The Vampire Facial, or the Blood Facial, is growing in popularity among those wishing to appear younger. (CBS4)
Reporting Lisa Petrillo
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MIAMI (CBS4) - Just this week on the reality hit show “Kourtney and Kim take Miami”, Kim Kardashian underwent “The Vampire Facial”, aka, “The Blood Facial,” a treatment done at The Miami Institute for Age Management with Dr. Julio Gallo.
“Kim Kardashian came in , She was a fantastic patient, kind and thoughtful to the staff,” Dr. Gallo said about his celebrity patient to CBS4’s Lisa Petrillo.
Angela McCambridge, A Miami makeup artist, booked an appointment with the center for the same thing.
“I was looking for a non-invasive procedure to combat the signs of aging. As we get older, gravity is not our friend,” said Angela.
First, Angela gets numbing cream to her face. Then, 2 vials of blood are taken from her arm. That blood is sent to a centrifuge where it’s spun for 9 minutes. The spinning separates the red blood from the yellow platelets. Dr. Gallo then uses his derma pen, an actual machine with 9 small needles, to puncture the skin while the platelet’s are placed on skins surface.
“The needles open the skin so the platelets go in. The growth factors within are released through the tissue to form collagen and elastic tissue, that heals the area,” said Dr. Gallo
During the procedure, Angela squirms a bit. As time goes on the treatment gets bloodier. When it comes to the forehead, where there’s much more bone than fat, Angela pulls the plug .
“Oh no way” yelled Angela, “That’s too intense” .
Dr. Gallo has his patient sit for a few minutes with a face full of blood to dry and tighten .
“The forehead was intense,” said Angela. “But with the numbing cream, the other parts were fine”.
Angela is then happily wiped clean, and left with pink cheeks.
“Is this a snake oil treatment or something that really works?” Petrillo asked Dr. Gallo.
‘There is controversy with this treatment,” said Dr. Gallo. “Is it the panacea for aging? No, or a replacement for a facelift? No. But, is it a good treatment for maintaining and looking fresh and new? It is.”
Angela will be more camera ready in 2 months as everything fills in. The vampire facial costs about $1000. For more info: www.miami-institute.com
