Not for the faint-hearted: Is this ‘vampire filler’ beauty treatment the secret to eternal youth?
It sounds like a storyline from True Blood or Twilight. But a controversial new beauty treatment promises to be the secret to eternal youth.
Nicknamed the ‘Vampire Filler’, doctors in Florida are using patients’ own blood to create a natural alternative to cosmetic fillers such as Botox and Restylane.
Harnessing a technique already used in emergency surgery to accelerate healing, Dr Julio F. Gallo, who pioneered its use as a beauty treatment, says it is a formula for everlasting youth.
Blood extracted from the patient is put into a centrifuge to separate red blood cells from the platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
The PRP is then used in the same way as a cosmetic filler, and is injected into the patient’s face to smooth fine lines and wrinkles.
‘We call it the vampire filler, because we use your own blood,’ explained Dr Gallo, who works with the Miami Institute of Age Management and Intervention.
‘We are harnessing the body’s natural regenerative powers by extracting the patient’s blood, and using it as a filler to plump up and heal tired and ageing skin.
‘It’s perfect because unlike Juvederm or Restylane, no patient can have an allergic reaction because it’s their own tissue matter.
At $1,000, the treatment is not cheap, but its effects last for up to 18 months – most fillers last six to nine months.
Patient feedback so far has proved positive. Susan Hereen, 40, from Florida, said: ‘I was in and out in an afternoon.
‘I heard about it online and I was always terrified of Botox – I heard that it hurt like hell.
‘The needle they used was really thin, and I’m not afraid of blood at all.’
Though the treatment is not yet available in the UK, Dr Gallo’s clinic says that it is already popular with Brits, who travel to the U.S. especially.
‘Vampire filler’ is not the only recent blood-related beauty innovation. Last week the Mail reported on ‘blood-cleansing’, or UVB Photo-biological Stimulation therapy.
The bizarre treatment, involves a small amount (50ml) of blood being extracted from the body and passed, via a tube connection, to a machine where it’s briefly exposed to UV light then redirected into the bloodstream.
The theory is, that when there is not enough oxygen in the blood, there is also a lack of energy in the blood’s cells which can lead to poor circulation. The treatment claims to not only energise you, but aid a host of medical and skin concerns, too.
However, not all health experts in the UK are convinced that UVB therapy can deliver on its promises.
Source: by Tamara Abraham and Jeff Maysh, 28th October 2010 at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-1324502/Vampire-filler-Could-beauty-treatment-secret-eternal-youth.html
