PRP face rejuvenation
Your own platelets, concentrated and delivered into microneedling channels while they are still open. It improves the quality of your skin. It does not lift it, fill it or clear pigment, and knowing that is most of choosing it.
Medically reviewed by Lindsay Short, NP-BC, Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner · last reviewed September 2026
What it improves, and what it cannot
| Concern | Does PRP help? | What actually addresses it |
|---|---|---|
| Rough texture, dullness | Yes, this is its best case | PRP with microneedling |
| Fine lines, early crepiness | Yes | A course of three |
| Shallow acne scarring | Yes, gradually | PRP with microneedling, several sessions |
| Loose skin along the jaw | No | Skin tightening |
| Hollow cheeks or temples | No | Filler, or a collagen stimulator |
| Brown spots, sun damage | No | IPL or resurfacing |
The three no rows are where disappointment comes from, and they are usually the reason someone concluded PRP was overhyped. It was doing its job on a problem it was never able to address.
Why the pairing with microneedling matters
The two treatments do different halves of one thing, which is why they are so often combined.
Microneedling creates the injury. Controlled micro-channels trigger the wound-healing response that produces new collagen. On its own it works.
PRP concentrates the signal. Platelets carry the growth factors that direct repair. Delivered into open channels, they reach the layer where the collagen response is happening rather than sitting on the surface.
Applied to intact skin, PRP largely stays on top of it. The channels are what make the plasma worth applying, and the plasma is what makes the needling do more. That is the whole argument for the combination, and it is why we quote them together.
Preparation is most of the treatment
PRP is described as though the draw and the application were the procedure, which makes every clinic sound identical. What separates one result from another happens to the blood in between, and none of it is visible to you.
- The variable
- Platelet concentration relative to whole blood
- What decides it
- Spin protocol, separation system, how the layer is drawn
- The failure mode
- A weak sample that is barely concentrated at all
- What that looks like
- "PRP did nothing for me"
Timing matters too. Platelets begin degrading once separated, so the sample is prepared and used within a short window in the same visit rather than held. It is also why we ask you to arrive hydrated and to avoid anti-inflammatories beforehand: both measurably affect what we can draw and how it behaves.
The week after, and the course
First 24 hours
Red and warm, like a moderate sunburn, sometimes with pinpoint scabbing. No makeup, no washing beyond gentle cleansing. The channels are open and the point of day one is keeping them clean.
Days two to five
Redness settles and the skin may flake lightly. No retinoids, acids or exfoliants. A plain moisturizer and sun protection is the whole routine, and going back to your normal actives early is the most common self-inflicted problem.
Weeks two to four
The glow people describe. This is real and it is not yet the collagen result.
Three sessions, then judge
Four to six weeks apart, because that is how long the collagen response takes to run. The course is assessed at the end against the photographs from visit one, not between sessions.
Avoid anti-inflammatories for several days either side unless a doctor has told you otherwise. They blunt the same inflammatory repair response the treatment exists to trigger. Paracetamol is fine.
Book your free consultationAnswers before you book
What is a vampire facial?
Microneedling followed by your own platelet-rich plasma applied into the channels the needling opens. The needling creates a controlled injury that triggers collagen production; the plasma delivers concentrated growth factors into that injury while it is still open. The name is marketing. The mechanism is real.
Is PRP alone worth it, or does it need microneedling?
PRP is injected on its own for specific concerns and works. Paired with microneedling it reaches far more of the face at once, which is why the combination is the more common request. If you are choosing one, microneedling with PRP does more for general texture and tone than PRP injections alone.
What does it actually improve?
Texture, fine lines, early crepiness, tone and the appearance of shallow acne scarring. It works on skin quality rather than on shape or volume. Expect the skin to look better rather than to look different.
What will it not do?
It will not lift loose skin, replace lost volume, or clear pigment. Sagging is laxity and needs skin tightening. Hollow cheeks or temples need filler or a collagen stimulator. Brown spots need light-based treatment. A clinic offering PRP for all of those is overselling it.
How many sessions?
Three, spaced four to six weeks apart, is the usual starting course, then maintenance once or twice a year. One session produces a glow that fades; the course is what produces the collagen change. We quote the course rather than a single session for that reason.
Why does preparation matter so much?
Platelet concentration is the variable that decides whether this works. A poorly spun sample can be barely more concentrated than the blood it came from, which is the most likely explanation when someone says PRP did nothing for them. Spin protocol and how carefully the platelet layer is drawn off are invisible to you in the room and they decide your result.
What is the downtime?
Redness like a moderate sunburn for one to two days, sometimes with pinpoint scabbing. Makeup goes back on after about 24 hours. No retinoids, acids or exfoliants for five days, and daily sun protection from then on. Book at least a week before an event.
Is it safe if I have had filler?
Yes, and the sequence matters. We would not needle directly over filler placed within the last two weeks. Beyond that there is no conflict, and the two are commonly used together because they address different things: filler restores volume, PRP improves the quality of the skin over it.
Skin quality, not skin shape
A free consultation establishes whether what bothers you is texture, laxity, volume or pigment. Only the first responds well to this, and the others each have a better answer.