Does a vampire facial (PRP) work against skin ageing?

PRP injections, made from your own blood, produce a modest but measurable improvement in skin texture and fine lines on the face. The improvement generally stays below fifty percent, yet patient satisfaction tends to be high. Several systematic reviews confirm this picture, although the duration of the effect remains unclear.

Skin thickness and elasticity respond best to PRP: 80% and 75% of studies in one systematic review, respectively, found significant improvement in these outcomes. Skin hydration, on the other hand, is little affected by PRP; two thirds of studies found no difference there. For pigmentation spots, people may be subjectively satisfied, but objective measurements in conditions such as melasma show no improvement.

A critical caveat: a small double-blind study (ten participants) compared PRP with plain plasma without platelets. Both improved fine wrinkles around the eyes, but the difference between the two was not statistically significant. This raises the question of whether the platelets themselves are doing the work, or whether the plasma effect already accounts for a large part of the result. The study was too small for firm conclusions, but the finding is relevant.

Combined with other treatments, PRP appears to perform more strongly. As an addition to fractional laser treatment, PRP speeds up skin recovery, and this is one of its best-supported applications. Combinations with microneedling or hyaluronic acid give positive signals, but the studies behind them are smaller and of varying quality.

A serious practical concern: there is no standard for how PRP is prepared. The concentration of platelets, the number of sessions and the method of administration differ from clinic to clinic and from study to study, which makes comparison difficult. Fortunately, safety is well documented: not a single study reported serious adverse effects. Because PRP is made from a person's own blood, the risk of a rejection reaction is minimal.