Vampire facials are the newest rage happening on social media right now. You’ve all seen the pictures on Instagram or Tiktok of local celebrities with blood spattered all over their faces. It is not meant to be scary or Halloween makeup, instead it is something called a vampire facial which is one the newest skin care trends taking the world by storm. Although this trend may look scary, it is supposedly delivering major results. If you wanted this done, how would you go about getting it done and what is the process?
The name may be misleading though. Since it is called a vampire facial it is not done the way most would think, and it is done in broad daylight. The procedure consists of microdermabrasion followed by something called PRP injection. PRP is the main component of the vampire facial, and it is done using injections of the patients own platelets to accelerate healing. PRP injections for the vampire facial is prepared by taking samples of the person’s own blood and running it through a centrifuge to separate the blood. Blood is composed of 3 layers which include plasma, white blood cells and red blood cells. The concentrated platelets are then injected directly into an injured or damaged body tissue.
When this is injected the blood releases something called a growth factor which will begin to stimulate the number of cells that repair your body. Ultrasound can sometimes be used to guide the injection site to make sure it is being distributed to the most appropriate spot. Platelets being rich in growth factors act as huge energy boosters for our skin. This helps our skin’s elasticity since it increases collaged production, as well as hydrating the skin and bringing antioxidant properties. It can be injected into the skin like a dermal filler, or it can be used in conjunction with micro needling to enhance the penetration of the platelets into the skin. Some doctors have implemented using a form of radio frequency which is said to further improve penetration into the skin.
Recovery can range from one to two days before you are able to be out in the sun or in front of people again. Patients are discouraged from wearing any makeup since the face will be red from the microdermabrasion. The patients that are eligible for the vampire facial include patients who have had lots of sun damage, wrinkles or anyone who wants to enhance their skin with hydration to smooth out unevenness. Patients who have blood clotting disorder or have history of blood disorders should not seek this type of treatment out.
Not just for a vampire facial, PRP has been used in athletes and the average patient with tendon tears. It has been found in enhance patients that have torn rotator cuffs, Achilles’ tendon ruptures, tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfers’ elbow and even ACL tears. This is a huge advancement in science and the study of science. This innovative technique has huge potential for being the wave of the future, not just for anti-aging but also for healing the human body without surgery. Many doctors are beginning to implement this procedure in their offices because of the huge benefits they are seeing from their patients and the speed that they are healing from. One of the biggest advantages of this treatment is it reduces the number of surgeries happening on the daily as well as reduce the need for anti-inflammatories from patients who suffer from constant and severe pain and eventually reach for opioids. As we all know the opioid epidemic is a big problem. Since the injections are created from your own blood there is a very low chance of the patient negatively reacting to it.
The vampire facial strikes again but this time for hair regrowth. PRP has been increasingly used for hair loss and hair regrowth using the same technique. For hair regrowth PRP works in the same way as for the facial. The person’s blood is drawn, and the platelets are used because they are the first responders that arrive at the scene to promote healing. The growth factors from the platelets speed up tissue repair which with hair loss this could be due to damage from the hair follicles and the growth factors are able to repair those follicles. According to a study done of 262 participants that had androgenic alopecia, the PRP injections reduced the amount of hair loss and increased the diameter of the hairs as well as increasing the overall density of the hair strands.
The process in itself is not difficult and is the same as for the vampire facial. The platelets are injected directly into the scalp and may take up to an hour. In this case the patient can usually go back to their daily routines since the area will not be red.
The main people responsible for this treatment are going to be medical professionals that are licensed to draw blood and inject it back into the patient. This should be done by a doctor for best results.
The average price can run between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on how many treatments you need. In some cases, it can even go as high as $3,000. Most people need an average of 3 treatments in order to begin seeing results and if you want to continue this and make a habit out of it the pricing will change depending on your needs and your healthcare provider. Since the facial and hair regrowth are considered cosmetic procedures, they will not be covered by insurance so every patient will have to pay out of pocket for this.
The other uses of PRP including tendon regrowth and repair are mostly covered by insurance regardless of the frequency of treatments. Overall blood facials and PRP have increasing benefits and will be sticking around in the future.
