I have to admit, when Kim Kardashian posted a photo of her face covered in blood undergoing a “Vampire Facial” I had to see what this treatment was all about. It’s one of the latest anti-aging treatment trends we are seeing amongst Hollywood celebs today. The Vampire Facial gets its name because it uses powerful growth factors and platelet rich plasma (PRP) found in a patient’s own blood to produce and renew all of the healthy components of skin, including collagen and elastin. PRP cell therapy is used often in sports medicine to encourage healing and tissue regrowth after bone and muscle injury. The Vampire Facial applies the exact same principles to rejuvenate the skin and perfect for those who want to improve the color and texture of their skin
After trying the Vampire Facial at my favorite Honolulu MedSpa over a month ago, I have to share my step-by-step experience and tell you if it’s really worth the hype…
Honolulu MedSpa Treatment Room
Leilani, my lovely medical aesthetician started the vampire facial by applying numbing cream to my face. While the numbing cream was settling on my skin, she then drew blood from my arm, which was super quick and painless. (She’s also a registered nurse, so she knew exactly what she was doing!) Once the blood was drawn, it was then spun in a centrifuge at a fast speed to separate the highly concentrated platelets from the red blood cells.
Applying numbing cream on my face
Drawing my blood
My vial of blood
Centrifuge machine to spin blood and separate
PRP separated
Drawing PRP to be applied to my skin
With my face completely numb and the vial of my platelet-rich plasma ready to be applied on my skin, she wiped off the numbing cream and explained that there would be some discomfort with the micro-needle penetrating my skin. I have to admit, I was little scared and tense, because I didn’t know what to expect and the fact that I had to have numbing cream applied to my face, just solidified it was going to be painful! (Haha!)
Removing numbing cream
She started with the micro-needling and mentioned that the pen was going to be adjusted from .5mm to 2mm deep depending on the area of my face. I was actually surprised at how little it hurt while she was doing this. The only time I felt discomfort was around my mouth and it felt like a pinch. Micro-needling stimulates collagen production and creates thousands of micro-portals so that when the PRP is applied to the skin, it penetrates deep into the micro-portals where it stimulates blood flow and new cellular growth for up to three months.
Micro-needling machine
After the 50-minute treatment, I was nervous to see what my skin looked like, but Leilani explained that there would be redness for a few days and my skin would look and feel as if I had sunburn. When I looked in the mirror, my face was pretty red and my skin felt really tight and dry.
I was told not to put on any makeup for the rest of the day and the next day, just to wear a really light powder if I had to. After 3-4 days, my face was still red and was peeling a little as if I had a bad sunburn. I did break out into a cold sore and hear it can be common if you have a history of cold sores when you do the micro-needling, because it goes deep into the skin, but next time I will be taking an antiviral prescription. (If you are prone to getting cold sores, it’s recommended to take the antiviral prescription)
The treatment does take time to see results, about 4-6 weeks as collagen takes time to grow, but now I’m starting to finally see the results!! The texture of my skin is a lot smoother and my old acne scars have almost faded away! I was always so insecure with my acne scars, but now I finally feel like they have been diminished.
So, is this facial worth all the hype? After I got the treatment I was wondering if I should have gotten it, because there was some down time with this facial. I didn’t want to be seen for a week with my redness, peeling and my cold sore breakout, but after a month, I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. My skin is brighter, glowing, smoother, firmer and my acne scars are faded.
I definitely recommend this facial to anyone wanting to improve the texture of their skin, remove dullness, wanting a plump, firmer skin and reduce any acne scars. I would suggest doing this treatment when you don’t have anywhere to go for a week and a big event in a month to see the glowing results.
After results wearing just BB Cream (Amarte Natural Finish BB Cream Natural Tint- love this and so natural!)
The Vampire Facial is exclusively available at Honolulu MedSpa for those living in Hawaii.
*Thank you Honolulu MedSpa for sponsoring this post. All photos and opinions are my own.
