If you follow the Kardashians, you may have heard about this new micro-needling treatment. But I don’t, so the whole thing came as quite a surprise when my dermatologist, Dr. Maher-Weise suggested it. I have had micro-needling before (a collagen-boosting treatment) but this new version uses your very own Platelet Rich Plasma to stimulate collagen production. For those of us who are averse to injecting foreign materials into our faces, here’s your answer. PRP or platelet rich plasma releases growth factors that stimulate cell growth and collagen production. Its medical uses are widespread (including stimulating hair growth!), but applied with micro-needling creates rather dramatic results with virtually no downtime.

After your blood is drawn (in the doctor’s office), it’s placed in a machine that spins out the PRP. After a numbing cream is applied to your face, the PRP is applied to the deeper skin layers (unlike a topical product) through tiny holes created with the microneedling. The whole process takes about 45 minutes and is completely tolerable (coming from a girl who avoids ANY painful treatment), feeling somewhat like a sandpapering! I was red for a day or two, but saw an immediate reduction in fine lines, and continued to see better results as the weeks wore on.  I looked fresher AND younger; a nice combo! As far as Dr. Maher-Weise is concerned, she believes this is one of the safest and least risky facial treatments and recommends three treatments for optimum results. P.S. She DOES NOT call it the Vampire Facial, but I couldn’t resist.

The cost for PRP is $600 per treatment. Say you saw it on The E List and take $50 off through 3/31.

Dr. Virginia Maher-Weise
Essex Dermatology
20 Saybrook Road, Essex

Phone: 860-767-9998