What is a vampire facial? Extreme anti-ageing treatment loved by celebs such as Kim Kardashian, Bar Refaeli and Ferne McCann
The celeb-endorsed anti-ageing treatment costs around £750, but is it worth it?
IF YOU want to reverse the ageing process, you could give smothering yourself in blood a try.
The cosmetic procedure, which has been nicknamed the 'vampire facial', was made famous by Kim Kardashian. But what is it and how does it work?
What is a vampire facial?
The 'proper' name for a vampire facial is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy.
It's essentially a regenerative therapy, which uses nothing but the patient's own blood.
Platelets are tiny blood cells which play a crucial part in helping the body stop bleeding - as well as repairing damaged blood vessels and cells.
You could think of them as little powerhouses, which release proteins for growth when they come in contact with the body's tissue.
In PRP, a needle is used to draw blood from the client's arm. The blood is then spun in a machine, to remove the platelets.
The plasma from the blood is extracted, and spattered on the client's face using tiny acupuncture-style needles to rejuvenate their face.
Those promoting PRP say it should:
- Improve the appearance of wrinkles, scars and stretch marks
- Rejuvenate the under-eye area
- Tighten stubborn open poors
- Plump and volumise any area (e.g. cheeks) where someone might otherwise gets fillers.
Are vampire facials painful and are they safe?
Before any needles are injected, a local anaesthetic cream is applied to the face.
This should make the treatment relatively painless, although clients should expect any injections made directly into the lip border to hurt a bit.
Possible side-effects include puffy looking skin, mild itchiness for a day or two, and bruising around the eyes.
According to : "Bruising is reasonably common around the eyes.
"This is because the under-eye area is very rich in small blood vessels and it is virtually impossible to avoid them."
In July 2013, Kerry Katona added the vampire to her extensive list of cosmetic treatments and plastic surgery.
Unlike other stars, Kerry had a nasty reaction to the treatment - which left her with a bloated face and puffy cheeks.
She told the Daily Mirror: “I didn’t want to fall asleep because I was scared I would never wake up. My face was swelling so much I didn’t recognise myself.”
How much do vampire facials cost?
Vampire facials cost around £750 - and people don't normally see results for three to four weeks.
Those over the age of 40 are recommended to have three treatments, spaced four to six weeks apart, while younger clients may only need one.
The treatment takes around an hour and a half, and clients are advised to have a maintenance treatment one year later.
Which celebs have had vampire facials?
TOWIE babe Ferne McCann invested in a vampire facial, after going under the knife for a nose job in August 2016.
Ferne said: "I definitely worry about ageing.
"I'm moving in to my late 20s this year, so ageing is something that plays on my mind. You just have to take care of your skin."
She added: "Because of the anaesthetic, you feel hardly anything. It's a really good feeling. It feels like it's going to make you look amazing and do wonders to the skin."
Stunning Israeli model Bar Rafaeli has also had the treatment - ahead of her appearance on X Factor Israel.
Bar is also a fan of the liquid gold facial, a £400 treatment in which 24k liquid gold is smothered on someone's face in a bid to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
However, it was Kim K who brought the treatment into the public eye - after posted a scary selfie of herself smothered in blood.
Enquiries about the treatment have risen by a huge 56 per cent since she shared that now-notorious Twitter pic.
