Vampire facials sound spooky but are actually quite the opposite. This intriguing treatment is a type of facial that uses your own blood rather than chemical products to enhance the tone and texture of your skin without surgery, side effects, or downtime. It is a popular way to naturally rejuvenate your face without filler treatments like Botox. The dermatology experts at The Aesthetic Clinique in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, offer such services to patients who want to enjoy healthier skin.
What Is a Vampire Facial?
A vampire facial is a skin treatment that combines microneedling with an application of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) to stimulate healthy cell turnover in your face and neck area. The PRP comes from your blood serum, which contains high levels of growth factors that can leave you with excellent results. The treatment gets its name from its scary, blood-splattered look and is highly advocated by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Bar Refaeli.
The red blood cells and serum from your body contain white blood cells and platelets, which can provide your skin with a boost of energy to increase elastin and collagen, which can help you maintain a glowing complexion. The growth factors in your platelets bring about hydrating and antioxidants to further enhance your skin’s properties.
How Does It Work?
During treatment, your doctor will begin by drawing blood from a vein in one of your arms to collect PRP. Next, he or she will run your blood through a machine called a centrifuge to isolate the growth factors and plasma from your red blood cells. Once your PRP is purified, it will be ready to be put back on your face.
Before having the PRP applied to your face, you will undergo a microneedling treatment, where your doctor pokes tiny holes into your skin so it can optimally absorb the PRP. These minuscule holes also create microchannels that stimulate your body’s healing process. When the PRP is applied to your face and massaged into these channels, your body will absorb the growth factors and start to produce new fibers that make your skin shine.
What Makes It Different from Microneedling?
While microneedling is generally less invasive than a blood facial, it is not always as effective. A standalone microneedling treatment uses a foreign serum rather than your own blood to improve the look and feel of your skin.
Depending on your beauty goals and skincare needs, the serum used in microneedling may contain substances such as vitamin C or vitamin A. With a vampire facial, you are essentially giving yourself cleaner cells that can help your skin grow and heal. Your body’s PRP is unique to you and cannot be recreated in any cosmetic product.
What Makes It Different From a Vampire Facelift?
Vampire facelifts also use your blood to make your skin appear less wrinkled, more elastic, and more firm. While a vampire facial combines PRP with microneedling, the facelift version injects plasma and hyaluronic acid filler into your skin. Vampire facelifts can take longer to perform and can leave your skin red for a few days after your appointment.
Who Is a Candidate?
The great news is that you don’t have to be a famous celebrity like Kim Kardashian to receive such treatment. Just about everyone is the right candidate for a PRP facial. Many patients opt for this treatment over a regular facelift, which can get expensive, be painful, and put you in recovery for days.
If you have sun-damaged skin or an uneven tone and texture, this treatment can immensely help. Your body won’t reject treatment because it recycles your own blood rather than using an external substance.
The only people who should avoid such treatment are those who have a history of blood diseases, such as clotting or bleeding. You should also not get a PRP facial if you have HIV, HTV, or any other immunosuppressive disorders. Facial cancer patients, anyone with a pacemaker or on blood thinners, and anyone who is pregnant should avoid this treatment as well.
How Much Does It Cost?
The price of a PRP facial can vary but will generally cost you between $900 and $2,500. Most patients require at least three sessions to achieve optimal results, each one spaced at least a month apart.
Compared to a vampire facelift, which can range between $1,500 and $2,500 (sometimes as high as $3,000 if you require additional filler), many patients appreciate the difference in price. Since vampire facelifts and facials are considered cosmetic procedures, it is highly unlikely that the treatments will be covered by your health plan.
Benefits of a Blood Facial
There are many benefits to having a PRP facial done. Here are just a few of the things you will be able to enjoy:
Improved Collagen Production
By the time you reach your mid-twenties, your body will naturally slow its collagen production, which means the onset of aging will start to become more prevalent. Unless you take action, your collagen production will continue to decline.
A vampire facial can help stimulate collagen production during the microneedling segment of your treatment by inducing skin cell trauma. Once your skin is penetrated, pre-existing collagen will start to heal your skin while simultaneously growing more over time, enhancing the quality of your skin.
Anti-Aging Effects
One of the most significant benefits of this type of facial is that it can help reduce deep folds, hollow areas, premature fine lines, and wrinkles. As your face naturally tightens after treatment, old skin cells and recycled and new ones are formed, thus eliminating the signs of aging as your skin smooths out.
Tighter and Firmer Skin
Since collagen is an active agent in tightening your skin, your skin will become firmer as your body stimulates new collagen growth. Even if you don’t develop fine lines and wrinkles, your skin can still start to sag, and a vampire facial can prevent certain parts of your face from thinning out. Many patients use such a facial to plump up their skin, lips, and cheeks without having to undergo invasive surgery.
Better Moisture Retention
When you have strong and thick skin, the deepest layers can retain moisture and are better protected from external irritants. This helps keep your pores clean and unclogged, which means your skin can react better to high-quality moisturizers.
Improved Skin Tone and Texture
Anyone who experiences scarring from acne, surgery, or traumatic injuries can benefit from a vampire facial. Likewise, it also works well for anyone with unsightly stretch marks, hyperpigmentation, or an overall inferior skin tone and texture. Just one treatment can provide you with astounding results.
Fast & Pain-Free Treatment
Although a PRP facial seems like a lengthy and painful process, each treatment is relatively quick and pain-free. Depending on the size and number of your treatment areas, a typical treatment will only take around 30 minutes to an hour. Before the process, your face will be cleansed and applied with a local anesthetic that will numb the treatment area, leaving you to feel nothing.
Long-Lasting Results
Some skin treatments only last you a few weeks before you need to go back and receive another. For example, a standalone microneedling treatment typically requires at least four sessions instead of two to achieve the same results as a vampire facial. As a result, you may quickly find that your time and money become limited.
The great thing about a PRP facial is that you only need to get one once or twice a year to enjoy its long-lasting results. You will begin to notice the best results over a period of two to three months, and the effects can last you for up to two years!
No Downtime
PRP facials don’t require any downtime, so you can immediately resume your usual routine. In comparison, standalone microneedling can leave your face with excessive redness for at least a week. The tiny punctures created during the microneedling process heal as quickly as they are applied.
Minimal Preparation
When preparing for treatment, you don’t have to take any extensive steps. All you have to do is wear sunscreen for one week before your appointment, drink 64 ounces of water three days prior, and do not wear any makeup or skincare product on your face when you arrive.
Treatment Expectations
What to Expect Before Treatment
Seven Days
For seven days before you undergo a blood facial, you should avoid any chemical peels, laser treatments, threading treatments, and waxing. If you take supplements such as Vitamin E, Vitamin A, garlic, cod liver oil, multivitamins, flax, and Gingko, you should discontinue for at least a week, preferably for 14 days. You should also avoid taking NSAIDs or any other anti-inflammatory medications, as PRP requires inflammation to work correctly.
Three Days to Day of Treatment
For three days before treatment, it is important to avoid topical products that contain retinol, retinoid, alpha hydroxyl acid, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid. On the day of your treatment, it is important to arrive with a clean face that is shaved of any hair so we can apply a topical anesthetic to prevent you from feeling anything.
What to Expect After Treatment
After you undergo a PRP facial, you can expect to skip over your usual skincare and makeup routine for a few days, as well as avoid sun exposure. To avoid interfering with the natural inflammation process, you will have to avoid anti-inflammatory medications and keep any areas of scabbing moisturized. For at least a day following treatment, you should avoid strenuous exercise and avoid having any pets come into contact with your treated skin.
After about four to five days, you can continue using your usual skincare and makeup products as long as your skin is not irritated. Any cases of dry skin will resolve on its own, and you should begin to notice results almost immediately. Optimal results will occur within three months, as it can take four to six weeks for new collagen to develop.
Schedule Your Consultation Today!
Vampire facials are a great alternative to plastic surgery or substances that claim to enhance your skin but don’t. If you are looking to reduce or eliminate acne scars, fine lines, uneven and dull skin tones, or varying skin textures, this treatment may be an excellent option for you.
If you are not currently satisfied with the condition of your skin, you might consider trying one of these treatments for yourself. Contact The Aesthetic Clinique in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, today to schedule your initial appointment. Our experienced staff will help you understand your available options and choose a suitable treatment that matches your aesthetic goals.
