Although PRP injection side effects are typically not harmful, it is still advisable to be aware of them. Good skin boosts self-esteem by instilling confidence and making you feel good about yourself.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is a great way to keep your skin smooth. It’s an excellent treatment for improving overall skin texture and tone.
PRP is the procedure to go for if you want to treat hair loss or sports injuries. However, are there possible PRP injection side effects?
Johns Hopkins Medicine states a PRP injection is a low-risk procedure that rarely results in significant side effects. Because the procedure involves drawing blood, you should drink plenty of water and eat before the procedure to avoid feeling dizzy.
After the procedure, you might get a bruise and soreness at the injection site. But besides that, let’s look into 10 shocking PRP injection side effects.
10 PRP Injection Side Effects
First and foremost, we have seen that PRP injections are used for sports injuries.
Rather than having the injured area operated on, a PRP injection is a much better way to return to your performing condition faster than any other procedure. As a result, having a PRP is not considered blood doping.
No, it’s legal and safe to increase your sports recovery time. The U.S. Center Sport For Sports Medicine says that blood doping happens when an athlete has some blood drawn.
He later waits for his body to replace the missing blood and then injects the drawn blood back into his body.
Contrarily, PRP therapy is completed in less time than it takes a doctor to draw blood. It is spun down in a centrifuge to concentrate the growth factors and platelets into a serum.
The blood with the serum is then injected back into the athlete’s wounded area. The first is against the law because it gives the drawn blood more oxygen.
Nevertheless, there are common side effects that come from using the procedure.
It Can Cause Local Infection
Local infection at the injection site is among the most common PRP injection side effects. Be that as it may, your primary care physician will take many safety measures while injecting you with a PRP injection.
They should follow a serum-intensive sterilization method that should be closely observed for each treatment. Despite these precautions, the injured area may develop an infection.
However, a local infection is uncommon and only occurs 1% of the time. This is due to the white blood cells in the PRP serum. It helps to combat any pathogens that might enter the treatment site.
You May Feel Pain Following the Injection
After the PRP injection is given, you will feel pain. Therefore, it’s among the common PRP side effects following the injection.
Numerous PRP injection patients have described detailed feelings of an intense ache or soreness in the injection spot. Some people have claimed to feel the pain as far inside the area as the muscle or bone.
The pain can last for two to three days. Since you know this, asking your doctor to give you painless PRP injections is best.
The PRP Infection MD explains how specialists should administer painless PR injections. Before delivering the injections, your doctor should also apply topical numbing agents.
Additionally, they might advise you to take painkillers to alleviate your pain and discomfort.
There is a possibility of Blood Clot
Blood clotting is another possible PRP injection side effect, though it only happens in rare situations. To avoid blood clots, your doctors will carefully guide the needle with digital imaging tools like ultrasound or fluoroscopy.
Although a sonogram guides the PRP injection needle, an artery or vein may be damaged. Blood coagulation happens when the needle pricks a blood vessel like an artery or a vein.
The clotting can be treated the same way as any other normal clot if that occurs.
It May Result in Redness/Bruising on the Injection Site
Bruising and redness at the injection site are additional potential PRP injection side effects. This is especially true when your doctor draws the blood sample for the serum from the skin.
If you tend to bruise easily, you might notice darker or purple marks on the treatment area. However, the side effects may subside within two to three days.
You can always ask your doctor how to manage them, like whether you can apply ice to the area.
It Can Cause Swelling
Oregon Imaging Centers claim that because PRP therapy simply utilizes your body’s inherent healing capabilities, the body will not reject the treatment.
However, because the growth factors start a complicated recovery process, swelling, and discomfort are common. They can stay for up to a week after PRP therapy.
As a result, you will experience some swelling, which is necessary for healing and helps the PRP injection therapy work.
It Can Cause Allergic Reactions
Although PRP uses your body’s inherent capacity for healing, some patients will reject their serum. As a result, they’ll experience negative PRP side effects from the treatment.
Your body’s response to other factors could be one of the reasons for your allergic reaction. Like, for instance, the metal in the instruments.
Before you begin treatment, your doctors will inquire about any allergies you know. Moreover, it’s possible that a medication you’ve been taking regularly is to blame for your reaction.
Tell your PRP practitioners about your other medicines when you sign up for the treatment. Your PRP practitioner might ask you to avoid the medications for a few weeks.
This is especially before and following the PRP treatment, if necessary.
However, there need to be more studies to support why this happens. The good news is that the side effects are rare. However, they can happen.
You May Observe Skin Discoloration
Skin discoloration is another potential PRP injection side effect. Using PRP therapy may cause an increase in facial pigmentation, particularly during facial rejuvenation.
The skin pigment melanin is produced abnormally high when pigmentation levels rise. This results in a condition known as hyperpigmentation. The condition causes your skin to become darker.
Your skin will become darker or tanner if you have more melanin pigment.
According to an article on Medicalnewstoday, people of color frequently get hyperpigmentation since their darker skin tones already have a higher melanin content.
Often harmless, hyperpigmentation may not even need any treatment.” However, precautions should be taken before and after PRP application.
You May Find Out There is No Improvement At All
Although this is unnecessary and among the PRP side effects, it’s worth mentioning.
According to John Wilson, Sports Medicine Physician, “like other treatments for damaged tendons, PRP therapy may be effective for some people but not for others.
Additionally, it may be most effective when used in conjunction with other treatments like physical therapy.”
Therefore, even after a prolonged period of rest following PRP therapy. The initial pain and soreness of the injury may persist or even worsen even after the PRP injection.
It May Cause Dizziness and Headaches
You may occasionally experience dizziness, another PRP injection side effect. However, this is most common in people with a migraine history.
Therefore, the PRP treatment may trigger migraines, resulting in dizziness and headaches.
Additionally, your low pain tolerance may result in headaches and dizziness following treatment. This is especially possible if you experience considerable pain during the PRP injection.
It Can Cause Nausea and Upset Stomach
Nausea or stomach discomfort are other common PRP injection side effects. You will experience mild nausea in addition to dizziness.
However, there are few studies on the causes of some patients’ nausea and stomach discomfort. However, activation of calcium chloride appears to be the cause, according to some studies.
Conclusion
PRP injection side effects are not as harmful as maybe thought. As with any surgical procedure, complications can arise (and for many people, none have so far). Studies are currently underway to further explain the viability of this procedure.
If you’re considering getting PRP injection therapy, educate yourself on what’s available and speak to qualified practitioners. Ultimately, it should go without saying that PRP injections are extremely safe.
They have been shown to have many different benefits and are used to treat various conditions. As long as experienced medical professionals administer PRP treatments, the chances of side effects occurring are extremely low.
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