All You Need to Know about Vampire Facials
The so-called “vampire facial” is a contentious beauty treatment. Haven’t we seen several of those already? You can be sure that we’d still see more.
The Vampire Facial
Arguably, Kim Kardashian contributed immensely to the popularity of this procedure. The attention of many people was drawn to it after the American reality TV personality revealed she had it.
Some other celebrities have followed suit in their attempt to deal with signs of aging.
So, what’s the vampire facial all about and what are the possible risks that you need to be aware of? You can find in this article everything worth knowing for determining whether this is ideal for you.
Vampire facial and its benefits
It is possible that some people might wonder whether this hotly-debated beauty treatment involves drinking or sucking blood. After all, that’s what vampires are known for. Far from it.
The so-called “vampire facial” doesn’t require you ingesting blood at all. Rather, it is a procedure that involves the injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into your skin.
As you may be able to recall from your biology class, platelets are cells within the blood that help to correct damage to the blood vessels. They help to promote efficient wound healing by coming together to form a clot. At the same time, they facilitate tissue growth.
The foregoing basically explains why platelet-rich plasma is commonly used in regenerative medicine. It contains a high amount of growth factors – more than 30 different kinds. These growth factors are quite helpful for promoting tissue regeneration.
Vampire facials rely heavily on these growth factors to do wonders. They help to activate powerful stem cells in the skin and so encourage tissue growth by “feigning” injury.
People usually turn to this beauty treatment for preventing or correcting the following issues, among others:
- Fine lines
- Wrinkles
- Pale skin
- Skin roughness
- Acne scars
- Chicken pox
The procedure is a contentious one, though. While there are those who advocate it, there are also those who have something negative to say about it.
Evidence of efficacy is rather conflicting.
How is it done?
It is possible that you are wondering where the platelet-rich plasma for this procedure will come from. Well, you will be the provider. The process, therefore, starts from the drawing of blood from your body, usually via the arm.
The blood is then put in a centrifuge and processed. This will help to isolate platelets from it.
These first steps take just about 10 minutes to complete.
After the highly-concentrated platelets have been obtained, the trained expert in charge of the procedure then performs microneedling or microdermabrasion. This makes it easier for the plasma to penetrate deep into your skin when it is applied.
Apart from helping to ensure that PRP goes deep into the skin, microneedling, on its own, is used to promote youthful appearance. It boosts the production of collagen in the skin.
From the description, it is obvious this is a treatment that can be completed on just a visit to your doctor’s office. Recovery doesn’t take too much time as well. The use of sunscreen is usually advised after the procedure.
What are the risks?
There is always risk of infection in any procedure that involves piercing or opening the skin in some way. The risks are usually greater when the treatment is supervised by persons who lack necessary training and expertise.
Common issues that may result from having vampire facial include hepatitis A & B and HIV infections. The nature of these mean you may also pass them on to your sexual partners.
Recently, a spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico was forced to close. It was feared that clients might have been exposed to infection at the center. The state’s Department of Health said treatment was provided in a manner that could encourage the spread of blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV.
There’s, of course, also the possibility of bruising from microneedling or injection.
Is vampire facial ideal for you?
You may need to cool it a bit if you have somehow come across people talking about this treatment glowingly and you’re eager to have it. The fact: it is not everyone that can safely have vampire facial.
If you have a history of bleeding disorders, you will do well to stay away from this treatment. Better still, get in touch with your doctor for advice.
The procedure is probably best suited to people showing early signs of skin aging, including fine lines and wrinkles. It can also work well for people desiring to improve the appearance and tone of their skin.
You may also consider it for dealing with significant skin damage by the sun.
According to the official website of the procedure, many people would fare better with any of the other options, including PRP injections alone, Botox or laser therapy.
What’s the price?
As with any beauty treatment, there is no specific price for vampire facial. This will differ from one location to another and between providers.
You should expect to pay any amount between $1,000 and $2,500 to have this procedure, according to Groupon. The average cost is somewhere around $1,500.
Do note that you may need more than one treatment session to have the best results, depending on your goal.
Caution is advised
It may be said that the regulation of vampire facial centers isn’t currently as strict as it needs to be. Medi spas offering the treatment are not subject to same rules. In some states, a doctor needs not to be around when the procedure is being performed.
This is why people who lack the right skills can treat people. It also explains why some centers perform vampire facial in a manner that encourages the spread of infections.
If you decide to have this procedure, endeavor to ensure you work with a trained, certified provider. The official website has a list of those. The spa involved in the New Mexico incident was claimed to lack proper certification and training.
Using a center supervised by a non-certified professional may constitute serious risk to your health. It could even lead to death.
Conclusion
Some researchers have found that the method employed in vampire facial can be helpful for skin rejuvenation. At the same time, the treatment has been observed to have no significant effect of any kind in some other studies. It’s not exactly clear enough to tell which group is correct.
But the mere fact that this beauty treatment could possibly help is enough to make some people to still want to give it a try. Many dermatologists agree that PRP may indeed promote youthful skin. If you wish to check it out, make sure you sign up with an expert certified to provide the treatment.
Also, you can consider using a potent HGH booster such as Somatropinne. That hormone (growth hormone) contributes to increasing the amount of growth factors in the body. This makes increasing its levels potentially helpful for skin rejuvenation.
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