With an increasing demand for quick fixes when it comes to ageing, people often opt for Botox and fillers to maintain a youthful appearance, along with surgical cosmetic treatments. However, if you are skeptical about taking the cosmetic surgery plunge and prefer something closer to nature going into your skin, this could be your solution.
We caught up with scientist Kam Dogan about all things PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatments, which, in a nutshell, is “rejuvenation using your own blood cells”. Giving us a no-holds barred insight into a healthy and more graceful way to enhance your beauty, you’ll be given some food for thought when considering any cosmetic enhancements.
Tell us a little about the types of treatments you offer.
We are an Aesthetics Clinic providing cutting edge face, body and scalp treatments that are tailor-made to suit the client’s specific condition(s). Although we specialize in Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatments, we believe that combining this pioneering treatment with others such as dermal fillers, wrinkle relaxation injections (Botox ®), LED Phototherapy, Radio frequency and many more, we can obtain long lasting, effective results. Our philosophy is to tackle conditions from all angles using combination treatments - scientifically proven, this works better than stand-alone treatments.
What sets your practice aside from other aesthetic clinics offering cosmetic treatments?
Well, it’s simple. We specialize in PRP treatments. No other clinic in the UK, and I think it is safe to say, in the world, provides such a service. Our scientists and medical team continuously do research on the newest PRP treatments and then incorporate these to our treatment protocols. And by research I mean laboratory sessions.
Because of demand, we provide the typical treatments too – fillers, Botox ®, non-surgical nose reshaping, BB Glow, diagnostic blood tests, Vitamin IV Drips, fat reduction treatments and more. We are not just aesthetics, but also medical. Unlike other clinics, we can tackle the problem from all angles. For example, if we have an enquiry about hair loss, we can offer blood tests to establish if the client is deficient in vital vitamins & amino acids required for hair growth, we can offer vitamin IV drips, nutritional advice from our in-house nutritionists – these are just the follow ups to the actual hair loss PRP treatment package that we offer. Basically, we have it all.
As we know, with ethnic skin tones mainly, skin is more vulnerable to dark under eye circles, pigmentation, etc. What treatments do you recommend for such issues and what makes them so effective?
Yes, unfortunately. SPF is key! It is commonly neglected by a lot of people here in the UK. Yes, England is a cold, dark, wet, horrible place to live, but we still need to protect ourselves from the UVA & UVB rays. When there is daylight, there is damage. During our last visited to Dubai, we found that many clients already use SPF, which wasn’t a shock, it’s a must in the Middle East. We should all use high SPF protection, namely SPF 50 every day in any city.
I had to give that mini lecture about SPF before talking about treatments. Honestly, very important. USE SPF 50. We offer micro-needling with Vitamin C, followed by LED Phototherapy for pigmentation in general. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps inhibit the production of the enzyme tyrosinase, which in turn reduces melanin production. Micro-needling causes local damage and so triggers the inflammation cascade required for cell renewal. LED, which stands for Light Emitting Diode, emits therapeutic wavelengths of light energy that energizes the cells to stimulate the production of collagen, elastin and antioxidants. This improves local blood and lymphatic circulation which helps with recovery post treatment.
We have a bespoke treatment for the under eyes, it is very popular in our London clinics. And it’s a secret. But to give you an idea, we take our own cells (that we have extracted using PRP) and mix this with Hyaluronic Acid and inject in the tear trough region. Results are amazing – lighter skin under eyes, lifted so doesn’t look hollow and wrinkle free. Pioneering.
You use a client's own blood to revive their skin. Tell us a bit about the facials and how the Platelet Rich Plasma treatments work.
We have our bespoke PRP Facial which is our post popular treatment. Our scientists and medical team continuously do research on the newest PRP treatments and then incorporate these to our treatment protocols, so we are always up to date. PRP therapy is a non-surgical treatment that utilizes your own body’s healing abilities to stimulate cell recovery. It is a natural treatment that uses the platelets from your own blood. These activated platelets secrete and release at least 7 different growth factors which enhance the natural healing process of the skin and hair follicles.
During a PRP Therapy treatment, a small amount of blood is drawn from the client and transferred into a sterile tube in the exact same manner as a standard blood test. The tube containing the blood is placed into a centrifuge and spun to separate the plasma and platelets from the other blood components.
After a few minutes, the PRP layer is removed from the same tube and re-introduced into the body at the site to be treated. When you look online, PRP looks scary. It really is not – you only know after you’ve tried one. I have it done once a month, without fail.
What can be treated using PRP?
Acne scars, uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, dark spots/marks, wrinkles, under eye circles, dull skin, saggy skin and hair loss. Medical treatments for PRP include PRP eye drops, injections to tendons and joints, treatment of arthritis. I really believe that PRP is the future – rejuvenation using your own cells. It’s very promising.
How long do the effects of these treatments last?
We recommend a course of 4 sessions: 1 treatment every 4-6 weeks. This should last about 1-2 years. But if you maintain the results by having at least 1 treatment every 3 months, the results will last a very long time. This is what we recommend. There is minimal downtime and you can carry on with normal activities almost instantly, so it’s easy to have.
Following beauty and social media trends, there are more and more young people opting for fillers and botox - would you say there is a right age to start such treatments?
No, definitely no age for it. Well, at least 21 to be safe. I always say it’s best to start when you really need to. Botox ® for example, there a mixed speculations about when to start. I think you should start this treatment if you have forehead wrinkles, for example, without any impressions. What I mean is, if I stare at someone and they stare back at me and they are not moving a muscle but I can see lines on their forehead; Botox® time. These are called static lines. I don’t have Botox® in my forehead, but a little around my eyes (crow’s feet) area because I smile and laugh a lot, so I over use the muscle responsible for these wrinkles. I don’t like to look too ‘done up’, naturally enhanced is best. This is what I recommend and do for our clients.
Dermal Fillers on the other hand, is a different story. We do a lot of Fillers at our clinics and they look great when done in proportion. But again, we should only enhance our look with Fillers, not completely change it. Well, unless you can have lip fillers done, sell $1 billion worth of lip sticks, feature in magazines as youngest self-made millionaire, and then have your fillers dissolved and still be very popular, then go for it! Please do. Otherwise, have a little bit done, only if you need it. Please don’t be influenced by social media, it can be unhealthy.
You have clinics in London and do a regular pop up in Dubai on the palm, is there a huge demand in the UAE for PRP treatments?
Oh yes, big demand in the UAE. We were surprised by the amount of inquires we had before starting a clinic here. Last summer we had many clients from the UAE coming to visit our clinics in London, especially our central London clinic, this is what motivated us to try a clinic in Dubai.
PRP is very new all around the world but it is only getting more popular by the day. More and more people opt to having PRP facials and treatments instead of the conventional facials. Because its 100% natural, it is favoured by many people, especially for those who do not want any toxins in their face.
What treatments do clients request the most? What’s trending?
We do a lot of PRP, like a lot. Right now I believe the BB Glow Facial is very popular. It is considerably new so I think there is still some room for improvement but it looks good. It’s basically a semi-permanent foundation coverage that can last up to 6 months. We have recently started providing this treatment.
What tips can you share with our readers about maintaining the most natural looking and healthy skin for the long term?
Ok so this is the part I love! Diet people, it is all about what we eat! I’m not a nutritionist, but I do know that drinking enough water, eating clean, not eating fried food, consuming minimal alcohol, and exercising on a regular basis is key to healthy skin. SPF is another major factor. Lastly treatments. That’s the order we should all follow.
Finding the treatments that work for you is important. I am all for natural rejuvenation so of course I’m going to say PRP. I’m not being biased, I promise. It is really good. It’s rejuvenation using your own cells and it does not get any better than that! Try it, you will see the effects of it. And that is why we have based our company on this pioneering treatment. It is for everyone, no matter age or skin condition, everyone can and will benefit from PRP.
We are on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, check out our Instagram page @theprplab for latest updates and clinic dates for Dubai. We look forward to meeting new faces and rejuvenating them.
