Monday, July 12, 2010

Vampire Facelift


Yes, you read that right! Vampires are incredibly hot right now, and everyone wants a piece of the popularity it seems. ABC News is reporting there is a new product on the market called Selphyl that actually extracts the blood from your own body and is injected into wrinkles on the face and body. This product is being marketed in the same category as soft dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane. They claim that the results are comparable to fillers and can last up to 15 months. In addition to great results the price range is in the ballpark of $1,100 to $1,500 per injection.

At first I wasn't too sure if I understood what this product was....I mean they are just taking blood and injecting it into wrinkled skin....um, isn't that just going to look like a bruise? Obviously, the science surrounding this new product is a little more complex than that. Selphyl is prepared by drawing a patient's blood, separating the platelets from the red blood cells, blending the platelets with a fibrin mixture and injecting it to the area a patient wants to augment. It takes a few weeks to see the final results, so injectors are being told to overfill the area by 20% so the patient will have an idea what the final results will look like....the result "in the chair" will be a little larger than the end result. The mass appeal will be injecting a "natural" substance already found in the body.

Of course with any new product there are some concerns. Because you are extracting your own blood to create a small amount of product, this is not a good option for someone who needs to volumize areas over a full face....there simply isn't enough product generated. Also, blood can cause an "itchy" after after-effect and can also cause burning or discoloration to the skin. Selphyl is FDA-approved.

Although, we do not carry this product here in our office we do have a full menu of injectable options!! Give us a call and we can set you up for a consultation with Alix, PA-C. 212-288-9009.

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