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t m c » p u l s e | o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 26 Vampire Facial: Not that Bloody Kim Kardashian made this cosmetic procedure famous. How does it work? B y B r i t n i R . M c A s h a n Right: At Baylor College of Medicine's Aesthetics Studio, Sabrea Munz is treated under an LED light after a vampire facial. After numbing cream is applied to the patient's face, blood is drawn from the patient's arm. >> The blood is placed in a centrifuge. >> The centrifuge separates the platelet rich plasma (PRP) from other components of the blood. >> PRP is spread onto the face and a microneedling machine is used to pierce the skin and inject PRP to help boost collagen production. T he vampire facial got its first 15 minutes of fame when reality television star Kim Kardashian posted a dramatic selfie on Instagram directly after the treatment. Her face, which looked raw, was covered with tiny beads of blood. More recently, the elective cosmetic procedure made headlines again, after a client at a spa in a New Mexico strip mall developed an infection that may have been the result of unsafe practices. But in a sterile environment with trained professionals, the vampire facial—also known as a platelet rich plasma facial—can be an effective way to rejuvenate and smooth out tired or troubled skin. Kim Chang, an aesthetician and phlebotomist with more than 14 years of experience, performs three or four vampire facials a week at Baylor College of Medicine's Aesthetics Studio, located in the Jamail Specialty Care Center. "As far as what I can do as an aesthetician, this is my most effec- tive treatment," Chang said. "It can help with acne scarring by evening out hyper-pigmentation and it also helps with anti-aging in terms of reducing frown lines and marionette and then injects the plasma into the skin with a microneedling machine. "The microneedling machine is like a pen that has 12 micro- needles at the tip," Chang explained. "They go up and down on the skin, creating channels for the PRP to penetrate deeper into the skin. The punctures create localized trauma that, in turn, helps the lines. But it doesn't necessarily help with wrinkles. We can't help what is underneath, but we can help with the collagen and it's all about the collagen." The vampire facial involves injecting part of the patient's own blood directly into the face. Key to the treatment is platelet-rich plasma (PRP), the yellow-colored portion of blood that remains after red and white blood cells and other components have been removed. PRP helps blood clot and contains proteins that support cell growth. By stimulating collagen production, PRP helps rejuvenate aging skin by giving it more elasticity. Chang begins the 90-minute procedure with a deep cleansing of the face and the application of numbing cream. During the numbing process, Chang draws blood from the patient's arm and then places two vials of blood in a centrifuge for 10 minutes to isolate the PRP. Chang then removes the numbing cream from the patient's face, applies some PRP to the face VAMPIRE FACIAL AT A GLANCE