Summary

People want to look better with as little as possible downtime. Although a quick fix is not possible for severe wrinkles, newer treatment options such as fractional lasers and fractional radiofrequency are available to slow down the aging aspects that affect the face, neck, décolleté, and the back of the hands. Vampire Facelift is a name for a non-surgical cosmetic procedure involving the injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from a patient’s blood back into multiple areas of the skin of their face to treat wrinkles and “rejuvenate” the face. Platelets have essential growth factors that, when secreted, handle tissue regeneration and rejuvenation, increase collagen production, recruit other cells to the injury site, induce cell differentiation and extracellular matrix formation. It has an anti-inflammatory effect that will speed up healing time and ease recovery time after resurfacing procedure. In a new approach, Prof uses fractional ablative lasers to overcome the epidermal barrier and increase topical agents’ penetration as laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD). Prof Moawad offers his patients a full-face fractional CO2 laser or fractional radiofrequency (FRF) to make tiny holes into the skin to overcome the stratum corneum to enhance PRP and /or nanofat. The results are doubles. You will enjoy both the rejuvenating effect of fractional skin resurfacing systems and the regenerative effect of growth factors and stem cells present in PRP and/or nanofat.

Most people of both genders choose to age gracefully. However, in the era of anti-aging medicine, the tendency is to turn back the clock and undergo some form of rejuvenation to reduce facial wrinkles, lines, and blemishes. For decades, the renewal of the face by surgical face-lift has been widespread. Today, more non-invasive treatments are available to improve the skin complexion of the aging face. This is because people want to look better with as little downtime as possible. Although a quick fix is not feasible for severe wrinkles, newer treatment options are available to slow down the aging aspects that affect the face, neck, décolleté, and the back of the hands. For decades the backbone of facial rejuvenation has been massage, facials, and Cosmeceutical including moisturizers, sunscreens, micro-dermabrasion, serums, and foundation cosmetics. Botulinum and dermal fillers have also become popular. Currently, available methods to rejuvenate, tighten, and resurface the face include radio-frequency, non-ablative lasers, IPL’s, and light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy.

Vampire skin rejuvenation is a name for a non-surgical cosmetic procedure involving the injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from a patient’s blood back into multiple areas of the skin of their face to treat wrinkles and “rejuvenate” the look. The term has become popular because it describes what we do when we use PRP for the face. We take a sample of your blood, filter out the red blood cells, and inject the remaining part – the platelet-rich plasma – back into the face, in much the same way as other dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane.

Science supports the use of PRP for the augmentation and regeneration of hard and soft tissues. This leading anti-aging procedure has the effect of potentiating your innate natural healing power and tissue reorganization potential. Vampire face-lift is a new approach, appealing to patients seeking a more natural method of facial rejuvenation and regeneration with your cells “Any patient concerned about using BOTOX or commercial fillers — but who is still worried about aging of the skin or lost facial volume, causing deep folds or wrinkles — can look forward to this new choice.” Prof. Moawad says.

In a novel approach, fractional ablative lasers or fractional radiofrequency made tiny holes in the epidermal barrier to increase penetration of topical agents as laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD). Prof Moawad offers his patients a full-face fractional CO2 laser or fractional radiofrequency (FRF) to overcome the stratum corneum to enhance PRP and /or nano fat injections. The results are doubles. You will enjoy both the rejuvenating effect of fractional ablative skin resurfacing and the regenerative effect of growth factors and stem cells present in PRP and/or nano fat. Ablative fraction-assisted drug delivery is a promising tool for the future of dermatology.

Is Vampire Skin Rejuvenation For Me?

At your first appointment, Prof. Moawad will take down a detailed clinical history and discuss any other medical conditions that may be relevant to this treatment. Also, our medical staff will need to check to see if you have recently used any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). Examples include Nurofen, Voltaren, Mobic. These interfere with platelet production by the bone marrow, so you must stop it ten days before this procedure. Persons with skin diseases (SLE, porphyria, allergies), cancer, chemotherapy, severe metabolic and systemic disorders, and abnormal platelet function (i.e., blood disorders) are unsuitable. Anticoagulation therapy and underlying sepsis exclude the use of PRP.

How Does Vampire Skin Rejuvenation Work?

The science behind PRP is fascinating. PRP has growth factors. Growth factors are necessary for wound healing, repair, and inflammation. Platelets have essential growth factors that, when secreted, handle tissue regeneration and rejuvenation, increasing collagen production, recruiting other cells to the site of injury, inducing cell differentiation, and extracellular matrix formation. When there is an injury within the body, platelets are attracted to the damaged location, where they start releasing the chemicals stored within them to help tissue heal and repair. These chemicals include PDGF (Platelet-Derived Growth Factor), TGF-beta (Transforming Growth Factor Beta), FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor), IGFs (Insulin-like Growth Factor types 1 and 2), VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), KGF (Keratinocyte Growth Factor), interleukins, connective tissue growth factor and possibly other growth factors, too. Therefore Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections help treat fine lines, wrinkles, décolletage, and the back of the hands. Although the precise role of fat or some of its components in skin rejuvenation is unknown, the results suggest an angiogenic action with the formation of new capillaries and the reorganization and formation of new elastic fibers in the dermis.

PRP Microinjections

The process of PRP injection takes about an hour from start to finish. We first take a blood sample from you. We take the equivalent of one syringe full of blood and withdraw this into a test tube. We place the test tube in a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the blood and separates it into its constituent parts. The centrifuging process takes 15 minutes. While we wait for the centrifuge to separate the blood sample, we apply the cream to the treated area. We usually apply EMLA or LMX cream to the cheeks, eye region, and sometimes the neck and forehead. We can treat the cheeks with one blood sample, and with two blood samples, we can manage the entire face. Once the centrifuge has separated the blood components, we can see the test tube with two different parts. There is a red part with the red blood cells, a separation gel, and a clear straw-colored fluid called plasma. At the bottom of the plasma layer, there is a “buffy coat” layer, and this has most of the platelets and white blood cells. The platelets are extracted from the test tube and are made ready for injection back into the skin.  At this point, the topical anesthesia has anesthetized the skin, allowing us to inject the PRP with relative comfort. PRP can be inserted into the dermis or brushed into the surface after derma-roller or microneedling.

Nanofat Microinjections

To perform nano fat injection, or mesofat, we use fat emulsion or platelet-rich plasma either separately or in combination, depending on the needs of each patient.  This can also be done in any facial region in which we want to nourish the facial skin. With a 23-G needle, we inject the emulsion mixture in the dermis 2 mm apart, each with a tiny droplet of the preparation. In the end, we applied antibiotic ointment to soothe the treated region. There can be some slight bruising after the procedure, and it usually takes a couple of weeks to settle. Applying cold compresses, elevating your head, and using arnica cream can decrease any swelling and bruising.