Thank you for your question.
You submitted your question without a photo but you’re essentially asking, is a Vampire
Facial®® that effective in terms of its relative impact in particular areas such as
subcutaneous fat as well as you want to know is it really enhancing the benefit of microneedling
or is it so-called overpriced microneedling.
Well, this is a very good question and certainly one that deserves clarification so that you
understand what the limits of this procedure is.
A little bit of background, I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial
plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years.
I’ve been a member of the Vampire Facelift® Network for many years and I’ve been a resource
for the media periodically whenever the topic of Vampire Facelift® and Vampire Facial®
arises particularly a few years ago wjen a famous individual got the Vampire Facial®
and it made a lot of news.
So I think you’re hitting a very important question by asking about subcutaneous fat.
I think that one of the challenges of communication with our patients as aesthetic physicians,
aesthetic surgeons are the limits of what you can do from the outside to help things
on the inside.
When people look at themselves, they see lines, they see wrinkles.
And what they don't necessarily appreciate is the volume loss that is associated and
underlying those lines and wrinkles.
It has been shown on study after study the significant loss of bone, muscle and fat that
characterizes facial aging.
Yet, the cosmetic industry is a multibillion dollar industry selling hope in a jar, basically
selling creams.
People believe in so many of the miraculous effects of creams.
Well also, close to that is the perception about facials.
Different kinds of facials are promoted and certainly the concept of needling is not new
starting with dermarollers and then to microneedling.
So what is the limit?
Well, the limit is the thickness of the skin.
And essentially, when you think of microneedling, whether you’re using it in combination as
in the Vampire Facial® which is micro needling combined with a topical application PRP, microneedling
is basically creating defects in the skin and it has been broadly categorized under
the umbrella of collagen induction therapy.
You injure the skin, you stimulate collagen, the skin texture and quality improves.
When you use PRP, it improves significantly more.
So there isn't necessarily an equivalence between not using PRP and using PRP.
In my own observation, the PRP expedites the healing and it is delivering of PRP into the
skin certainly is an advantage to helping skin quality.
Now you also asked in your question about long lasting.
When it comes to skin, there is always a strategy that has to be customized to the individual.
And that strategy typically has to do first with addressing particular concerns.
Wrinkles, discoloration and texture being the most common.
Then beyond that, there has to be a maintenance plan, something that will work with you in
terms of treatments in office and skin products.
Skin requires maintenance.
Now when you ask the question about subcutaneous fat, I think it’s more likely that you will
find a solution that addresses the foundation, the deeper parts of the facial volume loss
before you do something on the surface.
We can do things in combination.
It’s routine for us to do something such as Structural Volumizing.
Structural Volumizing involves the placement of a long lasting filler such as hyaluronic
acid in the Juvederm Ultra Plus and Juvederm Voluma family, placing it in the cheeks, the
jawline, the chin and creating essentially a lifting type of effect.
The same patient often needs skin care.
And so, they would benefit from a procedure such as microneedling, Hydrafacial.
There are definitely ways to polish the external: laser, Q-switch lasers, fractional lasers,
ways to improve texture of the skin.
And I think that a lot of people get frustrated when they try to do something that is limited
to working on the outside when the more dramatic effects or benefits can occur from the inside.
This doesn't only apply to fine lines and wrinkles.
We have patients who come in after having multiple treatments of acne scarring and by
placing volume in the cheek where their scarring may be accentuated.
By placing volume in the bone structure level, the acne scars look a lot better.
So I think it’s important to get a proper evaluation with a doctor who has extensive
experience and come up with a treatment plan that meets your needs and figure out how to
best allocate your resources and your time.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question.