What is it?

PRP microneedling, or also known as a vampire facial, involves taking your blood then centrifuging it to get the platelets and plasma from the red blood cells. Then the PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is put on your skin and micro-needled in. It stimulates collagen and elastin fibers. Basically, it makes your skin tighter, brighter, and younger. Who doesn’t want that??

I went to The Spa at BHPS to get it done because I’m obsessed with increasing collagen since collagen production starts declining around the age of 25! Plus I’ve always heard such great things about micro-needling. Also, if the Kardashians do the vampire facial, it’s hard not to be curious about it!

Process

Since microneedling is basically needles pricking your skin, the first step is applying a numbing cream.

Then your blood is drawn. It’s then centrifuged for 15 minutes, so it separates the platelets and plasma from your red blood cells.

Then they extract your plasma and put it on your face. I’ve seen those dermarollers you can use at home, but the one Dr. Chiu used on me was way more intense. He could adjust the depth of the needles, which was great because parts of your face are more sensitive than others. The forehead hurts the most because the skin is thin, and the bone is right there. My cheek area hurt the least. Dr. Chiu was super cautious about making sure I wasn’t in any pain with the needle depth and adjusted as I needed.

After doing 1 pass, he showed me what parts he wanted to focus on more. So we did a second pass.

Overall, it was pretty quick. The numbing definitely took the longest.

Things to know before you go

Don’t use any blood thinners (like aspirin) before you go. Even regularly consuming fish oil may lead to increased bruising, but I was okay and didn’t see any bruising.

Your skin WILL be bloody. You don’t want to wipe the plasma off your face for 2-3 hours after to let it fully absorb, so plan accordingly.

PRP can even be injected into your skin like a filler!

Also, the great thing about PRP is that it comes from your own body, so you won’t have an allergic reaction or reject it. I’ve actually had special eye drops made with my plasma for my severe dry eye, since it helps heal your body. Athletes have used this to help with recovery from injuries too.

So, your skin will be red even after you wash off the plasma. It feels kind of like a sunburn, but that feeling and the redness will go down. I noticed mine was completely gone around the 36 hour mark.

Also, any acne that was about to come up will show up. But once that breakout clears, your skin will be clear and you will experience less breakouts later.

Aftercare

Your skin will be super sensitive, so it is absolutely imperative you wear sunscreen. I mean, you should be wearing sunscreen EVERYDAY because sun protection is everything. But especially for the 2 weeks after, wear a sunscreen of SPF 50+ and REAPPLY. Also, if possible, wear a hat to really protect your skin.

Do NOT use any acids. That means no AHAs or BHAs, like glycolic acid or lactic acid. The only acid that is okay is Vitamin C, which is ascorbic acid.

Serums will absorb really well, so during this time, use up your serums!! I used my good sheet masks.

No makeup for at least 24 hours. I personally would go longer than that if you can. Even if you’re tempted since your skin will be red, don’t do it. Also, don’t work out for 24 hours because the sweat can sting your face. I can attest to that, since I took a SoulCycle class at 9:30 am the next day. My appointment ended around 3:00 pm, so around 18 hours before the workout.

Skin will be very dry so use good moisturizer! I moisturized around 3 times per day.

My results so far

I haven’t even seen the full results yet since it’s only been 2 days since my facial. But I can already see that my skin looks so much better. People have already commented my skin looks smoother and more glowy! Again, WHO DOESN’T WANT TO HEAR THAT??

I can’t wait to see how my skin will look in 2 weeks! I love that Dr. Chiu wanted to schedule a follow-up with me just to make sure everything went smoothly.

While I can’t get a PRP facial all the time (as early as 6 weeks for the next one), I can definitely see myself getting one done for special occasions or whenever I see my skin looking really dull from not taking care of myself or my skin.

Let me know if you’ve tried a vampire facial or if you would!

-Grace