PRP Microneedling in Red Deer with Hebe Beauty Bar – Tear Trough Shadows & Dark Under-Eye Treatments
When the company I work for moved into a new office building last year, one of the best features of the new space was the existence of Hebe Beauty Bar down the hall! It has been so easy to pop by for great skincare products and filler every couple of months, and I’m so pleased with the results. Normally, I stop by for hyaluronic acid facial fillers, which keep my naturally dimply mouth from turning into a mass of wobbly skin as I get older. Recently, however, I’ve been annoyed at the skin around my eyes (it’s called aging, and there’s no advisable cure). So – this time when I went in to see Dee, she recommended Botox. And, I realized that I’m not ready for that, yet! We talked over our options and landed on PRP microneedling.
What is PRP Microneedling?
Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is a blood product. In the beauty industry, your own blood is collected via the vein in your arm, then placed into a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins very quickly, separating the different layers of blood. The platelets thereby separate from the red blood cells and are collected for your treatment. This is called plasma.
What’s so Great About Platelets?
Great question! Platelets are crucial for healing because they act as "first responders" to injuries, rapidly accumulating at the wound site and releasing growth factors and other bioactive molecules that stimulate cell proliferation, angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation), and tissue regeneration, effectively promoting the healing process.
When the skin is pierced by a micro-needle (that’s 20-25micrometres in diameter at the tip), it responds with a healing response that boosts collagen production – that's why classic microneedling is so effective for anti-aging. When combined with targeted PRP injections, however, the effects can be even greater. At Hebe, the nurses generally focus on hollow tear troughs and hair follicles to plump up sallow under eyes and encourage hair growth.
PRP for Tear Troughs (Hollow Under-Eyes) & Dark Under-Eye Treatments
The tear trough is that line that runs from the inside corner of your eye along the top of the cheekbone. These can be conspicuous on the faces of people of all ages, but they can tend to deepen over the years. Since I’ve been stressing out about the changes in the skin around my eyes, I decided that having some under-eye platelet injections would be a productive thing to do. Dee also injected some of my PRP next to my eyes and around my mouth.
As I mentioned, I work just down the hall from these lovely beauty professionals, so my appointment was scheduled over the lunch hour. It didn’t actually take quite that long, however, and I was back at my desk 45 minutes later.
What Does PRP Microneedling Feel Like?
Once your blood has been collected and the platelets separated, continues with the application of a topical numbing cream. After this has been allowed to sit and numb your face for several minutes, it’s time for the injections.
This probably won’t shock you, but being stabbed ever-so-gently multiple times in the face isn’t the best way I ever spent an afternoon. Though the topical cream worked very well, a couple of nerves in the deeper layers of my skin were still not thrilled to be met with all the poking. That said, it was manageable, and I’ll be able to do it again when I decide it is time. Multiple treatments are advised over the course of a few months, so I’m already looking at the calendar.
The numbness took a half-hour or so to wear off, but there was no pain afterwards, just a little tenderness in the affected areas. I developed a bruise under one eye that took about a week to clear, but I know that’s not typical of all patients undergoing this procedure. I just happened to have a nerve end hanging out in the treatment area – that won’t be everyone’s experience.
As I’ve mentioned, I am already a fan of well-placed fillers, and the nice puffy effects of the PRP injections made me happy as soon as we were done! The fine lines beginning around my eyes were gone and so was the faint hollowness under my eyes. Any puffiness from PRP microneedling is only temporary, of course, as the object of the procedure is to provide greater healing and tissue construction abilities to the inner layers of the skin.
In the weeks following my treatment, I’ve been happy to note that the shadows under my eyes have not returned!
I’m grateful to have been given the time and consideration I needed to figure out a treatment plan and will absolutely be back to Hebe whenever I need help maintaining my face.
