From "True Blood" to "Twilight," vampires are glorified as sexy, blood-sucking members of society. This may help to explain the growing popularity of "the vampire lift," the newest cosmetic surgery buzz that ABC and Bloomberg (and now The Mole) are talking about.
What the heck is the vampire lift, and how does it work? No biting is involved, but you will have to draw some blood.
Creative Commons/Flickr: drurydrama
Dr. Julie Woodward discussed the research, or lack thereof, behind this autologous blood plasma injection at the Cosmetic Surgery Forum in Las Vegas.
The Selphyl System, manufactured by Aesthetic Factors LLC, works by drawing a patient's blood and then putting it through a centrifuge to break it down into a platelet-rich plasma that is then injected into the patient's face, Dr. Woodward, of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., explained. The whole procedure takes about 30 minutes to perform, and is said to stimulate collagen production.
But before you call a blood dealing pharma rep, there are some things you need to know. For starters, using the system to fill a patient's face is an off-label use of the device. It is only approved for the treatment of joint pain, but the manufacturer is marketing it as a cosmetic product, despite receiving a warning letter from the FDA, said Dr. Woodward. She also noted that there are only 300 physicians using the product, and there have only been a couple studies on the treatment, all by the same researcher.
The latest manufacturer-funded study was published online at the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery in October (doi:10.1001/archfacial.2011.784). The four patient study found that "a substantial portion of patients treated clinically with PRFM [platelet-rich fibrin matrix] describe their skin as 'softer' after approximately 8 to 12 weeks."
In a New York Time's article ("Vampire Facelift: Smooth at First Bite"), Dr. Phil Hacek, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said that there are no scientific studies to back the claims made by the manufacturer. "This is another gimmick that people are using to make themselves stand out on the Internet in a real dog-eat-dog part of medicine," he said.
Dr. Woodward's advice: Wait for more evidence; multicenter trials need to be conducted to prove the safety and efficacy of the product.
A vampire bite may be a safer bet for now.