What Is A Vampire Facial And What Are The Benefits

While flipping through Instagram, I ran into a post on Vampire Facials and thought WTF, which naturally prompted a little more investigation.  Keep in mind, I am not a health professional; I am sharing this as I was curious and wanted to share my findings. This post while it is educational in nature, it is also for entertainment. By no means is this MEDICAL ADVICE, so check with a medical professional for advice first.

The correct name for this procedure is called a PRP facial, and yes the process does involve blood, my goodness the things we do for beauty.  So how does this work, what is PRP and where are they getting the blood?

What Is PRP
PRP stands for platelet rich plasma.  The plasma, which is used for a PRP procedure, is made up from your blood, so no worries there are not any vampires involved. The use of PRP has been around but just within the last few years has it been implemented for cosmetic purposes.  Primarily PRP has been used for reconstructive surgery to help speed recovery. But now cosmetic dermatologists are using this platelet rich plasma to help repair damaged, aging skin as it can assist in the growth of new collagen and elastin for a more youthful appearance. Not only can this cosmetic procedure be used on the face, but it is employed in other areas of the body as well.

Other Areas Of The Body You Can Microneedle With PRP

• Neck
• Décolleté
• Arms
• Hands
• Stomach area
• Legs
• Back
• Spider veins

Benefits of Vampire Facials

• Improves the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles
• Evens out your skin tone
• Reduces appearance of pores
• Can help with healing scars and acne damage
• Help eliminate undereye issues like puffiness and dark circles
• Contribute to lessen the appearance of broken capillaries
• Ultimately giving you more radiant younger looking skin

Where Do They Get The Blood
The blood comes from you by drawing a small amount from your arm.  It is then spun to separate your plasma from your white and red blood cells.  This platelet-rich plasma contains a high concentration of stem cells and other growth factors which ultimately helps with the regrowth of new cells, giving you a younger looking appearance.

How Is PRP Microneedling Performed
No worries, unlike the image in this post it is not injected with a syringe like botox. None the less, keep in mind I am not a medical professional, so some of this information may not be a 100% correct, therefore make sure to check with your local cosmetic specialist for more details. But according to the local spa in my area, they first apply a topical numbing cream to the area. They use a micro needling technique that involves a series of tiny, very fine needles which are passed over the skin, creating micro-injuries which trigger new collagen and elastin synthesis as the skin begins to repair itself naturally.

The prepared PRP solution is applied to the treatment area before and after the micro-needling procedure to ensure that the PRP gets fully absorbed.

Why Does A Vampire Facial Make Me Look Younger
The younger you are, the more concentrated the growth factors your platelets have, but as we age our skin starts to droop and look less supple.  Additionally, as we get older, the production of collagen slows down; this collagen which is a protein production is what gives us firmer looking skin.  Hence with this PRP AKA Vampire procedure, they are reintroducing these growth factors into the skin with hopes it will help to stimulate your collagen production over time.

Final Thoughts
Would you try this? I'm not sure if I would primarily as I'm not convinced if it really works.  I would say one of the positives is unlike other facial rejuvenation methods that this procedure uses naturally occurring ingredients. (Hyaluronic acid which is a chemical normally found within our skin as well as our own platelet rich plasma)

So there you go, there is actually a VAMPIRE Facial.  See below the video I saw of Kim Kardashian which prompted this review in the first place.