Anyone considering PRP therapy quickly encounters a crucial question: Should PRP tubes be used with or without a separating gel? At first glance, the separating gel seems to be a practical solution for efficiently separating blood components. But a closer look reveals that tubes without a separating gel often offer better quality and more control – especially when it comes to medical-aesthetic applications.
What is release gel anyway?
Separating gel is a viscous substance used in many PRP tubes. During centrifugation, the gel forms a physical barrier between the red blood cells and the plasma, creating a barrier that prevents the fractions from mixing again after centrifugation. The idea behind this is clear: to simplify the application and make the collection process cleaner. However, this supposed convenience also comes with serious drawbacks.
Why tubes with separating gel should be viewed critically
As useful as the gel appears at first glance, it is problematic upon closer inspection – especially with regard to the quality of the final product. Even though the separating gel is medically approved, it is ultimately a foreign substance that comes into direct contact with the blood. Especially in autologous therapies, whose major advantage lies in their purity and naturalness, any foreign substance poses a potential risk.
Another aspect concerns the effectiveness of PRP treatment. There is evidence that the separating gel can react with certain components of the plasma, particularly platelets and their growth factors. This can result in important regenerative components being bound or even deactivated during processing. The consequence: The extracted PRP contains fewer active growth factors and thus less regenerative potential.
There's also a practical problem: The separation gel determines where the separation between plasma and blood cells takes place. This means less flexibility for the user. Anyone who wants to use specific plasma layers – for example, to separate PPP (Platelet Poor Plasma) from the actual PRP or to individually adjust the mixing ratio – quickly reaches its limits with a gel tube. The risk of small amounts of gel being ingested during the extraction should also not be underestimated. In sensitive areas such as aesthetic medicine or intimate treatments, this can lead to irritation.
The advantages of separating gel-free tubes
In contrast, PRP tubes without separation gel work exclusively with anticoagulants and rely on precise centrifugation, giving the user full control over the separation line. This not only enables a customized plasma result but also ensures maximum product purity – without any additives.
Tubes without separating gel have proven particularly effective in areas where the highest quality standards are required. These include facial applications, such as for dark circles under the eyes or fine expression lines, as well as hair treatments and sensitive orthopedic applications. Separating gel-free PRP systems are also increasingly being used in intimate medicine – simply because patient safety and biological purity are top priorities here.
In addition, many medical users appreciate the transparency and traceability of working with gel-free tubes. Centrifugation can be monitored more precisely, phase separation is more easily controlled, and the result can be precisely tailored to the individual indication. This makes the procedure not only safer but often also more efficient.
Conclusion
While PRP tubes with separating gel may seem convenient at first glance, a closer look reveals the advantages of the gel-free version. Fewer foreign substances, greater control, and higher biological quality make tubes without separating gel the first choice for anyone seeking to apply PRP at the highest level. In a field that relies on the body's natural self-healing powers, it's best to consciously avoid additives and opt for a PRP system that guarantees both purity and effectiveness.
