In the first of our expert blogs world renowned cosmetic, anti-ageing and hormone specialist; Dr Daniel Sister sets the record straight on “that” photo of Kim Kardashian and dispels a few myths about the so called ‘Dracula Therapy’, telling The Cosmedic Coach readers like it is, Dr. Sister doesn’t mince his words,
The photo of Kim Kardashian?, Oh yes, please set the record straight! It is a disgrace, a travesty, and utter nonsense! and the doctor who performed it should go back to med school (that is if he has ever been).
There has been a lot in the press about the use of Platelet Rich Plasma (otherwise known as PRP, the vampire facelift or Dracula therapy) as an anti-ageing treatment. Unfortunately much of it has been both negative and incorrect.
I have been working with PRP for over five years, I pioneered its use in the UK, and I have performed performed over 600 procedures and have lectured and taught doctors worldwide
I have previously explained how the treatment works, but now I would like to correct some of the things I have seen in the press since Kim Kardashian posted a photograph of her face covered in blood. I am happy to dispel some of the myths.
This treatment is not gory as depicted, so do not believe the hype! Yes, PRP does use your own blood, but it is not unsightly, painful or dangerous, like the photo above portrays
How does it work? I take a small amount of blood , only 20ml that is about the same amount as a blood test. I then place it in a centrifuge in order to separate out the red blood cells, platelets and serum.
The serum this creates will be a pale yellowish/clear liquid. I then inject this plasma back into whichever area requires treatment. It is the platelets that are important here as they release growth factors, which stimulate healing, skin repair and regeneration.
The needle I use is very fine, the ones I have seen in press photographs this week have been pink, which indicates a thick needle, totally not suitable for this procedure. I also apply an anaesthetic cream before I begin injecting.
Done correctly, this is a relatively painless procedure. Your face may be a little tender, but often patients return to work afterwards. Certainly by the next day they have no soreness or bruising.
You do not need the treatments very often. The Sun newspaper reported that patients are advised to have three treatments at four-to-six week intervals. This is not correct. Treatments twice a year would be sufficient to maintain the results.
It is not a new treatment! But it is one with medical substance, Dr Stanley Cohen and Dr Rita Levi-Montalcini first discovered the existence of growth factors in the 1950’s, this discovery opened the doors for PRP, and they were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize for their work.
More than 3,000 medical studies have since been published proving its effectiveness.
These days PRP is used in various fields of medicine including dental, orthopaedic, eye laser surgery, plastic surgery, heart surgery and, most commonly, to treat sports injuries.
The fact that the injections are autologous (from the patients own blood) with nothing-added means the use of PRP on sportspeople does not contravene anti-doping regulations.
Note: There are many names for what is essentially the same treatment. PRP (which stands for platelet rich plasma), S3, self-stimulated serum, vampire therapy (as it is often called in the USA) and Dracula therapy, a term my team and I came up with as a joke , which has now stuck.
Kim Kardashian’s photograph and treatment if she actually had one is a sad joke, and a publicity stunt more than anything else. One of the photo shows a syringe full of red blood, meaning it was not centrifuged, not prepared, and that the platelets were not activated. The plasma we use is yellow and must be without ANY red cells.
The plasma is not merely spread on the face but injected at different levels of depth depending on what and where we want to be active.
The way it was pictured on Kim Kardashian is an insult to all scientists, researchers and doctors who spend a lot of time working, studying, publishing and treating their patients. I have performed over 600 treatments without 1 drop of blood in my syringe, and I have trained over 100 practitioners to do the same.
Kardashians photo “treatment” has absolutely zero interest, and won’t do anything. Pure blood without centrifugation to separate the plasma means there are no active growth factors, therefore this has no real beneficial effect!
If you have any questions on this treatment, please get in touch, it is better to ask an expert than believe what you may have read in the press!
With kind thanks to Dr. Daniel Sister
*photograph of Kim Kardashian used is subject to copyright by license holder