According to legend, vampires can stay young forever. If you are beginning to see fine lines and wrinkles on your skin, you might be wondering how they do it. Since sun damage is a leading cause of skin aging, any skin care expert may guess that it has something to do with the rumor that vampires avoid daylight at all costs. But the science behind the trendy “vampire facial” suggests that there is a component of blood that can be frighteningly effective when it comes to rejuvenating your skin.
Platelet-Rich Plasma
Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is the key ingredient in vampire facials. Plasma is the substance that makes blood a liquid; it’s a mixture of water, proteins, hormones and other nutrients that carries all the different kinds of blood cells around your body. Platelets are one of these types of cells. Platelets are tiny — smaller than the typical red or white blood cells — but they play a vital role in clotting and healing. When you have an injury or a broken blood vessel, platelets flock to the site of the wound.
There, they stick together to form a solid wall of blood cells around the blood vessel, stemming bleeding and sending out signals to the surrounding tissues to begin the healing process. Platelet-rich plasma is formed when a small amount of blood is filtered so that only plasma and platelets remain — the result is a liquid containing a very high concentration of platelets.
PRP In Skincare
When your body detects a high volume of platelets in a single area, it assumes there is an injury and takes it as a sign to promote cell and tissue regeneration.
For damaged skin, the ability to harness this healing power can make a noticeable difference: the presence of platelets encourages the production of collagen and several growth factors, which are proteins that stimulate the regrowth of body tissues like skin and blood vessels.
Adding PRP into areas of damaged skin encourages regrowth of the damaged or dead skin cells, restoring volume to the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and bringing back a youthful new-skin glow.
No, You Don’t Have to Drink It
It might be called a vampire facial, but drinking PRP won’t do much for your skin since it needs to be added directly to the area of your body that you want to heal. During a PRP session, a small amount of your blood will be drawn and filtered — this ensures it is your own plasma and platelets going back into your body so that the procedure won’t cause a harmful reaction. The filtered PRP is then injected back into your body in the area you’d like treated using a targeted, micro-needle technique. The tiny injections may be mildly uncomfortable and cause a small amount of bleeding, but this fades within minutes and you will be able to leave your appointment and resume daily activities. Typically, PRP is injected into areas of the face, but some clients opt for treatments in the neck or chest to reduce wrinkling or sagging skin.
Is A Vampire Facial Right for Me?
Vampire facials are beneficial for anyone experiencing signs of sun or age damage to their skin. Wrinkles, skin laxity, enlarged pores or dulled texture can all be treated successfully with PRP. PRP sessions are gentle, safe and typically suitable for a variety of skin types and ages. Certain conditions may preclude you from receiving a PRP treatment, such as a smoking habit or blood-related health conditions or medications. To find out if you are eligible for a PRP treatment, talk to your doctor or plastic surgeon.
At Princeton Plastic Surgeons, we are proud to provide this highly effective treatment to clients in the Princeton, New Jersey area. For more information about PRP treatments with Dr. Adam Hamawy, call Princeton Plastic Surgeons today at 609-910-1114 and schedule your consultation.
