Research has found exciting new uses for platelet-rich plasma (PRP), not the least of which is wound healing after surgery.
How Does PRP Promote Healing?
PRP treatment is used to promote faster wound healing with better outcomes by stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. PRP contains a high concentration of platelets. Platelets contain a large reservoir of growth factors – substances required for the stimulation of growth in living cells.
Growth factors and special proteins contained in PRP can enhance tissue recovery, bone regeneration and healing, formation of new blood vessels, connective tissue repair, and wound healing. There is virtually no chance of rejection, as the substance used in PRP therapy is taken from the patient’s own body, and is a perfect match.
PRP helps the body heal itself at an accelerated rate. Platelets play a crucial role in the formation of blood clots and release growth factors into surgical wounds. Growth factors contained in platelet-rich plasma include:
- PDGF (platelet-derived growth factors)
- TGF (transforming growth factor beta)
- ILGF (insulin-like growth factor)
These growth factors help the body repair itself by stimulating stem cells to generate new tissue. The more growth factors released in the wound, the more stem cells are stimulated, and the faster healing occurs.