Autologous Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma Dermal Injections for Facial Skin Rejuvenation: Clinical, Instrumental, and Flow Cytometry Assessment

BACKGROUND Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging treatment in dermatology recently proposed for skin rejuvenation. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologous pure PRP dermal injections on facial skin rejuvenation, investigating the cellularity of PRP samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twelve patients underwent 3 sessions of PRP injection at 1-month intervals. The clinical and instrumental outcomes were evaluated before (T0) and 1 month (T1) after the end of treatment by means of transepidermal water loss, corneometry, Cutometer, Visioscan, and Visioface. A flow cytometry characterization on PRP and peripheral blood (PB) samples was performed. RESULTS Clinical and patient evaluation showed improvement of skin texture. Skin gross elasticity, skin smoothness parameters, skin barrier function, and capacitance were significantly improved. No difference between PRP and PB lymphocyte immunological asset was observed. A leukocyte population (mainly CD3+) and neutrophils depletion were documented in all the PRP samples. CONCLUSION This instrumental study demonstrated that PRP poor in leukocytes can provide objective improvements in skin biostimulation. Flow cytometry showed no variability among the PRP samples using a reproducible separation system and a low content in proinflammatory cells. Although a pilot study, it may be helpful for future investigations on PRP cellularity.