Clinical and patient – reported improvement after metabolic optimization and autologous platelet - based facial rejuvenation: a case report

Abstract

Response to autologous platelet-based facial rejuvenation is variable, and patient-related factors may contribute to this heterogeneity. In this paper is reported a caase of a patient with repeated poor response to previous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) procedures which improved after correction of selected nutritional and metabolic abnormalities and subsequent multimodal platelet-based treatment. A 61-year-old postmenopausal woman, smoker, with arterial hypertension and a history of breast cancer, had undergone five PRP procedures and several chemical peels without satisfactory benefit. Examination showed xerotic, atrophic, photoaged facial skin with solar elastosis, dermal laxity and rhytides. Laboratory assessment revealed borderline thrombocytopenia, low ferritin, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc and albumin, with elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone and C-reactive protein. After six weeks of supportive correction, two sessions combining injectable platelet-rich fibrin, PRP, microneedling and albumin-PRF were performed. At three months, clinical improvement was accompanied by FACE-Q score increases for Satisfaction with Skin (42–81), Satisfaction with Facial Appearance (48–79), Psychological Function (55–76) and Social Function (68–80). Clinical and patient-reported improvement followed correction of identified abnormalities and multimodal autologous platelet treatment. Because several interventions were combined, causality cannot be assigned to any single component.

Keywords: platelet-rich plasma; platelet-rich fibrin; facial rejuvenation; FACE-Q; case report