By Kelli Fuqua Hart
Ocala Magazine’s Executive Editor
Kim Kardashian made it famous on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and twitter. You may recall seeing her red-faced selfies, boasting about the amazing Vampire Facial she had just received. Sounds like some trendy west coast superficial hoax but in fact, the Vampire Facial and Vampire Facelift are bonafide procedures that have made their way east – and here to Ocala.
First things first, what on Earth is a Vampire procedure? In short, it is a “particular way of using injectable blood-derived growth factors, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or HA fillers and follow-up procedures to restore facial beauty and revive youth,” as written by Charles Runels, M.D., inventor of the Vampire Facelift. It sounds very complex but, although the medical research and evidence behind it is quite thorough, the process itself is quite easy.
To better understand the true wonder of the Vampire Facelift, I volunteered myself to put it to the test. The professional team at Medical Detective in Ocala, under the medical direction of Dr. Douglas Hall, welcomed me and made me feel at ease about the procedure. A careful evaluation with Sean Moore, RN, Aesthetic Injection Specialist resulted in answered questions and confidence about beginning the procedure. So, here’s how it works.
First, my own blood was drawn to fill three viles. These viles were then taken and carefully placed into a centrifuge where the blood was spun, separating out the platelets. As my blood was spinning, which took roughly fifteen minutes, Assistant Shelby Moore removed the makeup from my face, applied a thick layer of numbing cream and began the process of micro-needling.
Micro-needling has become a new wave in the advancement of aesthetics and beauty. This treatment constitutes a form of Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) and is also referred to as a non-ablative skin treatment. A derma-roller, a rotating wheel studded with tiny micro-needles, is rolled over the surface of the pateint’s face in an up, down and diagonal pattern. Basically, the small micro-needles puncture the epidermis and as a result, the skin perceives that it has undergone trauma and begins to naturally produce collagen to repair the wounds.
I’m sure at this point you are wondering about the level of pain associated with micro-needling? Thanks in part to the numbing cream and the fact that the size of the needles can range from .5mm to 1.5mm, it makes the pain comparable to that of an acupuncturist’s pinch. I was stunned how little discomfort I felt even after enduring pass upon pass of the micro-needle roller.
Once the entire surface of my face was micro-needled, Moore began the process of the “Vampire’s Bite” – injecting the platelet-rich plasma into areas of my face to include the cheeks, tear troughs, brow line, the chin and areas surrounding the mouth to include jowls and nasolabial folds. There are different benefits that come with applying in these specific areas.
PRPs placed in the cheek regions will lift the cheeks and contour, leaving the patient looking less tired. The fat cells in this region will enlarge and multiply, smoothing out the cheek. Likewise, the blood vessels here will multiply giving a rosy colored appearance in the cheeks.
Volume loss under the eyes can give the appearance of fatigue. Therefore, adding PRPs to the tear trough, the area under the eye, will add volume and in three months, appearance will improve drastically and naturally.
Just by making the chin look smoother, the whole mouth looks younger. Moore doesn’t ignore this area, but rather concentrates on it to improve the region around the mouth. Additionally, PRPs are inserted into the jowls to tighten loose skin and the nasolabial folds to add volume and give an overall smoother, younger appearance.
After all of the PRPs have been injected, Moore takes the remaining platelets and rubs them all over the surface of the face, allowing them to absorb into the punctures. Briefly, I sported a blood-stained face, but after a quick clean-up, I was out the door and ready to watch my face transition to a younger, more vibrant version of myself.
From start to finish, the entire process took a little under one hour. This is such a seamless procedure that it can be done on a lunch break. Following the procedure, other than having to wait until bedtime to wash my face, I experienced no swelling and had only two small bruises, both less than the size of a pencil eraser, on my jaw line. No ice or pain medication was necessary. And in four to six weeks following a procedure, results will be visible, lasting upwards of 15 months.
And vanity isn’t the only reason individuals are opting for this breakthrough procedure. The Vampire Facelift process is used for an array of medicinal, healing purposes.
Dr. Runels uses the example, in his book Vampire Facelift, of a seven-year-old who falls and scrapes their knee. Over the wound, a scab is formed. And like most children do, this seven-year-old picks at the scab, despite his mother’s warning. We’ve all done it. Remember the yellowish “goo” surrounded that wound? That yellow goo is your body’s platelets coming to the rescue of an injury and helping to heal it – to increase blood vessels and improve volume. It is these same platelets used in both the aesthetic and medicinal Vampire options.
For example, women who suffer from loss of breast volume can use this procedure to add volume in the cleavage area, essentially reshaping the breast “the way a good bra might.” Likewise, individual’s with stretch marks get beautiful results after applying PRPs through Vampire therapy.
The same PRP therapy can be used to decrease or eliminate joint pain. Through active living and the natural aging process, we run the risk of suffering from joint damage and subsequent pain. By reintroducing plasma rich platelets back into the body, at these joints, healing and pain relief is stimulated.
Likewise, this therapy can be used for Stress Incontinence and Sexual Dysfunction. The O-Shot and P-Shot Therapies improve sexual arousal, orgasm and relieve painful intercourse. Patients can expect greater stimulation, stronger and more frequent orgasms, increased sexual desire and decreased pain. In men, the additional benefits include rejuvenation of penile tissue and increased erection size.
From anti-aging procedures such as a Hand Lift and Hair Regeneration to overall improved body functioning, the PRP Therapies and patented Vampire procedures are changing the way we look at medicine and the way we look at ourselves – literally.
Treating patients in Ocala, Lake City and Jacksonville, Sean Moore, RN is the only licensed professional in Marion County who offers the trademarked, world famous Vampire Facelift and Vampire Facial procedures. The Medical Detective offer a variety of services to include Botox, Juvederm, Fat Melting, Body Sculpting, Mesotherapy, Nefertiti Neck-lift, Sclerotherapy, VI Peels, Flu Packages, supplements and much, much more.
For more information on any of the services listed or on the Vampire Facelifts and PRP Therapies, please call the Medical Detective at 352.804.0505 or email [email protected].
