PRP: History & Development

Regenerative medicine is focused on developing and applying new treatments to support the body in repairing, regenerating, and restoring itself to a state of well-being by prompting the body to enact a self-healing response.

Hematologists, doctors who specialize in blood disorders, began to study the role of platelets in blood clotting. In the 1970s, PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, was discovered and refers to a platelet concentration that is generally considered to be twice the normal concentration in whole blood. Initially, this discovery was used to treat patients with thrombocytopenia, or a low platelet count.

Its development is closely tied to the advancements in medical technology and the understanding of the body’s healing processes. The use of PRP in clinical medicine started to expand into different medical fields for their crucial roles in wound healing and tissue repair.

In the 1980s, PRP began to be used as a treatment for dental and maxillofacial surgery, with researchers finding that it could help speed up the healing process and reduce the risk of infection.

And in the 1990s, PRP was used to treat muscle and joint injuries in professional athletes. Other medical fields that also have used PRP are cardiac surgery, pediatric surgery, gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, dermatology, orthopedics, periodontics, rheumatology, and ophthalmology.

Over the years, PRP has been used to treat a wide range of injuries and conditions. As our knowledge of the role of platelets and growth factors in tissue repair continues to grow, PRP will likely become an even more widely used and effective treatment option in the future.