A term afforded by Dr Charles Runels in 2010, Vampire facials have been introduced to the beauty industry by one of the most established and well-known cosmetologist Dr Deepali Bhardwaj. She performs the beauty treatment to make one’s skin supple and smooth at her clinic in Delhi called Skin & Hair Clinic.
Procedure
The treatment includes three steps:
Step 1: Cleansing of the face
Step 2: The ‘vampire step’ is one where the cosmetologist injects platelet-rich plasma fibrin matrix concentrate, prepared from blood cells of the one taking the treatment. This preparation takes three to four hours.
Step 3: Cleaning of the superficial skin and applying an antibiotic ointment all over the skin.
Safe and precautions
Dr Deepali Bhardwaj shares, “It is a completely safe procedure as it comprises of using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) of the one taking taking the treatment. The PRP, which is being injected, does not have any side effect.” However, she suggests a few post treatment care steps to her clients which includes avoiding the sun for the next two hours, not using a strong anti-ageing or de-pigmentation cream for the next 24 hours of the treatment. It is because the PRP injected at the multiple points, which leads to sensitivity of the skin and can react with the external agents.
Frequency of the treatment
One can take the treatment as per the stage of ageing and requirement of rejuvenation. She suggests that a 30 year old lady who is following a regular routine of sunscreen and night cream and has taken the treatment, can get it done after a year or so. However, if the someone much older is to take it, it’s perfectly fine to repeat the procedure.
Market demand
The exclusive treatment is gradually picking up and getting a good response in the market. Dr Bhardwaj says, “My patients are generally happy with it as they are mostly botulinum toxin connoisseurs and now they can feel that the amount of units needed has reduced. Hence, they are happy and usually don’t need the procedure for the next 11 to13 months.”
Availability and price
The actual cost of the procedure is Rs4,000 per ml of PRP. Generally, for laughter lines one needs 3 ml and for frown lines only 1 ml is enough. For a full face procedure, the treatment is priced between Rs25,000 to Rs35,000. “The treatment is available in most of the metro cities across India and I have been doing it since 2012 at my clinic in South Delhi,” adds Dr Bhardwaj.
