Personalizing skincare with PRP

Despite the growing use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to improve soft tissue healing and to stimulate hair growth, some still question how effective the treatment is.

The body of evidence is growing but not yet definitive.

“We entered into this PRP treatment arena, realizing that there was a paucity of controlled studies generating important data involving PRP, not only for topical use but for aesthetic use in general,” says MaryAnn Guerra, President/CEO of Aesthetics Biomedical (ABM) in a company press release that recently announced new scientific data behind their SoME Skincare product.

SoME is the first personalized skincare product of its kind that combines its proprietary vehicle with autologous PRP for a safe, effective and personal at-home skincare option, according to the release.

In the controlled, blinded, 8-week split-face study, researchers examined the effects of the SoME vehicle plus autologous PRP vs. serum alone on facial photoaging in 20 female and male patients from 30 to 60 years of age. At 8 weeks, an increased radiance, luminosity, firmness and softness was found in the area treated with vehicle plus PRP vs. vehicle alone. Biopsies also showed an improvement in rete peg architecture and enhanced collagen and elastin expression.

Importantly, results demonstrated a 90-day stability of PRP in the SoME vehicle.

“One of the biggest challenges in topical PRP use is the need to stabilize the blood product in a vehicle that provides excellent esthetic properties,” write the study authors. “Part of this project was to develop a serum suitable for PRP use with an appropriate tolerability profile. No tolerability issues arose, and the serum demonstrated 90‐day stability.”

ABM says it’s focused on conducting necessary scientific research to support their aesthetic products and devices. 

“Having the first point-of-care, autologous skincare product for home use has been exciting for the company, and we are thrilled that our scientific findings are contributing to the new knowledge base for regenerative aesthetic medicine,” says Guerra.

Process for SoME Skincare

Since SoME requires PRP, patients must visit the office to have their blood drawn. After PRP is extracted, it’s added to the SoME vehicle. Patients walk away with three 1 oz bottles of personalized SoME Skincare and a mini-cosmetic refrigerator for product storage. The resulting SoME product is to be used twice daily and lasts for three months.

When removed from the refrigerator and applied to the skin, the “Temperature differential activates the platelets with the ensuing release of growth factors and other biomolecules,” according to the release.

Still, more studies are needed.

“This research successfully addressed several of the topical PRP product challenges to include delivery and penetration; however, more research is needed to obtain a better idea of the duration of application required for optimal clinical benefits,” according to the study authors.

Another 4-month study is currently underway to verify the clinical and biochemical findings of the initial SoME study.

Lawrence Rheins, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and a study author says in addition to ongoing studies to build evidence on platelets in aesthetic medicine, “An additional focus for 2020 will evaluate the role of SoME™ as a simplified anti-aging treatment approach to reduce the current practice of using multiple skincare product regimens and the value of using the body’s own platelet-rich biomolecules as the key source to provide a comprehensive regenerative aesthetic appearance.”

References:

Draelos ZD, Rheins LA, Wootten S, Kellar RS, Diller RB. Pilot study: Autologous platelet-rich plasma used in a topical cream for facial rejuvenation. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(5):1348-52.