PRP and PRFM
Microneedling or injection
$699 to $850
Dr. Sabeen Munib, MD
Face, lip, cheeks, neck
Overview
PRP and PRFM Facial Treatment in Irvine
A PRP facial uses a preparation made from your own blood. Blood is drawn, spun in a centrifuge, and the platelet portion is returned to the skin either through microneedling channels or by injection. Patients usually search for this as a PRP facial, and that is a reasonable name for it.
At Spectrum, most of the injectable work uses Selphyl PRFM rather than conventional PRP. The difference is real and it changes how the material behaves, so it is worth understanding before you book.
This page covers the family. The two delivery methods have their own pages, because the decision between them depends on what you are treating.
Read this first
One Physician, From the Draw to the Skin
Platelet treatment is unusual among aesthetic procedures because the product is made in the room, minutes before it is used. There is no manufactured vial with a label on it. What reaches your skin is whatever that day's preparation produced.
So the handling matters more than the equipment. The draw, the spin, whether the material is activated, and how long it sits before use all stay with Dr. Sabeen Munib, MD. Nothing is passed to another person mid-process and nothing waits.
This is a legal boundary rather than a preference. Treatment with a blood-derived product is the practice of medicine in California and cannot be delegated to an esthetician under any supervision arrangement. Leah's scope covers facials, light peels and lash services.
The practical consequence is that whoever decides whether platelet treatment suits you at all is the same person who performs it, and has no reason to route you toward it when filler, a laser or nothing is the better answer.
0
7
15+
4.97★
One case, read closely
What Platelet Treatment Is Realistically For
Acne scarring treated with microneedling, PRFM and subcision by Dr. Sabeen Munib, MD at Spectrum Skin Clinic, Irvine.
Look at the texture across the cheek rather than at any single scar. Platelet treatment works on the quality of the tissue over weeks, so the change is in how light falls across the skin rather than in one mark disappearing. Subcision released the tethered scars; the PRFM was part of the healing that followed.
See All Results
How the treatment runs
What Happens in a Session
The same four steps sit behind every platelet treatment here, whatever area is being treated.
Assessment
Establish whether a platelet preparation is the right answer at all, or whether something else is
Blood draw
Start and finish the process in one visit, with nothing stored or carried between rooms
Preparation
Produce the specific material the plan calls for, PRP or PRFM
Delivery
Place the material where the problem actually is
60 to 90 minutes
Most of that is assessment and preparation rather than treatment time
PRP and PRFM Are Not the Same Preparation
Conventional PRP is collected into a tube containing an anticoagulant and centrifuged. What comes back is a platelet concentrate that stays liquid, and most of its growth factors are released in the first day.
Selphyl PRFM starts the same way, with blood drawn into buffered sodium citrate, then transferred to a second tube containing calcium chloride. That reverses the citrate and converts fibrinogen into fibrin, so the material polymerises into a matrix over roughly ten minutes.
Why the fibrin matrix matters
The fibrin is a scaffold. It holds the platelets in place rather than letting the whole payload disperse at once, which is the mechanical difference between the two preparations.
Laboratory work reports a slower release profile from the matrix than from liquid PRP. Whether that produces a better clinical result in any individual patient is not something the evidence settles, and we do not claim it does.
Selphyl is not anticoagulant free. Any description saying otherwise is describing a different system.
Choosing between them
What Each Delivery Method Suits
The preparation matters less than where it goes and how it gets there.
Combined approaches
What It Is Sequenced With
Platelet treatment is more often one part of a plan than the whole of it.
Candidacy
Who May Be a Candidate
This suits people who want to work on skin quality without filler or a neuromodulator, whether that means preferring your own biology, moving on from filler, or wanting texture and tone addressed rather than volume added.
It is not right for everyone. Active infection in the area, certain blood disorders, current anticoagulation and some medications make it unsuitable. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are handled case by case.
How Dr. Munib decides
What you want changed, whether the problem is skin quality or lost volume, your medical history, current medication and prior treatment. The preparation and the delivery method follow from that rather than from a menu.
Likely a good fit
Skin quality concerns, texture, early lines, under-eye skin thinning, and a preference for using your own biology rather than filler or a neuromodulator.
Where it is limited
It does not add volume, so a true hollow or deep fold is a filler conversation. Active infection in the area, some blood disorders and current anticoagulation mean deferring or declining. Results vary between people and are not permanent.
What happens
What to Expect
The two delivery methods behave differently afterwards. Microneedling leaves you flushed for about a day. Injection, particularly under the eye, bruises and swells for longer. Plan around that rather than hoping.
Risks
Risks and What to Expect
Autologous material lowers some risks and removes none of the ones that come from technique and handling.
Bruising and swelling
Common with injection, particularly under the eye. It settles over several days.
Redness
Expected after microneedling. Most patients look flushed for about a day.
Infection
Uncommon, and the reason preparation and handling happen in a clinical setting rather than a spa.
Results that fall short
Some patients see less change than they hoped. Where that is likely, it is better said before treatment than after.
Regulatory status
Devices that prepare platelet concentrates are cleared for blood separation. Use in facial treatment is off label. That is lawful physician practice and it is not the same as clearance for this purpose.
What the treatment can and cannot do is covered before the first session, in writing.
Why a physician does this
Preparing and handling autologous material is where avoidable problems come from. Dr. Munib does the draw, the spin and the treatment, so the material is never handed between people.
Devices that prepare platelet concentrates are cleared for blood separation. Use in facial treatment is off label. That is lawful physician practice and it is not a clearance for this purpose.
Aftercare
Cost
What Affects Your Cost
PRP/PRFM microneedling is $699 for a 90 minute session.
Under-eye PRFM using Selphyl gel is $850 per session.
Other areas including the upper lip are quoted at consultation, because the volume of material and the number of sessions vary with the area. A series is discussed rather than sold in advance.
Pay monthly with
What to expect
How Long Does the Result Last?
Change is gradual and cumulative. Most people notice it between two and six weeks after a session, and more after a short series than after one visit.
It is not permanent. Skin keeps ageing, and maintenance is a reasonable conversation once you have seen how yours responds.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
PRFM contains a fibrin matrix that stabilizes the growth factors and prolongs their activity, resulting in more sustained follicle stimulation and better results in some patients.
Yes. Because it uses your own blood, the risk of allergic reaction or rejection is minimal. It’s safe for both men and women.
Yes. It can be safely combined with Rx Hair (finasteride, minoxidil), exosomes, or AnteAGE Growth Factors to enhance results.
Typically 3 sessions spaced a month apart, with touch-ups every 6–12 months. Your provider will guide your ideal schedule.
Most patients tolerate the treatment well. We use numbing spray or scalp cooling to minimize discomfort.
They are related but not identical. A PRP facial, often called PRP/PRFM microneedling, usually refers to platelet-rich plasma used with microneedling or applied to the skin after microchannels are created. Selphyl PRFM is a platelet-rich fibrin matrix designed to hold and release growth factors more gradually. Dr. Sabeen Munib, MD recommends the approach based on whether your goal is skin quality, under-eye support, or hair restoration.
Yes, in selected patients. PRFM can be used as part of a skin-quality plan for texture, crepiness, under-eye hollowness, or post-procedure support. It does not add volume like filler and it does not replace laser or microneedling when those are the better tools for scars, pigment, or deeper texture.