S FACTOR – SELPHYL PLATELET-RICH FIBRIN MATRIX
At the risk of offending any diehard Twilight fans, there are injectable wrinkle fillers, platelet-rich plasma therapy and platelet-rich fibrin matrix treatments – no Vampires,Dracula fangs,or black capes required.Platelet therapy involves using your own blood sample that is prepped and re-injected right in your doctor’s office.The whole procedure takes about as long as a BOTOX®session.According toZenker,M.D.“Platelets are the magic agent we are using in applying PRP to the skin. It contains various factors, including growth factors, hormones, and nutrients. We also know that PRP promotes healing of soft and hard tissue injuries and also promotes growth and regeneration.”
But, as Dr. Zenker cautions, not all PRPs are the same. “They all look pretty much the same, but they are not. Different products will do different things. It has to do with purity, yield and the final composition. The Selphyl kit seems to provide high platelet concentration. It removes the most red blood cells and white blood cells of any PRP system I have used.”
Selphyl PRFM (Aesthetic Factors LLC) is an in office procedure that requires you to have blood drawn from your arm and placed into a centrifuge. The centrifuge then separates the platelets from the rest of the blood. The platelets are then injected into the areas to be treated to stimulate collagen production and regenerate blood vessels. The fibrin matrix in Selphyl allows the platelets to remain intact at the site of injection to ensure sustained growth factor release.
The uptick in people seeking out Selphyl treatments may be partially related to the appeal of using their own tissues rather than having an artificial substance injected. According to New York Plastic Surgeon Alan Matarasso, M.D., “We have found Selphyl particularly useful in the infraorbital cheek area to restore volume without the drawbacks encountered with some other fillers. Patients have embraced the concept of ‘autologous’ volumizers/rejuvenators that have growth factor potential as well.”
Selphyl is also being studied as a complement to autologous fat transfer. As a stand-alone therapy, physicians usually recommend a series of 1-3 injection sessions spaced 4-6 weeks apart. Since the treatment is designed to wake up growth factors, results become visible over time and get better with subsequent treatments. Because it is in a liquid form when injected, Selphyl is easy to tolerate, without much pain or bruising, and swelling settles down in about 24 hours. Makeup can be worn in a few hours.
With over 15,000 Selphyl cases performed to date around the world, no serious complications have been reported. There have been no cases of granulomas or lumps or allergic reactions, which is not the case with many dermal fillers. Platelet therapy has been used in wound care, reconstructive surgery, radiation and thermal burns, and orthopedics long before anyone ever thought about what it can do for skin rejuvenation and wrinkles.
As Dr. Matarasso says, “While the Selphyl system appears to be safe and is showing promise for skin rejuvenation, more research and clinical data is needed so we can understand the full potential of Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix and where this novel therapy will play a role.”
The cost for a Selphyl treatment ranges from $800 – $1200, and should only be performed by a physician or healthcare professional who has undergone specialized training offered by Aesthetic Factors . Visit www.selphyl.com
