What Is A Vampire Facial?
You may have seen the images floating around on Instagram—a popular celebrity’s face spotted with blood. It looks terrifying, and it’s not Halloween makeup—so, what’s happening here? Well, it’s one of the latest skincare trends to sweep over the cosmetic industry and it goes by the name “Vampire Facial.” The treatment certainly looks scary, but popular celebrities like Kim Kardashian West have been swearing by its efficacy.
Understandably, you may have questions—and this article provides a detailed overview of the Vampire Facial.
What is Vampire Facial?
“Vampire Facial” is essentially a combination of two of the most popular cosmetic treatments—microdermabrasion and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment. If you’re not familiar with the two individual treatments, the following is a brief overview.
- Microdermabrasion is a skin-exfoliating treatment wherein fine abrasive tips or crystals are moved over your skin to exfoliate the uppermost layers of the skin while vacuuming out the impurities from deep within your pores. The treatment is popularly used to reduce the appearance of superficial skin irregularities, such as sun damage and acne scars.
- PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatment is a procedure in which components derived from your blood are injected into areas of your face to boost cellular regeneration and growth. The PRP is derived from your blood’s serum, which contains the growth factors responsible for cell regeneration. When PRP is injected into your skin, it helps your body generate collagen and heal itself.
As such, Vampire Facial is a combination of microdermabrasion exfoliation and the PRP infusion. That should explain the “Vampire” in the name—it involves extracting your blood, purifying it to isolate the platelet-rich plasma, and injecting that back into your body during the microdermabrasion facial.
What happens during the Vampire Facial?
The Vampire Facial starts with a venipuncture process wherein blood is drawn from your body. It might sound scary, but it’s actually no different than a blood draw for medical diagnosis purposes. After extracting the blood, it’s moved through a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma from platelet-poor plasma.
After isolating and purifying the platelet-rich plasma, we proceed with microdermabrasion. We exfoliate your skin with the abrasive tip and then slather the PRPs over your face with or without radiofrequency energy. The whole procedure concludes pretty quickly, and while it may look scary, it’s actually quite comfortable.
What’s the recovery like?
Patients emerge from the treatment looking red and sunburnt. It’s advisable to take a day or two of social downtime to let your skin heal properly. You should also wear sunscreen to protect your skin. The degree of discomfort and redness depend on the aggressiveness of the microdermabrasion.
How much does a Vampire Facial cost?
On average, the cost of a Vampire Facial is about $1,000 per session. However, it’s typically advisable to get about 3 treatment sessions for optimal results. At Acqua Blu Medical Spa, you can get a package of three sessions for $2450, so it makes sense to schedule all the sessions at once.
