Compared to many other scar revision treatments, PRP poses a low risk of side effects. The charts below show the chances of developing various side effects from this procedure.1 A very limited number of studies have investigated the safety of PRP for the treatment of acne scars as a stand-alone procedure, so the percentages below may change as more data becomes available.
Certain/Likely Side Effects (% = Incidence)
| SHORT TERM Pain* | up to 100% |
| SHORT TERM Bleeding/oozing from wound** | up to 100% |
| SHORT TERM Transient redness (erythema)† | up to 95% |
| SHORT TERM Swelling immediately after procedure (edema)‡ | up to 84% |
| SHORT TERM Bruising or swelling of clotted blood inside skin (hematoma) | up to 74% |
*Pain: Skin needling causes temporary pain or a burning sensation.
**Bleeding/oozing from the wound: Bleeding or oozing from the wound is normal after PRP and stops when a crust forms on the skin.
†Erythema: Mild skin redness after PRP is normal and usually disappears after 2-3 days at most.3
‡Edema: Swelling after skin PRP is normal and should disappear after 2-3 days at most.3
Possible/Rare Side Effects
| SHORT TERM Itching | less than 1% |
| SHORT TERM Skin peeling (scaling) | less than 1% |
| SHORT TERM Skin dryness | less than 1% |
Studies:
Only one clinical study has looked at the possible side effects of PRP treatment for acne scars.
- Study 1:
- Authors: Alam et al.1
- Total # of patients: 19
- # of female patients: 17
- # of male patients: 2
- Age of patients: 18-70
- Treatment: PRP, isolated plasma was applied as intradermal injection
- Duration of treatment and follow-up: 1 treatment, follow-up for 12 months
- Side effects:
- Redness (erythema): 94.74%
- Swelling (edema): 84.21%
- Bruising: 73.68%
- Itching (pruritus): less than 1%
- Skin peeling (scaling): less than 1%
- Dryness: less than 1%
Study 1: In a study published in 2018 in the journal JAMA Dermatology, Alam and colleagues performed PRP on 19 patients with photoaged facial skin. The patients received 1 session of PRP, and were followed up for an additional 12 months. While the treatment was generally safe and well tolerated, almost all patients experienced redness, swelling, and bruising. At the 12-month post-treatment follow-up, no residual side effects were observed.1
Systematic review 1: A 2018 systematic review published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology reviewed data from 13 articles that investigated the efficacy and safety of PRP use for different dermatological conditions. Researchers reported that PRP turns out to be safe with no long-term side effects. Most commonly, patients experienced transitory redness and swelling.2
Systematic review 2: Another systematic review from 2018 published in Scars, Burns & Healing looked into 20 papers related to the use of PRP for the treatment of acne scars. However, in these papers, PRP was used in combination with other acne scars procedures such as skin microneedling or ablative fractional CO2 laser. Researchers reported that PRP treatment can cause redness, swelling, or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in some patients, but it can reduce the number and severity of side effects of more aggressive acne scar treatments such as fractional lasers.3
References
- Alam M, Hughart R, Champlain A, Geisler A, Paghdal K, Whiting D, Hammel JA, Maisel A, Rapcan MJ, West DP, Poon E. Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for Rejuvenation of Photoaged Facial Skin: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Dermatol. 154(12), 1447-52 (2018).
- Hesseler MJ, Shyam N. Platelet-rich plasma and its utility in the treatment of acne scars: A systematic review. J Am Acad Dermatol. 80(6), 1730-45 (2019).
- Alser OH, Goutos I. The evidence behind the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in scar management: a literature review. Scars Burn Heal. 18(4), 2059513118808773 (2018).