Plasma has many purposes. For starters, those with leukemia need it, as do those who have received organ transplants to help keep the body from rejecting the transplant. It’s even helps in treating burn patients. 

Plasma donation must be scheduled. Plasmapheresis only takes place at certain American Red Cross Donation Centers, which is why it’s important to call to find out where plasma can be donated. 

In some places, plasma donations are compensated. In fact, the paying plasma market has grown by leaps and bounds, spawning wide debates about the ethics of this process. This is because the general process of plasma for pay has created an industry that many question. 

So just how big has this industry gotten? According to information published in The Atlantic, “plassing” grew from a $4 billion industry in 2008 to a more than $11 billion industry at the time of the article’s publication in 2014. That’s a huge leap. 

The choice as to which route you choose in the way of plasma donation is up to you. However, if you do plan to donate plasma, you need to know that plasma donation is different than routine blood donation in that it requires a special machine. This is why appointments should be made ahead of time. 

According to the Red Cross, this machine separates the plasma, red cells and platelets. It then returns the red cells and/or platelets back to the donor with the addition of saline solution. The actual donation process is said to take about an hour and 15 minutes. 

The donor's blood type is important. In the plasma world, Type AB donors are considered gold. That’s because they are what are known as universal plasma donors -- anyone can receive their plasma. (Only 4 percent of the population is said to have Type AB blood, so it’s rather rare. But anyone can donate.)