If you type vampire facial into your search engine you’ll most likely come up with a ton of photos of women with blood smeared all over their faces, and you might be thinking ok, is the cosmetic industry based in science or sorcery?
The vampire facial is a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) cosmetic treatment that uses your own blood to not only rejuvenate the skin on your face but to also promote and stimulate healthy skin cell growth. Your blood is drawn and placed in a centrifuge to extract platelets and plasma, which can be administered back into the skin to stimulate this new cell growth.
Back in 2013, Kim Kardashian made the treatment famous when she and Kourtney underwent the procedure in an episode of Kim and Kourtney Take Miami, later posting a selfie on Instagram with blood all over her face. This was actually before we spun the blood to extract all the good stuff from it (hence all the bloody faces!). Luckily the treatment looks a lot different these days, and thanks to these advances, it’s more effective than in the past, too.
If you come in for a vampire facial today what you’ll actually be getting is microneedling with PRP. Perhaps unexpectedly, PRP is actually yellow or golden in colour, and not red. Think of it as a liquid gold facial 🌟
What is a vampire facial?
What has us so fascinated with the vampire facial is that we’re using elements from our own body in order to address common concerns, like the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin texture, the loss of skin elasticity, dull or lacklustre skin, sun damage and/or dry skin, amongst other skin concerns.
So when you come in for a vampire facial we extract a vial or two of blood from your arm, and as mentioned, we then spin it in a centrifuge to extract our liquid gold. It’s PRP that contains a number of amazing growth factors that allows our skin to function optimally. It turns over our skin cells, promoting new skin cell growth, stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, and also provides the skin with hydration and antioxidants. It’s truly magical, but based in real science.
The vampire facial is usually offered as a microneedling treatment with PRP so that we can penetrate the skin more deeply and effectively.
Can anyone get a vampire facial?
Pretty much. Because PRP is a substance from your own body it’s extremely safe and there is absolutely no risk of things like allergic reactions. Anyone who is looking to improve on the overall quality of their skin is an excellent candidate for a vampire facial.
That said, if you have a history of bleeding disorders, clotting, or any kind of blood disease this is probably not the treatment for you. If you have any questions or concerns about this, you can always come see us for a free consultation and we can discuss what treatment plan will work best for you, keeping in mind your goals and your medical history.
Does a vampire facial hurt?
No, there’s pretty minimal pain associated with the vampire facial. You might feel some discomfort when you feel a tiny pinch when we draw your blood, and some patients experience discomfort with the microabrasions from the microneedling procedure.
Overall, because we have some evidence that topical anaesthetic can decrease the effectiveness of a platelet-rich plasma treatment, we typically prefer not to use it in order to help achieve the best result possible. But if it’s something you want for your treatment, we can arrange that, too. We have patients who have gone this route who are totally happy with their results.
When it comes to how your face looks after treatment, any blood you may actually have on your face would be from the microneedling not the PRP, but this is very minimal.
Is there any downtime?
You may need to give yourself anywhere from 24-48 hours of downtime, but again, that’s from the side effects of microneedling not PRP itself. Your face may be red, or have tiny little bumps, and feel a bit sunburnt, but your skin will heal within a day or two and then you’ll really start to see the positive effects of your treatment, which will only improve in the weeks to follow.
How much does a vampire facial cost?
At MD Beauty Clinic we offer the vampire facial at $750 per treatment or $1950 for a package of 3 treatments.
Everyone is different, but we’ll usually recommend more than one treatment to start so that your skin can build up collagen and all the other amazing growth factors promoted by PRP. After that all you’ll need is one maintenance treatment a year to keep up your results.
If you want to learn more, get in touch with us! We’d love to meet you and help you find out if a vampire facial is right for you.
