Vampire facial: The trending plasma skincare treatment

A vampire facial also known as Vampire Facelift, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Facial, micro-needling with PRP is a skin treatment that involves using growth factors and platelets from your blood to stimulate collagen and promote skin repair as a response to the body's natural healing process. The platelets tend to promote epidermal tissue replacement and due to their regenerative properties promote collagen and elastin formation

Dr Akanksha Sanghvi, Aesthetic Dermatologist and Founder of Oprava Aesthetics discusses the popular plasma skincare therapy with IANSlife. Continue reading to learn more about the Vampire facial.

What is expected during a session of Vampire Facial?

Sanghvi: The treatment procedure involves multiple steps. The first step is to take your blood sample like a simple blood test in specialised sterile tubes, all it feels like is a routine blood test. The tubes are now processed in a special equipment called the centrifuge, which rotates at a fixed RPM for a fixed amount of time that helps separate the red blood cells from the plasma in the blood. While your plasma is being processed, a numbing cream is applied on your skin, to ensure your comfort during the treatment.

After the spinning process, there are layers formed in the tube from which another process is attempted to derive the platelet-rich solution. The sampling process ends with plasma rich in platelets and growth factors that are extracted into syringes to begin the vampire facial. After cleansing and prepping the skin, the plasma is infused into the skin using various techniques: micro-injections, micro-needling devices, derma-rollers, or microneedle bottles.

Who can do Vampire Facial?

The vampire facial is advised for individuals with acne scarring and open pores. Over some sessions, there is a dramatic reduction of acne scarring noted. The vampire facial is the best way to start fighting early signs of aging and can be done around the age of 30 to prevent fine lines.

Vampire facial helps individuals look for a dewy texture. The reduction in open pores and improvement in skin elasticity makes the skin smooth and luminous. Vampire Facial helps increase the firmness of the skin due to collagen stimulation and improves skin hydration as well.

How long does the entire process take?

Sanghvi: It takes about 60-75 minutes for your session of a vampire facial.

What is expected after the session?

Sanghvi: Following the procedure, the skin looks pink to red, which continues to settle over the next 24-48 hours. There can be pin-point bleeding and slight bruising which is temporary and subsides over 3-4 days. The overall time taken for your skin to heal after your vampire facial session is 5-7 days.

The skin heals with a nice dewy glow with minimized pores and improvement of acne scars. There is a dramatic improvement in skin texture with a reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.

How soon can the results be appreciated?

Sanghvi: The results of the vampire facial are seen from the first session itself. After the first week of your session, after the skin heals itself, it starts to look brighter and tighter.

What are the benefits of HIFU?

Sanghvi: It minimises acne and scarring, opens pores, and improves skin laxity, photoaging, and texture. It also improves the appearance of surgical scars by promoting skin hydration, stimulating collagen formation, and treating skin discolouration.

How often can one do Vampire Facial?

Sanghvi: Vampire Facial can be done once in 4-8 weeks depending on the skin indication and age of the patient. Usually, it is recommended to do your first 3 sessions, 1 month apart.

What is the science behind Vampire Facial or PRP?

Sanghvi: Regenerative medicine is an interesting science that uses the regeneration of biological tissues using cells from one's own body. In the Aesthetic industry, the use of platelets and growth factors from one's blood has successfully helped in wound healing, collagen stimulation, antiaging, scar tissue revision, acne scar treatments, and hair regeneration. The process ensures a sterile, platelet-rich, and growth factors-rich solution that helps promote the survival, formation, division, and maturation of cells in the body as well as helps in the repair and healing mechanisms required for their existence.

The process of Vampire facial involves using these growth factors, and platelets to regenerate collagen and elastin by stimulating skin's natural healing mechanisms. The result is naturally stimulated anti-inflammatory and revitalizing mechanisms that occur at molecular and cellular levels in the skin. (IANS/JS)