Medical Aesthetics
PRP in Calgary, and what Health Canada says about it.
Platelet rich plasma is prepared in the clinic from a small sample of your own blood and given back to you in the same appointment. Health Canada has not authorised PRP for any therapeutic use, and that is said here before anything else. Your care begins with a complimentary assessment.
Not an authorised treatment
Health Canada classifies PRP as a drug and has not authorised it. It has also not reviewed evidence on its safety, efficacy or quality for any therapeutic use.
Your own blood, same visit
A sample is drawn, spun in the clinic, and given back to you in the same appointment. Nothing is stored, nothing is sent away, nothing is added to it.
No result promised here
You will not find a promised outcome on this page, because nobody is in a position to promise one. You will get an explanation and your questions answered.
Assessment first
The first visit is a conversation. Lisa explains whether PRP is a suitable option for you, and the assessment is complimentary.
Read this first
What Health Canada says about PRP
Platelet rich plasma is a drug under Canadian law. It has not been authorised for sale, and the evidence behind it has not been assessed.
Health Canada has stated that it has not reviewed scientific evidence on the safety, efficacy and quality of PRP for any therapeutic use. What it permits is narrow, and worth knowing before you book anything anywhere.
- There is no authorisation
Not for skin, not for hair, not for anything else. Any clinic in Canada offering PRP is offering an unauthorised product. - The evidence has not been assessed
In Health Canada’s own words, the department has not reviewed scientific evidence on the safety, efficacy and quality of PRP for any therapeutic use. - What is permitted
A practitioner may prepare PRP from a patient’s own blood and give it back to that same patient within a single procedure, and is accountable to their provincial regulator for doing so. Manufacturing it, storing it or selling it is not permitted. - Why this is on the page
Health Canada has named misleading advertising of PRP as something it acts on. The clinic would rather tell you plainly than market at you.
How it works
What actually happens
01
The complimentary assessment
What you are hoping for, your medical history, what you take, and a plain explanation of where this sits. Nothing is drawn on the day unless you decide to go ahead.
02
The appointment
A small blood sample is drawn, the same as at any lab. It is spun in a centrifuge in the clinic to separate the plasma and platelets, and that plasma is injected back into the area being treated, in the same visit.
03
The days after
Bruising and tenderness at the draw site and at the treated area are normal and settle. You get aftercare in writing and a number to call.
What people ask about
The two reasons it comes up
Listing these is not a claim that PRP works for either of them. No result is promised on this page.
- Skin
People ask about PRP for the face, usually alongside a wider skin plan. Whether it is offered at all depends on the assessment. - Hair
People ask about PRP for thinning hair on the scalp. The same applies, and the same caveats above apply with it. - Not offered here
Joints, tendons and sports injuries are outside what this clinic does. That belongs with a sports medicine or orthopaedic practitioner. - What you will not be told
No success rate, no number of sessions presented as a guarantee, and no before and after photograph offered as typical.
Before you book
Things to tell the clinic
Any of these changes whether PRP is sensible for you, and all of them are asked about at the assessment.
- Blood thinners and anti-inflammatories
Bring the names and doses of everything you take, prescription or not. It affects both the draw and the treatment. - Any blood or platelet condition
Including anything diagnosed years ago that you no longer think about. - An active infection or a skin breakout at the site
Treatment waits until it has cleared. - Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Not offered. The assessment can still happen.
If PRP is not a sensible option for you, you are told so, and you are not charged for being told.
Questions
The ones that come up most
Is PRP approved in Canada?
No. Health Canada classifies PRP as a drug and has not authorised it for any therapeutic use. It has also stated that it has not reviewed scientific evidence on its safety, efficacy and quality. It is permitted only where a practitioner prepares it from a patient’s own blood and gives it back to that same patient in a single procedure.
Then why is it offered at all?
Because people ask for it, and because it is lawful for a practitioner to provide it in the way described above. What the clinic will not do is advertise a result for it. If that makes it less appealing, that is a reasonable response to the information.
Does it work?
Health Canada has not assessed the evidence, and the clinic is not going to fill that gap with a claim. Research exists and it is mixed. Bring what you have read to the assessment and it will be gone through with you.
Is it safe?
It is your own blood, which removes some risks and not others. Bruising, swelling, tenderness and infection at the injection site are the ones that remain, and they are gone through before you consent. Health Canada has not assessed safety for therapeutic use, and that is part of the picture rather than a footnote.
Does it hurt?
A blood draw, then injections into the area being treated. Numbing is used where it helps.
How many sessions would I need?
No number is quoted on this page. It is discussed at the assessment, with everything above in mind.
What does it cost?
Quoted at the assessment rather than here. The assessment is complimentary.
Visit us
Start with a complimentary assessment.
- Address
1861 17 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2T 5W3
View on Google Maps - Phone
(587) 353-6698 - Hours
Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30am to 7:00pm - Parking
Free street parking on the surrounding streets, two hours or more
