I just landed in Hong Kong (yes, I wore a snail mask on the flight).  Am on my way to The Farm Spa in Manila.  Can’t wait.  Before I left San Francisco, I went to my sister’s office (she is a dermatologist) and tried the Vampire Facial (aka “Platelet Rich Plasma” (PRP)).  My friend also went with me to try it.  They take some blood from you and then spin it in a centrifuge in order to separate the plasma from the blood.  They then inject that into your face — first by using micro needles and then using a larger needle to target certain areas.  The platelets are supposed to contain growth factors to increase collagen, which helps the skin renew and rejuvenate — so less wrinkles and healthier looking skin (yippee!).  Don’t worry, the injections are not painful because they numb your face with numbing cream before they start the injections.

The vampire facial became really popular because Kim Kardashian tried it on her show.  I did it because the science behind it seems to make some sense and of course I trust my sister who recommended it.  My friend who did it noticed better skin texture and improved skin colour (less pigmentation) immediately.  I noticed some tightening the next day.  It takes around 8 weeks to see the full results and it can last for over a year.  The only down side with the procedure is that you are not supposed to wash your face for 24 hours in order to keep the platelets there.  No make up or any type of coverage either.  Don’t worry your face is not completely red (the plasma is a clear color), but you will have a bit of red marks from the injections, which will fade in a few days.

So, what do I think?  I think that you should try it.  For Asian women who have melasma (i.e., dark skin pigmentation), I definitely think you should give it a go.  This helps fade some of your dark spots and is better than lasers since that can aggravate the melasma and make it worse.  I also like the fact that this is a natural substance (i.e., your own platelets).  Anyway, why not try it?  Nothing to lose and it is kind of cool to say that you did a vampire facial!