‘Vampire facelift’ using patient’s own blood latest cosmetic fad

TEXAS - A clinic in Austin, Texas, is offering those who wish to regain their youthful look a new cosmetic procedure called the “vampire facelift”, which uses a patient’s own blood.

The procedure starts with a tube of blood being taken from the patient, and then spun in a centrifuge to separate platelet-rich plasma, or PRP.

“The theory is, by getting these platelets and re-injecting them into the skin, we get a cascade of reactions that release growth-factors,” WFAA quoted Dr. Michael Escobedo, who is among the few physicians in the country trying out the vampire facelift for facial rejuvenation, as saying.

Escobedo said that unlike other fillers, including Restylane or Juvederm, it takes just several weeks for patients to see the effects, as skin regenerates itself.

Results are reported to last two years or more, but that’s just part of the appeal for patients.

“With using platelets, it’s more natural. The body has a much more natural response where the body has some time to respond to the platelets that are injected,” Escobedo stated.

On the downside, this is not a pain-free treatment, and the skin is numbed before the injections.

Many experts in the field of facial rejuvenation say using a patient’s own blood holds promise for the future.

“It’s hard to say it’s legit because we just don’t have any information about it,” Dallas Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel, president-elect of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, said.

Kenkel doesn’t offer PRP because the treatment is unproven.

“I think patients need to be careful with what they believe, with physicians marketing certain aspects of their practice,” Kenkel added. (ANI)