Vampire Facial Before and After: PRP Microneedling Results

The session itself is short.

The provider draws a small amount of blood — about 2 to 4 tablespoons, in the American Academy of Dermatology's (AAD) description — spins it in a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma, spreads that plasma over the face, and uses microneedling to help it absorb; the whole procedure takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

Our vampire facial guide covers the process, the cost and the risks in detail.

In the first days after, the AAD describes PRP's other effects as a bit of pain, bruising and swelling afterwards, tending to go away within a few days; the FDA's common-reaction list for microneedling devices adds dryness, tightness, redness, itching, peeling, bruising and bleeding among them.

We found no day-by-day recovery timeline measured for the PRP step specifically, so ask the med spa what its own patients experience.

On results, no study we found isolates what a single PRP microneedling visit delivers — the plans in the sources are series, and the AAD says dermatologists do not yet know the best number of sessions, spacing, dose or equipment for PRP.

The only controlled trial of a single PRP treatment in our sources is indirect evidence here: in a 2018 JAMA Dermatology split-face trial, 19 participants were analyzed after PRP was injected into one cheek and saline into the other, and dermatologist-rated photoaging scores showed no significant difference between the sides.

Participants themselves rated texture and wrinkles as more improved on the PRP side at 6 months — a self-rating of an injected, not microneedled, treatment.

Acne scars are the better-supported use in the research.

The AAD says microneedling with PRP for acne scars typically takes 3 to 5 treatments, performed every 2 to 4 weeks, and that studies found this plan can fade acne scars by 50% to 70%.

Even this is a group finding from studies, not a prediction for a particular scar.

General skin rejuvenation — the texture and fine-line improvement "vampire facial" marketing points at — rests on a different file.

The AAD calls PRP for skin rejuvenation an unproven treatment, and in its description most patients who get results have had 3 or more treatments, with full effects appearing within a few weeks to months and results that can last as long as 18 months.

The 2018 split-face trial's only positive signal was the participants' own texture and wrinkle ratings at 6 months; the dermatologist raters saw no significant difference.

Under the eyes, the honest answer is that measured evidence for this combination does not exist in our sources.

The FDA's authorized uses for microneedling devices are improving the appearance of facial acne scars, facial wrinkles and abdominal scars in patients aged 22 or older — the under-eye area is not on that list — and the FDA says the devices are not approved for delivering blood products such as PRP into the skin at all.

We found no study measuring PRP microneedling results under the eyes.

If a gallery shows dramatic under-eye change, ask the clinic what measured evidence stands behind it.

None of our sources marks a peak day.

The AAD's timeline for PRP: for the people who get results, full effects appear within a few weeks to months, and results can last as long as 18 months — a range the same organization attaches to a treatment it calls unproven, not an outcome promise.

The trial's positive reading — the participants' own texture and wrinkle ratings — came at its 6-month check, so the PRP question is a slow one in the data that exist.

The microneedling half runs on the same slow clock.

In the AAD's microneedling guidance — written for the device, not the PRP add-on — results appear gradually, full results usually take several months, results fade as collagen is lost, and a yearly maintenance session may be recommended.

One mix-up to avoid: the "vampire facelift" is a different procedure — PRP injected together with hyaluronic acid filler rather than needled across the skin.

Cleveland Clinic says the facelift shows plumping from the filler right away, smoothing from the PRP after about two weeks, and final results it frames as lasting about 12 to 18 months.

Those are a filler procedure's numbers; beyond the AAD's "as long as 18 months," we found no sourced month count for the microneedled facial.

Cleveland Clinic adds that researchers have not yet done extensive studies of PRP for facial rejuvenation.

For the device without the blood — what plain microneedling shows after one, three and six sessions — our microneedling before-and-after guide collects that evidence separately.

On this treatment, the results questions and the provider questions meet at sterility.

The AAD says the biggest PRP risk comes from how blood is handled: it must be kept sterile to avoid infection, and the facility should use transfusion-center-style checks so that you receive only your own blood.

The FDA adds that re-using a microneedle cartridge is unsafe even if it has been cleaned, and tells patients to ask whether a new cartridge is used for each patient and each session.

Put those questions to each spa near you, and compare whole plans rather than single prices — our how to choose a med spa checklist walks the full vetting, and our med spa laws guide covers who may perform treatments like this and how to check where you live.

Nothing on this page tells you whether a vampire facial suits your own skin; that decision belongs to you and a licensed provider who has examined it.