Ageing is a natural part of life, but what if we could unlock our inner anti-ageing power to reverse and slow down the signs of ageing, all without introducing man-made chemicals or toxins into our bodies? By combining treatments which optimise our natural ability to heal and regenerate, we can organically target the biological factors to help combat the signs of time.
The quest for younger-looking skin
As we understand more about the biological processes involved in ageing, the quest to develop new techniques to slow down and reverse these processes are constantly ongoing.
Over the years, a plethora of cosmetic techniques (of varying degrees of invasiveness and efficacy) have been developed. These include deep chemical peels and many different types of laser resurfacing.
Treatment modalities like these are commonplace and safe, when performed by properly trained medical professionals.
They predominately work by causing injury to the epidermis, the ‘upper layer’ of the skin, which in turn causes an inflammatory response in the underlying dermis, which ultimately leads to the production of new collagen and skin. However, as the skin surface is damaged during these procedures, they are associated with a significant down-time during the healing period, and risks of post-procedural complications as well as increased sensitivity to sun damage.
Automated percutaneous collagen induction therapy (PCI)
PCI, or medical microneedling as it is commonly known, is a procedure where tiny, sterile needles perforates the upper and mid layers of the skin, causing targeted micro-trauma. The pin-prick wounds induce a wound healing cascade in the skin which ultimately stimulates the cells to produce new collagen and remodelling of the skin, with minimal damage to the epidermis. The fact that the epidermis remains mostly intact, reduces the risk of post-treatment complications and significantly shortens the down-time. Typically, patients can resume normal activity the day after the PCI treatment.
Platelet-rich concentrates (PRC)
We all carry around with us a natural ‘healing serum’ in our own blood. By isolating these resources in the blood plasma, we can utilise the PRC as either a stand-alone anti-ageing treatment, or in combination with other rejuvenating therapies. PRC functions by stimulating certain skin cells to produce collagen, elastin, anti-inflammatory factors and several other regenerative components associated with youthful skin. PRC also contains a number of different growth factors, which help speed up the post-procedure healing time when used in combination with other treatments.
PCI + PRC = better organic bang for your buck
Certain rejuvenating procedures work particularly well together, due to their biological effects. Several clinical studies have confirmed that combining PCI and PRC produces a significantly better result. Recently, both PCI and PRC therapies has gained popularity, not only due to their non-invasive nature and efficacy, but also due to the fact that they are often considered a more natural approach to anti-ageing treatments, as they do not involve any chemicals, toxins or other man-made materials to be introduced into the body, thereby eliminating any risk of allergic or foreign body reactions.
They are also safe to be used on people of any skin tones without risk of causing pigmentation issues. Both PCI and PRC are relatively inexpensive compared to more invasive approaches. However, due to the biological regenerative functions and the skin’s cell cycle, the final results are not seen immediately, and one has to be aware that it requires a series of treatments, usually spaced between four to six weeks apart. As ageing is ultimately time dependent, so must we grant our skin a little time to rejuvenate too.
