Review for good platelet-rich plasma procedure in cosmetic dermatology and surgery

Abstract

Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a type of platelet concentrate that has been used as an adjuvant therapeutic in the field of dental and orthopedics as well as a regenerative cosmetic medicine and surgery worldwide. Recently, the paradigm for platelet-mediated therapy has shifted from conventional transfusion to regenerative and immune modulating therapeutics. Technological advancements have enabled cutting-edge research to understand the mechanism of platelet activation, platelet-derived extracellular vesicles, microRNAs, protein synthesis as well as target regulation function. Although there is increasing focus on the clinical use of platelets in tissue engineering as a source of growth factors and scaffolds as well as its use in combination with various type of stem cells and other scaffold materials or for pure non-cellular therapeutic materials, in reality, there is lack of standardization of the preparation process including the devices, nomenclature of products, and parameters for product adequacy, even for autologous use. The main reason behind this is the fact that platelets are not typical cell-based materials and they have a wide range of functional variation according to the patient’s condition. Moreover, there are legal issues regarding the medical act in each country depending on their policy. Therefore, the present study aimed to review the latest paradigm shift and the stance regarding PRP therapy and to offer suggestions check lists for quality management of PRP procedures to ensure effective clinical results.