Thank you for your question!
You’re 25 years old and you’re considering a vampire facelift and you stated in your
question that you realized that you’re young but you want to do something to improve the
quality of skin which you perceive as dull but you’re question and concern is what
would happen if you did not maintain this procedure every 6 months and would it, in
some way, accelerate aging of the skin.
I can certainly assist you with this question.
A little bit of background, I’m a board certified cosmetic surgeon and a fellowship
trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in Manhattan and Long Island
for over 20 years.
I’ve been a member of the vampire facelift network of doctors for many years now and
I’ve actually been a resource for the media whenever the vampire facelift has been in
the news for a variety of instances including when celebrities had the procedure.
And so teach you a little bit more in terms of the details of what the procedure is and
what’s its effect on the skin if you were to consider doing this.
Just to begin with, I would say that 25 is a little bit young for a procedure like this.
In general, the vampire facelift idea is to address the changes that occur in the skin
and in the volume of the skin closer to the decades of the 30s and 40s where there are
aging changes that can be helped with this procedure.
To define what a vampire facelift is, it’s basically a combination of platelet-rich plasma
(PRP).
Platelet-rich plasma which is derived from your own blood is a concentration of healing
and growth factors that help stimulate collagen and the way it helps “dull” skin better
is that it stimulates blood supply and improves the elasticity of the tissue of the skin.
So the skin has a very nice glow.
It’s one of the most unique aspects of platelet-rich plasma that no other injectable can really
accomplish.
And the other part of the vampire facelift is the use of single syringe, 1 mL or 1cc,
of a hyaluronic acid filler such as Juvederm, Restylane and Belotero.
And that injectable filler is placed strategically in areas which there are some benefit and
it’s up to the doctor where that is and that is the vampire facelift.
So it might be that what you’re really interested in is just improving just the skin quality
because at 25, chances are you don’t have a volume deficit that is of concern unless
it’s genetic but rather, it’s just the effect of platelet-rich plasma.
Now when I talk to my patients about platelet-rich plasma treatment, there’s always a dialogue
about what the expectation are and what it’ll take to reach those expectations.
I always compare it going to the gym.
If you are going to work with a trainor, you have a certain expectation.
You don’t expect that you do one workout and then you reach your goals.
It takes a certain time to reach an objective.
Well, the same thing with skin.
Skin, especially when you get older, requires a certain amount of maintenance and yes there
is a certain consistency that is recommended in order to get the full benefit of platelet-rich
plasma that I discuss with the patient with a case by case basis.
But I can assure you that platelet-rich plasma injection, the aging process will not be accelerated
if you stop using it.
It’s not like a dependency.
It’s not an addiction; it’s not a chemical dependency.
It’s simply the effect of platelet-rich plasma, much of which has a certain degree
of permanence.
You know, the blood vessels that grow in and the collagen can last but it depends on where
you are in the aging process and the genetic and the other factors that are affecting the
aging process that affect the longevity of the benefit.
For example in our practice, for complexion improvement or for acne scars, we’ll have
the patient come in once every 3-4 months to maximize the effect of the platelet-rich
plasma.
In people who just want generalized healthier skin, they can do this twice a year.
So it really depends.
Again, it’s individualized.
For someone who’s 25, you may be over treating by trying to do something like this and you
may be better off with some type of glycolic acid facial, something like we do in our practice
called hydrofacial.
It’s a fusion or a process where it’s like microdermabrasion except with water and
with the infusion of glycolic acids so it’s a successful way to help get skin to get a
nice glow and that might be something straightforward that might be right for someone who’s 25
rather than getting into the injectable world where there is plenty of time for.
So my recommendation is meet with a doctor who does offer this vampire facelift procedure,
learn what you can and cannot do and I think you could also ask what are the alternatives.
I think it’s important to make intelligent decisions and find somebody you can trust
who’ll do the right thing for you.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question!