Have you heard of PRP? If the answer is no, you’re not alone. Just about every single person I mention this acronym to seems to draw a blank – and I’ve been talking about it incessantly since trying it for the first time back in November. You may, however, have heard of the vampire facial, which combines PRP (platelet-rich plasma) with microneedling. Forget that infamous 2019 selfie of Kim Kardashian, PRP treatments are not actually a bloodbath.
Within the aesthetic treatment arena, PRP remains far less known – and far less frequently administered – than injectables such as Botox, which, according to beauty and wellness booking platform Fresha, still accounts for around 1.5 million searches a month in the UK, or dermal filler.
Though PRP remains relatively under the radar, it’s the only regenerative treatment that both Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner confess to having regularly – as detailed to Owen Thiele during their respective appearances on his YouTube series, In Your Dreams.
“It’s when they take your blood from your arm, and they spin it,” Bieber explained. “I love doing PRP with microneedling.” The Rhode founder reveals that she has the substance injected into her smile lines and under-eye area – a process she “trusts” because it’s derived from her own body and is therefore biomimetic. Jenner, meanwhile, has “been doing that for a long time because of my acne scars”. As for me? Well, I’ve had it all over my face and scalp – and the results have been significant. Namely, a transformation in the appearance of my dark circles, clearer skin generally, and faster healing of post-blemish redness. I’m yet to see a huge change in my hair density, but this requires more treatments and at least three months (the length of the hair cycle) to see results.
“Many people are moving away from frequent Botox and filler treatments and are increasingly interested in regenerative approaches that improve skin and hair quality over time, rather than altering facial structure,” explains Korean dermatologist Dr Jinah Yoo. “PRP has existed for decades, but how we use PRP today in Korea has evolved, which is why it’s popular again. We often use it for a regenerative approach.”
Like the aforementioned models, I was drawn to PRP for its “natural” credentials. I want my face to move, but I also want to have a rejuvenated, line-free appearance. I have acne-prone skin, and as I turned 30 this year, my focus is on preventative rejuvenation to calm inflammation early, rather than as a corrective treatment to address pronounced lines. Yet while Dr Yoo details that “outcomes are strongest when treatments are started early, before significant tissue degeneration occurs”, PRP is still promising when introduced later.
“For facial rejuvenation, PRP can improve skin quality at a cellular level,” says Dr Yoo. “Patients typically notice better texture, elasticity, hydration and overall skin vitality.” When it comes to the head, she adds, “PRP can create a more supportive follicular environment. By increasing growth factor and exosome activity, it can help prolong the growth phase of hair, reduce shedding, and improve hair calibre.”
It’s important to say that choosing to age without any injectables is, of course, entirely valid. Equally, so is opting to support skin quality and take preventative measures. Aesthetic treatments should not be met with judgment or pressure. My interest in PRP is personal – driven by my desire to heal my acne scarring and prevent wrinkles from becoming deep set – but also professional. The treatment sits within a wider shift in aesthetics – particularly evident in South Korea, where advanced medical technologies and innovation have reshaped how regenerative treatments are approached – Dr Yoo tells me that PRP is now considered “mainstream” there.
The level of popularity has only come after advancement in PRP’s preparation and delivery, which cosmetic physician Dr Sach Mohan says was long overdue. “PRP had relatively little innovation in the last 12 years,” he says. “Most of the reagents that are used to prepare PRP are the same reagents used in NHS labs to prepare bloods.” Unsurprisingly, this had limitations.
“Earlier PRP techniques were relatively crude,” Dr Yoo agrees. “Results were variable, protocols differed widely, and patients often required many sessions to see subtle improvement, which limited enthusiasm. Next-generation PRP systems can significantly enhance growth factor and exosome activity, making results more consistent and reducing the need for repeated treatments. This combination of improved technology and a broader shift toward natural, biology-led anti-ageing has driven renewed interest in PRP, particularly in Korea.”
So how does PRP actually work? Dr Mohan explains: “Your blood consists of a few components: white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and plasma. Within the plasma, platelets carry growth factors. You have fibrin, which is the little meshwork that you see when a scab forms after injuring yourself, along with various circulating proteins, nutrients and signalling molecules.”
To prepare PRP for injection, blood is placed in a centrifuge, which separates the components. The heavier red blood cells settle at the bottom of the tube, while the platelet-rich plasma is extracted from the top layer. The plasma may then be activated with a reagent to initiate platelet activation and growth-factor release. Some protocols skip this step, relying instead on the platelets activating naturally once injected in the tissue; others use activation to influence the timing and structure of that release.
At his Revere Clinics, Dr Mohan uses a specialised and personalised P5 protocol, beginning with a pico laser to slightly traumatise the skin so it responds better (like microneedling), then combining PRP with biologically derived substances like cell-renewing polynucleotides, fine-line-fighting peptides, and high concentrations of hyaluronic acid. He considers this approach more effective than earlier generations of PRP — evolution one being the use of sodium citrate as an anticoagulant, which Dr Mohan believes may reduce growth-factor availability, or evolution two – adding HA, which dilutes the plasma. “I’ve taken all of the disadvantages of PRP to create a more refined plasma delivery system,” he explains. “And I do it with Mother Nature. I use natural ingredients that support growth-factor release.”
Further innovation will certainly arrive from South Korea. “In recent years, Korean clinical practices have focused on optimising PRP biologically, not just concentrating platelets,” says Dr Yoo. “This has led to more advanced systems that actively enhance growth factor activity and regenerative signalling, which has renewed both clinical interest and patient demand.”
She continues that while enthusiasm about PRP being autologous and natural was tempered by variable results, confidence has been renewed. “Patients are now more willing to invest in PRP again, because outcomes are clearer, downtime is minimal, and treatments align with a growing preference for regenerative, biology-driven anti-ageing rather than purely cosmetic correction.”
While Dr Mohan is working on an improved activated agent to protect the growth factors, in Korea, it’s from controlling the biological environment that they are seeing greater consistency. “In advanced systems such as MCT-based PRP, specific wavelengths of light and controlled temperature are used to activate platelets more effectively. By standardising these parameters, clinics can achieve much more predictable and reproducible results compared to traditional centrifugation-only methods.”
Whether this technique will entirely transform the anti-ageing market and actually dethrone Botox or fillers remains to be seen. Dr Mohan believes fillers are less central to his practice, whereas both he and Dr Yoo agree that Botox can work in harmony with PRP. “Advanced PRP represents a shift towards regenerative and preventative aesthetics,” Dr Yoo notes. “Unlike Botox, which relaxes muscles, or fillers, which restore volume, PRP is designed to improve tissue quality and resilience. Rather than replacing injectables, it complements them. I see advanced PRP as part of a broader move away from purely corrective treatments toward supporting the skin’s own biology, which increasingly resonates with patients seeking natural, long-term anti-ageing strategies.”