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PRP & PRF (autologous blood therapy) at Dr. Nüchel Aesthetik in Mönchengladbach

Regenerative medicine & skin quality

PRP & PRF (autologous blood therapy)

Regeneration with components from your own body: from a small amount of your blood we obtain a concentrate of platelets and growth factors, which we use to improve skin quality, as a supportive measure for hair loss and for scars – gently and without substances foreign to the body.

Treatable areas

  • Scalp & hair loss
  • Skin quality
  • Eye area
  • Face
  • Fine lines
  • Acne scars

In autologous blood therapy – in the specialist field referred to as PRP (platelet-rich plasma) or PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) – we make use of the regenerative properties of your own blood. After a small blood draw, the blood is separated into its components in a centrifuge. What is obtained is a concentrate particularly rich in platelets (thrombocytes) and their growth factors – the body's own messenger substances, which play a central role in natural wound healing and tissue regeneration.

We introduce the concentrate in a targeted manner – with fine needles into the skin of the face or the eye area, into the scalp as a supportive measure for hair loss, or in combination with microneedling. The growth factors are intended to stimulate the body's own repair processes; as only material from your own body is used, there is no risk of an allergy to the active agent itself.

All information is provided for general guidance and does not replace personal medical advice. Treatment results can vary from one individual to another.

Indications

Who it is suitable for

Whether a treatment makes medical sense in your case is something we determine together in a personal consultation. Typical concerns include:

  • Declining skin quality: a tired complexion, fine lines, loss of freshness and firmness
  • Sensitive, thin skin of the eye area (support of skin quality, not volume build-up)
  • Supportive treatment for diffuse or hereditary hair loss – after medical clarification of the cause
  • Improvement of the skin's appearance in the case of scars, including acne scars
  • A wish for a regenerative procedure using your own material instead of substances foreign to the body
  • A sensible complement to microneedling or other skin-regenerating procedures

Step by step

How the treatment works

This is how the treatment usually proceeds with us – from the first consultation through to aftercare.

  1. Consultation and clarification of the indication

    In a personal conversation we record your concern, medical history and medication, check for possible contraindications and clarify whether PRP or PRF is better suited to your indication. Particularly with hair loss, prior medical clarification of the cause is important, as not every form of hair loss responds to it.

  2. Blood draw

    Under sterile conditions we take a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm – comparable to a routine blood draw. The amount required depends on the area to be treated and the chosen method.

  3. Processing in the centrifuge

    The blood is processed in a centrifuge: for PRP more strongly (usually with an anticoagulant) into a liquid, platelet-rich plasma, for PRF more slowly and without additives into a platelet- and fibrin-rich matrix. This takes a few minutes and is carried out directly in the practice.

  4. Introduction of the concentrate

    The concentrate obtained is introduced with fine needles into the skin or scalp, or in combination with microneedling, in which it is worked into the upper skin layers via very fine channels. On request, we apply an anaesthetic cream beforehand.

  5. Conclusion and course of treatment

    If needed we cool the treated areas; slight redness or swelling is normal and usually subsides quickly. Around three sessions at intervals of about one month are customary, at which we assess the progress and adjust the approach if needed.

Transparency

Prices

pro Sitzung
200 €

All prices are guide values for initial orientation. Medical services are billed according to the German scale of fees for physicians (GOÄ); the final amount depends on the individual effort involved and is discussed transparently with you before treatment. For treatments without a listed price, we are happy to give you a guide value during your consultation.

Enquire about this treatmentView the full price list →

Patient information

Safety & patient information

Responsible treatment includes open information about possible risks and side effects – even when they occur only rarely.

  • Redness and swelling

    Very common and usually harmless: in the treated area, redness and slight swelling often occur shortly after the treatment. These reactions usually subside on their own within a few hours to days and tend to be more pronounced when combined with microneedling.

  • Bruises (haematomas)

    Small bruises may form at the injection points in the treatment area as well as at the site of the draw on the arm. They are common, harmless and usually disappear within a few days. Blood-thinning medications or certain food supplements can intensify this tendency.

  • Feeling of pressure and tension

    In the first hours to days, the treated areas may be sensitive to touch or cause a slight feeling of pressure and tension; these complaints usually subside quickly.

  • Complaints at the site of the draw

    As with any blood draw, a small bruise, a slight tenderness to pressure or – very rarely – an irritation of the vein may occur at the injection site on the arm. Such complaints are usually temporary and harmless.

  • Circulatory reaction during the blood draw

    Some people react to a blood draw with dizziness, malaise or, rarely, a brief faint (vasovagal reaction). Please inform us in advance if you are prone to such reactions, so that we can prepare the draw accordingly.

  • Temporary skin irritation

    Particularly in combination with microneedling, the skin may appear irritated for a few days, feel dry or flake slightly. Gentle care and consistent sun protection help to calm the skin in this phase.

  • Infections

    As with any injection or skin injury, germs may enter despite sterile working and trigger a local infection, which manifests itself through increasing redness, warmth, pain or the formation of pus. Such reactions are rare but must be treated medically. If you notice corresponding signs, you should contact us immediately.

  • Absent or limited response

    As autologous blood therapy stimulates the body's own processes, the result varies from person to person; the desired effect may turn out to be only slight or be absent. This is not a treatment error, but an expression of biological variability and of the limited, heterogeneous body of studies.

  • Activation of a cold sore (herpes labialis)

    If there is a known tendency to cold sores, a treatment in the mouth and lip area can – like other skin stimuli – trigger an outbreak. In this case, preventive medication can be sensible; please mention this to us beforehand.

When we do not treat

In certain situations we do not carry out a treatment, or only at a later time – for your safety.

  • Known clotting disorders or therapy with blood-thinning or anticoagulant medications – a treatment is carried out only after medical consultation and a careful weighing of benefit and risk.
  • Acute infections, inflammations or open areas of skin in the treatment area (e.g. an active cold sore); the treatment is postponed until these have fully subsided.
  • Acute febrile general illnesses or a markedly reduced general condition.
  • Certain haematological diseases, such as those with a reduced or impaired function of the platelets or severe anaemia.
  • Active or insufficiently clarified cancers as well as certain oncological diseases – here a particularly careful medical assessment is required, in case of doubt in coordination with the treating specialists.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding – for lack of sufficient safety data, we refrain from the treatment during this time.
  • Active autoimmune or chronic inflammatory diseases that may speak against a treatment – here an individual medical assessment is required.
  • The taking of certain medications that affect the platelets or wound healing – we clarify this in the consultation.
  • Unrealistic expectations or a treatment wish for which, from a medical point of view, there is no sensible indication, such as a hair loss with an unclear cause or one requiring different treatment.

This information does not replace a personal medical consultation. Before every treatment we inform you individually about the procedure, risks and alternatives.

In depth

Medical details & background

How it works & the evidence

Blood consists of liquid and solid components. The solid ones include the red and white blood cells (leukocytes) and the platelets (thrombocytes). The platelets are not only important for blood clotting – they contain a large number of growth factors, that is, messenger substances that are released in the event of injuries and set the body's own repair and regeneration processes in motion. It is precisely this property that autologous blood therapy makes use of.

In the centrifuge, the blood components are separated according to their weight, so that a concentrate is obtained in which the platelets are enriched compared with the original blood. When activated, the platelets release their growth factors, which are intended to stimulate cell division, the formation of new blood vessels and the production of structural proteins such as collagen in the tissue. The difference between the methods lies in the processing: with PRP, a stronger centrifugation – usually with an anticoagulant – produces a liquid plasma with comparatively rapid release; with PRF, without additives and at a lower speed, a fibrin matrix forms, a three-dimensional protein scaffold with embedded platelets and often leukocytes, which releases the growth factors more slowly and over a longer period. Both approaches have their justification; the choice is a question of the indication and the medical assessment.

It is important to understand that autologous blood therapy does not introduce an active agent foreign to the body, but is intended to stimulate the body's own processes. Its effect is therefore not immediately visible as with a filler, but develops gradually over weeks. The extent depends on individual factors and cannot be guaranteed – an aspect that makes honest advice and realistic expectations particularly important.

Autologous blood therapy is used in various medical fields and, in aesthetic medicine, above all to improve skin quality, as a supportive measure for hair loss and for scars. For some applications – in particular hereditary hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) and skin quality – a growing number of controlled studies and reviews point to a possible benefit.

At the same time, the evidence is expressly heterogeneous and limited in its significance: processing and treatment protocols are inconsistent, many studies have small numbers of participants, short observation periods or methodological weaknesses, and robust long-term data are in part lacking. Statements about the extent and duration of an effect are therefore subject to uncertainty – guaranteed results cannot be derived. We orient ourselves to the current state of knowledge and discuss openly what is realistically achievable in the individual case and where the limits of the method lie.

Preparing for your treatment

A few simple measures before your appointment help you contribute to the best possible result with as few complications as possible.

  • Inform us about your complete medical history, existing conditions, allergies and all medications you take – in particular blood-thinning or anticoagulant preparations.
  • Please do not stop blood-thinning or anticoagulant medications on your own initiative – discuss their use in advance with us and your treating physician.
  • Drink sufficiently on the day of treatment and, if possible, do not arrive on an empty stomach; this makes the blood draw easier and helps prevent circulatory reactions.
  • Where possible, avoid alcohol on the day before and on the day of the treatment, as well as anticoagulant food supplements (e.g. fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo), as these can increase the tendency to bruise.
  • If a treatment of the scalp for hair loss is planned, prior medical clarification of the cause is required; please bring along any findings you have.
  • Plan a time buffer before important occasions, as redness, swelling or small bruises can be visible for a few days.
Aftercare

The right care after treatment supports healing and the result. You will receive individual recommendations from us – as a rule:

  • Cool the treated area carefully if needed, in order to counteract redness and swelling; do not exert strong pressure while doing so.
  • Avoid touching, massaging or rubbing the treated areas vigorously in the first hours to days, so that the skin can come to rest.
  • Refrain for about 24 to 48 hours from intensive exercise, sauna, steam bath, tanning beds and very hot baths, as heat and increased circulation can intensify swelling.
  • Protect the skin consistently from UV radiation, use a high sun protection factor (SPF 50+) in the days after the treatment and avoid direct, intense sun.
  • Care for the skin gently – particularly after combination with microneedling – and refrain at first from irritating cosmetics, peels or aggressive active ingredients.
  • Where possible, avoid alcohol on the day of treatment, as it can promote bruising.
  • Contact us immediately if unusual complaints occur – in particular increasing pain, redness with warmth, swelling or signs of an infection.
  • Attend the agreed follow-up appointments of the course, as the treatment concept is based on the sum of several sessions.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Answers to questions we are asked particularly often about “PRP & PRF (autologous blood therapy)”.

The blood draw corresponds to an ordinary blood collection and is usually experienced as causing little distress. The subsequent introduction of the concentrate may be perceived as a slight stinging or burning depending on the area. On request we apply an anaesthetic cream beforehand. Overall, the method is usually considered well tolerated.

As the body's own regeneration processes are set in motion, a possible improvement does not occur immediately but gradually over weeks – often assessed over the course of the treatment and some weeks after the last session. Temporary redness or swelling visible immediately after the treatment is to be distinguished from this. The response varies from person to person.

For certain forms – in particular hereditary hair loss – autologous blood therapy is used as a supportive measure; the body of studies is growing but heterogeneous, so that guaranteed results cannot be promised. Prior medical clarification of the cause is decisive, because not every hair loss responds to this method.

An initial orientation is offered by the guide values on our price list; the final amount depends on the treatment area, the method (PRP or PRF), the number of sessions and the effort involved. The billing takes place as a private medical service according to the German scale of fees for physicians (GOÄ); aesthetically motivated treatments are generally not covered by the statutory health insurers.

The blood draw, the processing and the introduction of the concentrate are carried out exclusively by licensed physicians with appropriate experience. The medical determination of the indication is important particularly with hair loss, in order to clarify the cause, and is a prerequisite for a safe, hygienically impeccable performance.

There is no fixed age limit; what is decisive are the individual findings and realistic expectations. In practice, the treatment predominantly concerns adults; in minors we do not, as a matter of principle, carry out aesthetically motivated treatments. If an underlying condition requiring treatment is the cause of hair loss, its clarification takes priority.

Sources & guidelines

  • AWMF guideline register – register of the scientifically founded guidelines of the medical specialist societies (www.awmf.org), including on the topic of hair loss.
  • German Dermatological Society (DDG) – specialist society for dermatology with recommendations and patient information.
  • Controlled studies and systematic reviews on autologous blood therapy (PRP/PRF) in dermatology and aesthetic medicine, taking into account the heterogeneous protocols.
  • Publications of medical specialist societies on the processing, application and hygiene of autologous blood therapy.

Personal consultation

Arrange a personal consultation

In a confidential conversation on our practice floor at the Albertus Zentrum in Mönchengladbach, we take time for your questions and assess whether the treatment may be suitable for you.

Book a consultation

More treatments

You might also be interested in

For resting lines or the compensation of volume and contour losses, hyaluronic acid fillers are often more suitable, as they create volume immediately; autologous blood therapy, by contrast, targets skin quality and can be combined well with microneedling. For a more intensive treatment of skin texture, scars and pigment changes, energy-based procedures such as a microneedling radiofrequency system (e.g. INFINI™) or ablative lasers may be considered depending on the findings; in the case of hair loss, medical clarification of the cause takes first place.

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