The PRP facial has fascinated me for years now. The results are amazing for the texture and firmness of the skin. If you have deep acne scars a series of PRP facials will make a huge difference in the look and feel of your skin. I’ve noticed an orange peel-like texture to my cheeks that drives me nuts, and I’ve been on the hunt for something to help reduce it. The blood draw is what held me back. I had a horrible experience with blood draws during labor so I was nervous about getting another done.
After visiting a few different doctor offices in Monterey I decided to go with Dr. Korman/Wunderbar in Carmel. Hannah, the nurse was awesome at explaining things and was real with me about result expectations with 1, 2, or 3 treatments for my specific concerns and skin. The cost was a bit steep at $750 (for one treatment), but everywhere else in town was around the same amount and most places offer a discount on packages.
I arrived about 30 minutes before my treatment to start the numbing process to make the micro-needling portion less painful. As the numbing cream worked in I browsed TikTok. It was pretty easy.
Next up the blood draw! I was so nervous but honestly, I didn’t even feel it. Hannah did a great job and it was over in less than a minute. She explained to me that they would then spin the tube to separate the plasma. The top part is the PRP or “liquid gold”. That is the part used in the facial to help boost collagen production in the skin. This leads to smoothing of fine lines and may help fill in pitting or areas lacking structure. While my blood spun I snacked.
After that the micro needling started. It wasn’t pleasant but with the numbing cream I really only felt it around my hairline and my nose. The micro needling portion lasted about 30 minutes and then the remaining PRP was massaged into my skin. The bloody looking picture below is before the PRP is massaged in. Most of the blood was gone after the massage. So I didn’t drive home looking like that!
After care Day 1
The PRP works best the longer it is left on the skin. Ideally, leave it until the next day. It did start to itch and annoy me in the middle of the night but I held strong until the morning. Avoid all actives (retinol, AHA, BHA) and use gentle products that focus on collagen production. Plus,skip the gym, steam, water, and cooking for the first night.
The next morning, I cleansed with the REN Skincare EVERCALM Gentle Milk Cleanser, followed it up with BioEffect EGF Essence, Biossance Squalene and peptide eye gel, Zelens Emulsion D moisturizer and Supergoop Glow Stick (reapplied every 2 hours). Tomorrow I plan to add in PCA SKIN ExLinea Peptide Smoothing Serum.
Have you ever gotten a PRP facial before? Let me know in a comment below!
