What Are Vampire Facials And Other Vampire Therapies? A Doctor Explains

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What Are Vampire Facials And Other Vampire Therapies? A Doctor Explains


Vampire facials aren’t new—they’ve been around for decades. However, thanks to celebrities and media coverage, the microneedling procedure has gained more attention—and curiosity—in recent years. If this term is new to you, you aren’t alone. As it turns out, there are a number of vampire therapies that involve drawing a patient’s blood and injecting the platelet rich plasma (also known as PRP) back into target areas of the body to encourage healing and combat signs of aging.

Dr. Mel Schottenstein, N.M.D., M.B.E., MSCN, FICT, FSCT was kind enough to weigh in on the different vampire therapies and what to expect if you’re considering trying one. Dr. Schottenstein studied at Harvard University for her undergraduate degree and earned a Naturopathic Medical Degree at Bastyr University as well as a Master’s degree in Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Nutrition at National University of Natural Medicine. She has also completed numerous fellowship and certification programs and runs a regenerative medicine practice called MitoGenesis in Scottsdale, Arizona, which targets the repair and regeneration of Mitochondria. In short, she’s an expert on reducing and reversing the effects of aging and has been trained to administer vampire therapies in her practice. Here’s what Dr. Schottenstein had to share about everything from vampire facials to vampire breast lifts—just remember, this overview doesn’t represent medical advice.

Olivia O’Bryon: Vampire therapies are receiving a lot of attention and many celebrities are getting them—can you share some of the different vampire therapies available and how they work? Why are they so popular?

Dr. Mel Schottenstein, N.D., M.B.E., MSCN, FICT, FSCT: Essentially vampire therapies are specific injection protocols and procedures developed by Dr. Charles Runels, M.D., employing platelet rich plasma (PRP). These treatments are popular because recipients experience minimal downtime/recovery post-procedure and minimal pain (in most cases no pain at all) during the procedure. Furthermore, this is a regenerative treatment. It restores collagen, rebuilds blood vessels, and can decrease scaring.

Vampire Facial®: This is a microneedling procedure with PRP for individuals with tired, sagging skin, scarring, and wrinkling. This procedure will increase collagen formation, promote new blood vessel formation, and reduce scars. This is the procedure popularized by Kim Kardashian. This procedure is ideal for individuals who want to obtain a fresh youthful glow upon their faces. However, it is important to note that this procedure should be completed 2-3 weeks before that individual has an important social event, to optimize results.

Vampire Face Lift®: For this procedure, individuals receive focused injections of PRP with a hyaluronic acid filler (or other cosmetic filler) to restore facial volume loss and stimulate collagen. This is an excellent alternative to simply injecting filler, because the PRP will start regenerating the tissue, naturally building more volume and fullness. Due to the use of filler with this procedure, individuals can often see faster results. However, collagen building will take several weeks to months. This is ideal for the individual who enjoys fillers and would like to start regenerating his or her skin.

Priapus Shot (P-Shot)®: This is a series of 5 PRP injections into the penis. The individual receives a local anesthetic for these procedures. It can be used for erectile dysfunction, men with a curvature to their penises (to help straighten it), increases penile blood flow, and reduces stress urinary incontinence. Many providers combine this procedure with the radial pulse wave therapy known as Gainswave to enhance results. This procedure is ideal for men with erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, and decreased penile sensitivity.

O Shot®: This procedure comprises PRP injections in the body of the clitoris and intravaginally. Like the P-Shot®, women are locally anesthetized for this procedure. Women employ this treatment for sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness, lichen sclerosis, lichen planus, post-partum fecal incontinence, decreased ability to orgasm, and chronic pain (especially pain stemming from scars, episiotomy, mesh). This procedure can be enhanced by combining it with radial pulse wave therapy. This procedure is optimal for women with decreased sexual sensation, scarring, pain with intercourse and lichen sclerosis/lichen planus.

Vampire Hair Restoration®: This procedure involves a series of PRP scalp injections. Hair loss can be common in both men and women. This treatment helps with thinning hair and hair loss. It stimulates hair stem cells. This treatment is ideal for individuals with non-immune related hair loss. However, it is important for individuals to note that multiple treatments will be needed to obtain optimal results.

Vampire Breast Lift®: For this procedure, PRP is injected into the breasts to enhance fullness, repair scaring, and—if injected around the areola/nipple—increase sensation. This procedure is optimal for women who want a subtle increase in breast fullness, or individual post-mastectomy or breast surgery with scaring.

OO: What should clients expect to experience when they get a vampire therapy? Are there side effects? Are the therapies painful?

Dr. S: For each of the procedures, individuals should expect to receive an anesthetic that’s either injected or applied topically to the targeted area. Typically, individuals obtaining the P-Shot® and O-Shot® experience no discomfort. However, due to injection of PRP during these procedures, some can feel a “full” sensation post-procedure for 12-36 hours. With Vampire Hair Restoration®, it is possible to feel some discomfort during the procedure and scalp pressure post-treatment for 6-8 hours. The Vampire Facial® is typically painless if a topical anesthetic is performed. Finally, most recipients experience temporary discomfort with the injections during the Vampire Face Lift® and Vampire Breast Lift®.

OO: How long does it take for the benefits to show up from these therapies? How long do the benefits last?

Dr. S: This is an excellent question because it depends on the individual. Typically, people who are overall healthy with no other pre-existing conditions, and heal from injuries quickly, typically experience results faster within 1-2 months. However, I have found that individuals with other pre-existing conditions can take up to 6-months to appreciate benefits from the procedures when performed in isolation from other therapies.

Importantly, after years of performing these and similar therapies, I have found better and faster results by employing a combination of treatments beyond the standard Vampire® procedures. Because of this, I no longer offer the standard Vampire® therapies at my clinic. Rather, I have created my own customized protocols including platelet rich plasma injections (and in certain cases microneedling with PRP) alongside individualized peptide regimens, stem cell therapy, bio-identical hormone therapy, and, in certain instances, ozone therapy.

To obtain optimal results, one needs to look beyond these PRP therapies used in isolation. Otherwise, due to the complex health history applicable to most of the patient population, results will be notably slower and not as significant. At my clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, I offer customized programs for sexual and vaginal rejuvenation, erectile dysfunction and lack of penile sensation, hair loss, scarring, and facial rejuvenation. Every person is unique and deserves a customized plan to optimize his or her own recovery and results—not standardized programs designed for all individuals.

OO: What should those considering vampire therapies look for in a practice or practitioner before booking services?

Dr. S: It is important to evaluate the training of the licensed health provider performing the procedures. Has this individual received training in Vampire® procedures? Has this person completed advanced training in PRP or injection therapies? Does this provider have experience with stem cell therapies and understand how to enhance PRP? Does this health provider have ample experience and training in Bio-Identical hormone therapy? Does this provider have training an advanced understanding in the use of Peptides? Has this provider been trained in ultra-sound-guided injection therapies?

For the best results, your health provider needs training in a variety of modalities, and of equal importance, is the provider continuously updating their medical training/education. In most cases, dysfunction in the body is multi-causal and not simply isolated in the body. For this reason, a comprehensive, individualized care model is optimal.



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