i-PRF (Autologous Growth Factors)

Injectable Platelet-Rich Fibrin or (i-PRF) is a unique rejuvenation technique that uses the patient’s own blood plasma, enriched with:

• platelets (a source of healing proteins and growth factors)
• fibrin (the wound healing and regeneration matrix)
• stem cells (the body’s own healing generators and the regenerative “orchestra” of healing and regeneration molecules)

This product is injected, leading to the activation of the accelerated healing and regeneration process. As a result, the body’s powerful regenerative properties are concentrated and fixed on the area in question.

iPRF intensifies cell function and reproduction, having a gentle, gradual, but long-lasting and cumulative effect.

Of course, i-PRF results are even more impressive when included in a treatment plan with hyaluronic acid fillers, wrinkle relaxation treatments, and other skin treatments. There is almost no recovery period; this treatment, performed in the clinic, can be used for skin and hair rejuvenation, as well as for treating problematic melasma and acne scars.

One of the newest applications of i-PRF is for hair loss treatment. It is used to reverse hair loss in men and women as part of a multi-stage treatment of the scalp, which is done under local anesthesia. It appears to “reset” hair follicles and reduce the impact of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in those with Androgenetic Alopecia (pattern hair loss), and there is also increasing evidence that i-PRF is the new “gold standard” for Alopecia Areata.

• New tissues are formed with fibroblasts, collagen, and elastin
• Skin and complexion elasticity is improved
• Pigmentation is reduced

Both PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) are growth factor treatments derived from platelets that are extracted by centrifugation. PRF differs from PRP in that no anticoagulant (blood thinner) is added during centrifugation.

The different technical detail between PRP and i-PRF:

“Avoiding coagulation is physiological and is achieved by negatively charging the collection tube to mimic the conditions inside our blood vessels (their lining is negatively charged), which prevents fibrin from creating a clot inside them, thus obtaining injectable platelet-rich fibrin. Once PRF is injected into the tissue, it transforms from a liquid into a gel that not only fills the gaps in folds and wrinkles but also provides a powerful regenerative matrix that releases platelet growth factors in a slow, controlled, physiological manner, tissue regeneration being a better way than in the case of PRP.

In addition, the platelet enrichment of these two products is not the same. In PRP, platelets are enriched two to four times more than the physiological concentrations available in the blood, and there are very few circulating blood stem cells. Compared to this, PRF contains platelets, without eliminating the powerful regenerative matrix (fibrin), adding another very rich source of growth factors and tissue regeneration: circulating blood stem cells.

Fibrin functions as a matrix that captures platelets and controls the release of growth factors “very slowly and continuously over a period of more than a week.” The rate of release of growth factors in the target tissue is important for the tissue receptors to respond over a long period of time after treatment. “It is not the quantity of growth factors that is most important, but its release. To treat severe infections, antibiotics can be injected drop by drop in an intravenous infusion, ensuring that a stable concentration is maintained. This is similar in PRF biology – to achieve the most important function, a stable concentration must be maintained. The most desirable procedure is that of a drop-by-drop infusion.”