By Bill Murphy, MD, Medical Director, Turquoise Springs Medical Spa 

If you wish to have a lush, healthy front lawn that is green and beautiful, then aeration is a must. Every spring, we puncture the grass and soil and deliver to the roots oxygen, water, and fertilizer through channels or cores from the surface down to the roots. We then add new soil with fertilizer, mixed with water, and grow new roots, a thicker turf, and a gorgeous green surface emerges to impress our neighbors and visitors to our home. 

Perhaps you have heard of micro-needling, laser resurfacing, the Vampire facial, or the injection of Sculptra or other collagen-stimulating substances to refresh or renew the skin, especially the facial skin. Why do we injure the surface or the sub-surface of the skin to create a more youthful, healthy appearance? The answer lies in the miraculous way our body is able to heal with stem cells and peptides and other natural healing serums circulating in our bloodstream. 

In our blood, there are cells called platelets. They circulate 24 hours a day, on patrol, like police officers looking for trouble to arise suddenly. When an injury occurs, chemicals are released at the site, which activate platelets to send out an “all hands on deck!!!” alert.  Nerves are activated, other chemicals like cytokines and tissue stimulating factors are released, and other platelets and cells called adult stem cells or Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC’s) arrive, which begin to heal and form new, healing tissue in the area. The tissue healing factors, cells, MSC’s, and platelets all contribute to healing and refreshing the tissue which has been injured. 

So how do we take advantage of controlled injury to make our patient’s skin more healthy, glowing, supple, and youthful in appearance? The workhorse of our spa is micro-needling with radio-frequency (Secret RF). We introduce small channels with tiny needles to the dermal layer of the skin with RF heat along the surface of the channel to alert the platelets to send out the signal. The magic begins at that point. The inflammatory cascade springs into action to heal, restore, and grow new cells, tissue, collagen, and thicken the dermal layer and brighten the surface of the skin. This works on all of the skin of the body, face, neck, arms, stomach, and legs. If you have heard the terms PRP, PRF, or Vampire facial, now you will know what the terms mean. Platelet-rich plasma or platelet-rich fibrin is merely where we draw your blood and spin it at special speeds in a centrifuge so we can concentrate the stimulating serums and platelets in your blood with and without fibrin. We can then use it as the fertilizer to put on your skin (Vampire facial) while doing micro-needling. Sounds like aerating your lawn, right? Thus, the title of this article. 

Micro-needling RF (Secret RF), Micro-needling (Rejuvapen), PRX-T33, Sculptra injections, Hyperdilute Radiesse, and Smooth and Barbed threads coated with Sculptra are ways to take advantage of the wonderful way your body can heal and turn back time. As a specialist in anesthesia, the procedure can be done comfortably and safely with topical anesthesia, inhaled nitrous oxide, or even an oral pre-procedure medication for your comfort. I prefer to see each patient for a consultation to discuss a customized plan that is best for you. No matter the age of your lawn, it is able to heal itself if given moisture, the right treatment, and the right nutrients. Your skin and your body are similar to your lawn. Call for a consultation, and we will decide together what is best for your maintenance plan. 

To learn more about Turquoise Springs Medical Spa or to schedule a consultation, call (210) 253-3313 or visit turquoisesprings.com