The skin is the outermost organ in the human body and it is exposed to various environmental stressors. These factors influence the homeostasis** of the physiology of skin function and sometimes it induces an inflammatory response in the skin.
(*Homeostasis: a self regulating process by your body to maintain the stability for survival.)
Are you someone that experiences dryness and itchiness over your skin all the time?
If you did, have you ever seen a doctor and get it diagnosed and treated?
These inflammatory skin disorders are quite commonly seen and it is associated with a huge impairment in the quality of life of patients. It affected most of my patient’s physical appearance and mentally where they are afraid to socialize among their peers or friends because they were afraid that people might judge them. Some examples of skin inflammatory disorders are atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We will talk about each disease in depth in upcoming articles.
Eczema
Eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin disorder, is characterized by red, itchy and inflamed skin. Usually in a normal person, the outer skin cells are more organized so it has a good skin barrier.
That is a different case for patients who have eczema. Research shows there is a genetic component to eczema. One of common mutations has been observed in the gene that is vital for skin cell maturity.
Eczema patients who have that gene mutation will have a dysfunctional skin barrier due to the haphazard organization of the skin cells. This dysfunction causes a ‘leaky’ skin barrier allowing water loss and decreased protection from harmful substances. They also have lower skin immunity that can help to fight off any infection from certain bacteria, viruses and fungi.
How do we treat them?
Most of our patients that came to us, either they have never sought any medical treatment before and bought some over the counter ointment to treat themselves or they have gone to numerous clinics and are trying to search for the perfect solution.
To reduce the negative impact on a patient's quality of life, numerous systemic treatment modalities have been introduced recently, specifically for severe types of these diseases like I mentioned. However, there is still a need for limited courses where the latest systemic therapies might not be applicable.
Platelet rich fibrin (PRF) is known to have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. It has become a promising treatment modality in aesthetic dermatology. PRF is derived from the patient’s own blood and makes it an autologous** treatment. The process involves drawing a small amount of blood, which is then centrifuged to concentrate the solution. The resulting PRF is a gel-like substance rich in platelets, fibrin and other bioactive components that is crucial for tissue regeneration. (*autologous: cells or tissues obtained from the same individual )
So you may wonder how PRF actually works under your skin to help to treat inflammatory skin disorder. I will try to explain it in a much simpler manner so you can actually understand it better.
The application of PRF in eczema treatment is rooted in its ability to modulate the inflammatory response. There are various types of growth factors inside PRF that actually help in eczema. For example, one of the growth factors, PDGF (Platelet derived growth factor), can aid in the regeneration of the epidermal layer, which is the outermost layer of the skin and enhance the skin’s natural defense mechanisms.
Secondly, one of the growth factors, TGF-B (Transforming growth factor-beta), is also crucial for the regulation of immune response and tissue repair. This can help to modulate the skin inflammation and help to alleviate the symptoms of eczema.
VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor), is also another important component contained in PRF that basically promotes new blood vessels formation. These will improve blood circulation which is an important factor for effective tissue repair, especially the affected skin areas in eczema patients.
Complication?
As we have discussed earlier, PRF is a cutting edge therapy that harnesses your body’s natural healing properties. It uses your own blood so the treatment usually will not have any complications.
But I did encounter one question from my patients after their first treatment,
“Doctor, I realized after PRF treatment, my skin had breakouts or it felt drier as compared to before I started the treatment.”
PRF injection is usually done by meso injection, which is injection that introduces small quantities of PRF solution under the skin to help to rejuvenate and repair. There will be needle tracks after treatment that could possibly increase TEWL. Post treatment care is very important, for example, practicing good skin hygiene and constantly hydrating your skin with some hydrating mask or moisturizer.
PRF does not cause any imbalances in skin hydration and it is usually used to reduce skin inflammation, skin repair and rejuvenation.
So if you experienced any of these symptoms, please talk to your doctor for a proper consultation.
Conclusion
According to studies, combination of PRF and systemic treatment modalities are more effective in treating eczema as compared to monotherapy with systemic treatments only. PRF is emerging as a beacon of hope in treating and providing relief in eczema patients. It also improves the quality of life for countless individuals affected by this challenging condition.
If you have the same chronic skin condition, make an appointment with us at Dream Clinic to get a proper skin assessment with our doctors. We may have the correct treatment management personalized just for your skin.