Evaluation of clinical results of combined correction of age-related skin changes using fractional microneedle therapy and platelet-rich plasma activated by autologous thrombin.

Abstract

Background. Involutive processes in the human body are often accompanied by the only visible manifestation - a change in appearance. Against this background, the search for new treatment methods that will focus on timely and rational correction of age-related skin changes and combine the possibility of complex effects on the mechanisms of skin aging is relevant. Hardware physiotherapy technologies and innovative autologous cellular preparations have a powerful regenerative potential, trigger and support physiological tissue regeneration. Despite the substantial amount of data on combined aesthetic correction protocols, there were only isolated data in the domestic and foreign literature on the combined use of fractional needle radiofrequency therapy and platelet-rich plasma activated by autologous thrombin. This was the basis for this study.
 Aims. To evaluate the results of a combined method for correcting age-related skin changes based on a combination of hardware fractional needle radiofrequency exposure and injection therapy with platelet-rich plasma activated by autologous thrombin, comparing to monotherapy the same methods.
 Materials and methods. Fractional microneedle radiofrequency therapy was carried out three times with an interval between procedures of 3 weeks with the use of a high-frequency electrosurgical device Scarlet RF. Therapy with autologous plasma rich in platelets activated by autologous thrombin (PRP therapy) was performed three times with an interval between procedures of 3 weeks without the use of preliminary topical anesthesia. Combination therapy combined the use of the above methods. Regression of clinical signs of skin aging was evaluated according to digital dermatoscopy and regression of the total value of the dermatological index of the quality of life of patients, as well as improvement of qualitative and functional parameters of the skin. A statistical analysis was carried out.
 Results. A comparative analysis of the influence of various methods of correction of involutive changes in the skin of the face showed that the use of combination therapy provides the development of the most significant clinical effect in relation to all the assessed signs of skin aging. Combination therapy was accompanied by a significant increase in the integral index of microcirculation, regardless of age. The reconstructive effect on the morphological structures of the skin according to ultrasonography also turned out to be significantly higher for the combined method of treatment in comparison with radiofrequency therapy.
 Conclusions. The combined use of fractional microneedle radiofrequency therapy and PRP therapy provides a more effective and prolonged correction of age-related skin changes compared to the monotherapy.