Although still not commonly known in the U.S., ozone has been used in medical applications since the late 1800s, when physicist and engineer Nikola Tesla received a U.S. patent for an ozone generator.

Since that time, medical ozone has been used to treat a variety of conditions, from wounds and gangrene in soldiers during World War 1, to advanced cosmetic treatments available today.

Ozone often brings to mind the “ozone layer” in our atmosphere, which filters the sun’s radiation.   In its natural, gaseous form and in uncontrolled amounts, it can be dangerous to humans.  However, when used to treat disease or injury, medical-grade ozone is administered in precise doses under the care of a trained professional. 

When ozone is used in a clinical setting, it can increase the body’s oxygen supply and provide an antioxidant effect.  This, in turn, leads to healing at a cellular level.

Studies have shown ozone’s effectiveness in treating conditions including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, cognitive impairment, acute and chronic infections, arthritis, joint pain, and vessel plaques, among others.  Our experience with our own patients mirrors these results. 

Treatments can either be systemic, or target a specific injury.

Systemic ozone treatments include:

            Drawing blood which is treated and reintroduced to the body via an IV

            Injection into the muscle after mixing ozone and the patients blood

            Insufflation into a body cavity

Local ozone treatments include:

            Prolozone (joint and muscle injections)

            Wrapping an injured limb in plastic which is then filled with ozone

            Scar therapies

Topical:

            Ozonated oil, for skin and nail conditions

Lake Oswego Health Center has a long history of providing ozone therapies, and is home to the first certified ozone practitioner in Oregon.   To find out if this treatment might benefit you, call 503-505-9806 to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Winter Skin Rejuvenation Special at Lake Oswego Health Center

Skin rejuvenation treatments can minimize fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin laxity and tone, and decrease scarring.

“Microneedling leads to reorganization of old collagen fibres and laying down of new collagen, elastin, and capillaries leading to the effect of skin tightening. A significant increase in level of collagen type I, III, and VII, newly synthesized collagen and tropoelastin from baseline was observed after 6 microneedling sessions at 2-week intervals by El-Domyati et al.[25] This percutaneous collagen induction leads to an overall youthful appearance of the skin by reducing fine lines and wrinkles, reducing pore size, more suppleness, and elasticity.”

These results may be enhanced by adding a variety of additional oral, IV, and topical treatments.

We find PRP injections add significant results.

Talk to you doctor at LOHC to find out how your skin may benefit the most.

Winter special at Lake Oswego Health Center:

Gold package: This includes Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections, Microneedling with PRP, and 1 topical serum of your choice. 3 treatments with 1 treatment per month of PRP are $3960

Silver package: This includes microneedling with PRP and 1 serum of your choice. 3 treatments are $1,560.

Bronze package: This includes microneedling with 1 serum. 3 treatments are $840.

If you purchase a package, you can add 3 microneedling sessions with 1 serum for $1,080.

This is a 20% savings.

Packages are non-refundable and all appointments must be scheduled with purchase to receive the discount.

Serum options are 100% organic and include:

1. Vitamin C: helps to even skin tone and texture, nourishes skin, and brightens dark spots.
2. Hyaluronic acid: hydrates skin, stimulates collagen production, smooths fine lines and wrinkles.
3. Gold Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF): tones and firms skin texture, promotes cell regeneration, and helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
4. Collagen: helps to shrink pores, stimulate collagen regeneration, improves fine lines and wrinkles, and improves skin elasticity.
5. Azalea: antibacterial, reduces skin breakouts and balances sebum production.

During these treatments we use a topical numbing cream to make this a very comfortable procedure. There is little to no downtime needed.

We have other packages available for our hair regeneration, our far infrared sauna and the Bemer.

You can also purchase these packages as a gift certificate for someone to enjoy.

Happy Holidays,

Lake Oswego Health Center

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy involves injection of the patient’s own platelets for the cosmetic treatment of wrinkles or scars in the face, hands, and neck. Known to some as the “vampire facelift” (a term trademarked by Alabama cosmetic surgeon Charles Runels), it is less invasive than plastic surgery, takes about 60-120 minutes for each treatment, and offers improvements for up to 18 months.

To learn more about the role of PRP therapy in cosmetics, we interviewed Dr. Bridghid McMonagle.

Dr. Bridghid McMonagle graduated from Bastyr University and completed a residency at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) where she performed rotations at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) involving dermatology, gastroenterology, women’s health, and emergency care. She is certified in Ozone therapies, Wilson Temperature Protocol, LENS neurofeedback system, IV therapy, and has taken several seminars regarding bioidentical hormones, heavy metal chelation, neurofeedback, and injection techniques.

Dr. McMonagle was the first certified ozone practitioner in Oregon. She has trained extensively in ozone and PRP therapies. Dr. McMonagle has trained with Dr. Frank Shallenberger, Dr. Robert Rowen, Dr. Howard Robbins, Dr. Adrianna Schwartz, Dr. Lohadny and many more. The clinic offers the most extensive options in ozone therapies that we know of in Oregon.

LOHC: What is the rationale behind the use of PRP therapy to improve facial appearance?

Dr. McMonagle: A steady trend over the past 15 years has been for patients to seek less-invasive procedures for facial rejuvenation. PRP has been used by surgeons for many years to speed up soft-tissue healing from sports injuries as well as to treat burn victims and patients with severe ulcers. It is also used as an adjunct to implant therapy in dentistry. We have found PRP therapy to be very effective not only for joint regeneration and chronic pain but also for its anti-aging benefits.

PRP is now being used cosmetically to treat volume loss in the face, hands, and neck — particularly the thin, loose skin under the eyes and neck — as well acne scarring and stretch marks.

LOHC: By what mechanisms do injections of PRP restore facial appearance?

Dr. McMonagle: Platelets contain substances called “growth factors” that can help activate and rejuvenate cells in our body. Unlike fillers that use various synthetic substances, PRP uses the patient’s natural biology to address skin defects and volume loss, triggering production of new cells and collagen formation.

LOHC: How long does the procedure take, and how is it performed?

Dr. McMonagle: This cutting-edge rejuvenation can be 60-120 minutes depending on your treatment requests. Using our specialized PRP filler take more time.

LOHC: What type of results can generally be expected?

Dr. McMonagle: If we are using the PRP filler, results are immediate. The PRP microneedling technique will start to show effects over the next several weeks to months. Some patients report still noticing a difference after 1 treatment 3 years prior.

LOHC: What are the risks or complications?

Dr. McMonagle: Because this PRP filler and PRP is made from the patient’s own blood, there  are limited risks. Patients can expect some bruising.

LOHC: For what types of patients is this procedure most and least suitable?

Dr. McMonagle: Any patient who wishes to improve volume loss, fine lines, and textural changes of the skin is suitable for this procedure. It also appeals to the patient who is looking for a natural approach to volumizing the face and treating or reducing fine lines. Everyone’s platelets are different. Patients tend to see better results if they are already working with us to improve their health first.

LOHC: How long are the improvements maintained? If necessary, can the procedure be repeated, and if so, with what anticipated outcome?

Dr. McMonagle: PRP can be repeated, and better results are seen with a total of 2-3 treatments given 3-4 months apart. Patients can expect to see better results as they receive more treatments. With time, the results of PRP get better and better.

LOHC: How does PRP therapy compare with injections of filler, Botox(Botox® Cosmetic; Allergan, Inc; Irvine, California), or surgical facelifts?

Dr. McMonagle: PRP improves collagen over time, whereas traditional filler breaks down over time.

LOHC: What is your overall opinion of the role that PRP therapy should play in facial restoration?

Dr. McMonagle: PRP therapy is very promising in facial restoration. Results are optimal when patients receive a combination of PRP, PRP dermal fillers, and systemic ozone therapies.

Hair loss can happen for several reasons. Most commonly, it occurs as gradual thinning in both men and women as an unfortunate effect of the aging process. However, there are multiple causes for hair loss that are often overlooked.

At Lake Oswego Health Center (LOHC), the doctors performs PRP hair treatment. This is an innovative, nonsurgical procedure using the patient’s own plasma to treat hair loss in men and women.

Dr. McMonagle is a renowned Naturopathic Physician with more than a thousand satisfied patients all over the world and extensive experience in hair restoration. She performs PRP hair treatment, alone or in combination with other therapies, to treat hair loss. The doctors at LOHC are trained in cosmetic PRP and hair PRP.

What Is PRP Therapy?

 “PRP” is an abbreviation for “platelet-rich plasma.” Our blood is liquid plasma containing red cells, white cells, and platelets. The platelets are important for blood clotting, and they also contain hundreds of proteins known as growth factors that play an important role in healing.

To prepare platelet-rich plasma, a small amount of blood is drawn from the patient. The platelets are separated from some of the blood by spinning it in a specialized centrifuge. This concentrated platelets are then carefully mixed with nutrients to activate them causing them to release growth factors. The activate platelets are then injected into the treatment area to stimulate hair follicle growth. Research has shown this to work for hair thinning and even androgenic alopecia in men and women.

PRP Hair Treatment Procedure

The doctor will extract a small amount of PRP into your scalp with a very small needle. There is slight discomfort when using any needle, however most patients report minimal pain. The entire scale is treated and there is no recovery time needed. Some patients report a very slight headache afterwards that resolves in about an hour.

Who Is a Good Candidate for PRP Hair Treatment?

Ideal candidates for our PRP hair treatment are men and women with dormant hair follicles who want to reverse hair loss. This therapy can benefit people with thinning hair, a receding hair line, and hair loss at the top of the scalp and along the temples.

This procedure is designed to stimulate inactive hair follicles and reactive hair follicles that may be dying. Patients who do not have any hair follicles in the area may not fully benefit from this treatment. The doctors can evaluate your scalp and tell you if you are a good candidate for PRP therapy. There are additional treatments and testing that may also be warranted.

How Soon Will I See Results with PRP Therapy?

After PRP is injected into the scalp, it will stimulate dormant hair follicles and promote hair growth during the following few weeks. As your hair follicles start to react to the enriched plasma injections and begin functioning again, your normal hair patterns will gradually return.

LOHC’s protocol for PRP hair restoration includes 6 months of treatment with 1 treatment each month. During the treatment protocol patients usually see some fuzz beginning to grow. PRP hair treatments not only stimulate hair growth but also strengthen hair follicles. Our patients tend to notice a difference within a 1-2 months after PRP therapy begins.

Benefits of PRP Hair Treatment

PRP hair loss treatment has several advantages. It is a simple, nonsurgical procedure with little or no downtime that produces safe and reliable results. A procedure involving multiple injections takes only approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour and results in minimal pain and discomfort. PRP hair treatment enhances the growth of active hair follicles and stimulates growth of inactive hair follicles for beautiful, completely natural-looking results.

PRP Hair Treatment at Lake Oswego Health Center

In our society, a thick, full head of hair is associated with energy, vitality, and youth. Hair loss or thinning is among the most visible signs of aging. It can be a distressing condition and a cosmetic concern for men and women alike. The doctors at Lake Oswego Health Center can help reverse this condition for many patients with safe, nonsurgical PRP injections, alone or in combination with other therapies. If you have a receding hair line, thinning hair, or hair loss at the top of the scalp, call our office to schedule an appointment. They can tell you if you are a good candidate for PRP therapy and recommend the most appropriate hair loss treatment options for you