of these cell-free bioactive molecules are under study to alter the effects of microdermabrasion, microneedling, and laser-resurfacing when they are used to improve the signs of aging skin.

As President-elect of the Aesthetic Stem Cell Society, Dr. Sasaki is a recognized leader in stem cell research of adipose regenerative cells, platelet-rich plasma, and secretomes. Dr. Sasaki has published over 15 manuscripts on these ground-breaking applications based on Investigational Research Board oversight for patient safety and efficacy.

 

To schedule a consultation with the nationally and internationally known cosmetic plastic surgeon to learn more about PRP and secretomes and how they can potentially help you, contact Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center by phone or online today.