Medical Reports: Blood for Beauty

WSVN -- Blood-sucking vampires may rule the big screen these days, but now a blood-sucking procedure, nicknamed "the vampire filler," is the latest way to get a younger-looking face.

Dr. Julio Gallo, facial plastic surgeon: "This is for patients who don't like the idea of using something that is made from a lab."

Instead of using cosmetic fillers like Restylane or Juvederm to plump up sagging skin and smooth wrinkles, Dr. Julio Gallo at the Miami Institute for Age Management is performing a new treatment called "Selphyl" that uses your own blood to give you a beauty boost.

Dr. Gallo: "Selphyl is very exciting, because we use the body's own natural powers of healing."

Don't worry. There won't be any holes in your neck. Doctors simply take a small amount of your blood, then spin it around in a machine to harvest the best blood cells.

Dr. Gallo: "What we are isolating from the blood is the plasma, and in fact, the platelet-rich plasma. It's the cells that contain a lot of growth factors that stimulate the body to regenerate, to heal, to make more collagen."

It's then mixed with calcium chloride and injected into the patient's face. It can be injected into all the same problem areas on your face as regular cosmetic fillers.

Dr. Gallo: "After we inject it, you see an immediate result. Over a period of three to four weeks, these platelets release all these growth factors that then stimulate the production of more collagen, fibroblasts, so the results actually improve over time."

Since it's from your own body, you don't have to worry about your body rejecting it or about allergic reactions, and you get more bang for your buck.

Dr. Gallo: "From one test tube, we're getting four cc's of product, where as with normal fillers, you're only getting one syringe or one cc. So you get to do a lot more with it."

Unlike a vampire, you won't look young forever, but results are expected to last about a year.

Susan Heeren recently hit the big 4-0 and wanted to refresh her face.

Susan Heeren: "I wanted to concentrate on my eyes, maybe fill up my cheeks a little bit and the lines here."

In the past, she has shied away from cosmetic fillers, but decided Selphyl was the right choice for her.

Susan Heeren: "I'm all about natural, so that's the reason I thought this was the right choice for me. It was very painless. The process is really, really simple."

She had the treatment done about six weeks ago and loves the boost she got from her blood.

Susan Heeren: "The immediate results are really good, then they dissipate over about a week, and then they continually start to plump your face. I feel like I look much more refreshed."

Diana Diaz: "The procedure will cost you about $1,000, which is less than most fillers, because you usually need several syringes."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Miami Institute of Age Management
Four Seasons Hotel, 3rd Floor Sky Lobby
1441 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131
(305) 624-0009