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More and more people are now opting for natural products and procedures that don’t call for artificial, man-made drugs or other therapies. This wave has, however, also ended up calling for the introduction of the blood facial (or as some call it, the vampire facial).
This new beauty treatment – as tried by Kim Kardashian – has been approved by doctors as being an effective way of rejuvenating the skin and restoring its youth. Here’s how it works.
Doctors draw blood from the arm of each patient and then spin the sample in a centrifuge to separate out the tiny cells, platelets, release growth factors, and other proteins in the blood that help promote repair and regeneration in human cells.
Research has suggested that because platelets travel to injuries in the body to release growth factors for healing and recovery, platelet function can also be used in other contexts where healing and recovery are wanted.
This process of the blood facial is called platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP).
Once the blood is spun in the centrifuge, the platelets in the blood will end up being more heavily concentrated in blood plasma, as opposed to being less densely present in blood as a whole.
This plasma is then applied to the skin through a micro-needling process, allowing the platelets to go to work on the lines and wrinkles on a person’s face.
Various doctors have also suggested that because the materials used in this treatment are all natural and derive from a patient’s own body, there is a much lower risk of having adverse effects.
You can watch a video of the procedure here:
