When you first hear about the Vampire Facial, you may gasp at the idea of using blood as a beauty treatment. But the truth is, it’s a lot easier and more beneficial than you may think. Have you seen those pictures of Vampire Facials in the social media world? Intense, right? The procedure is all the rage with celebs these days and you can catch several images of the fabulously famous rocking theirs around the web. All the fuss may be for good reason. The Vampire Facial might just give you a glow that Edward Cullen himself would envy. Using platelets from your own blood, a Vampire Facial treatment can boost your body’s ability to make collagen and elastin, leaving your face with a smoother complexion. Do you think the Vampire Facial might be just the right blend of mystery and intrigue to work for you? Let’s find out more about this treatment and just why it coined the name, The Vampire Facial.
HARNESSING YOUR BODY’S OWN POWER
Even from ancient times, using blood to treat illnesses has always been an area of great interest. From the mistakes of the past when bleeding was oftentimes dangerously and unnecessarily encouraged, to the modern innovations made with life-saving blood transfusions to the excitement of saving a newborn’s cord blood, the blood in our bodies is a remarkable thing. And no one wants to think about the original Countess Dracula who bathed in blood to keep herself young and beautiful. Scientists today think she may have suffered from extreme anemia. Scary right? Thank Goodness for vitamins! Your blood is actually brimming with a ton of red and white blood cells and rich platelets all the contribute to making your skin look full and healthy. Inside your blood, you also have a liquid known as plasma where the red and white blood cells, proteins and platelets live. Platelets actually contain high concentrations of growth factors that help the blood to clot or help the body heal once it’s been injured. There’s a new process that has emerged lately known as PRP or platelet-rich plasma treatments which centers on the idea of harnessing your own blood to then treat yourself with the brimming benefits of that blood. Though it can be used as a lone treatment, PRP is especially effective when used in combination with other beauty treatments like micro-needling or treatments with hyaluronic acid or dermabrasion, like during a Vampire Facial.
GOING COUNTESS
So how is it possible to draw out this super plasma from the rest of your blood? When you arrive for your treatment, you’ll start by having your blood drawn. Then, your platelets will be separated from the blood using a differential centrifugation process that concentrates the platelets and growth factors into a concentrated plasm that is added back into the blood. It’s kind-of like the best kind of mixed cocktail! Just like you can’t really get a good mix without a blender, the centrifugation process is important for making the PRP as potent as possible. In fact, the process increases your platelet count to around a million platelets. Once ready and added back into your blood, you’re ready for your first Vampire Facial experience. It only takes about ten minutes or so to complete the centrifuge process. Next, your doctor will usually perform a micro-needling or dermabrasion technique on your face that will allow your PRP to penetrate deep within your skin. The concentrated PRP is then applied to the skin. You can’t wear makeup for a couple of days after the procedure and you’ll want to make sure you wear sunscreen after the procedure as your skin will be extremely sensitive. Until it fully heals, your face may look like you have a sunburn. Once you heal, it’s possible to resume all previous activities, just with a smoother, plumper face. To get the maximum results possible, you’ll want to do around three treatments and remember to space out your treatments by about one month each.
FROM PLAIN JANE TO VAMPIRESS-THE BEAUTIFUL AFTERMATH
By adding this rich PRP to your skin, you can expect to see the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles and an energy boost in the production of collagen and elastin at the cellular level. You may notice the exciting benefits that happen after treatment. One of the most exciting parts about the post-procedure is that your results go on to last several months after your last completed treatment in the series. For instance, your skin may continue to promote skin rejuvenation and you may also notice a boost in collagen production where the treatment was applied. For some of us, it can be a scary idea to have your blood drawn and then applied to your face. I mean, some of us get woozy at the slightest cut. But the procedure is actually quite safe, relatively quick and the recovery time is minimal. The worst you’ll expect to feel is the prick of getting your blood drawn and the sensation of the micro-needling. For some, the benefits of the procedure far outweigh the idea of the blood that goes along with the process. If you’ve seen fine lines and wrinkles on your face, have some signs of premature aging or have sun damage, this could be a win/win treatment plan for you. If you’re worried about how the procedure may go or if you need more information to make a decision, your dermatologist can answer all of your questions and calm your worries about this fun and innovative new technique to skin rejuvenation.
Vampire facials are an entirely safe and exciting facial procedure to consider, especially if you’re looking for a treatment that has little downtime and longer results than other procedures. If you’re a little scared to go full vampire, try to tell yourself that the actual process of using PRP to heal skin wounds actually dates back decades when the technique was first used to help athletes recover from a bad injury and then later to assist in the treatment of wounds from burns. PRP treatments are a great example of how technology is emerging that allows our own bodies to help heal and improve our own skin. That’s exciting news! So whether you feel like grammin’ your selfie all over the world wide web or just keeping your Vampire Facial a well-kept hidden secret, adding the routine to your beauty regimen can boost results that stop the signs of premature aging and wrinkles and help give your face the plumped up look that everyone-whether vampire or human-really, really craves. No fangs required!
