For skin that has become dry, discolored, plagued by acne breakouts, or wrinkled, even the typical skin products you’ve been using might not make much of a difference. To get the cosmetic results you want, you might need a more advanced type of professional medical facial to kickstart production of collagen and elastin—the two proteins responsible for giving your skin strength, a smooth texture, and youthful elasticity. Starting from as early as a person’s 20s, the skin’s natural production of these substances begins to decline. On top of that, our existing skin fibers are constantly worn out by sun damage, pollution, and other environmental aggressors. Microneedling at our Denver-area office can help.

Also known as collagen-induction therapy, microneedling involves using a handheld device equipped with numerous tiny and sterile needles to puncture the surface of the skin at a precise depth. These incredibly small punctures prompt your skin to increase collagen production over time so it can close the miniscule wounds.

At AboutSkin, we combine this treatment with platelet-rich plasma to optimize the results. This microneedling with PRP is known as a “Vampire Facial,” which Kim Kardashian made famous in 2013. Given that we’re coming up on more than a decade after its initial popularity, it’s clear that the treatment is more than just another fad.

Although some patients are intimidated by the thought of blood, the treatment is generally very well tolerated and doesn’t cause much discomfort. After microneedling has been used to open up the barrier of the skin by creating those tiny channels, this openness presents an ideal opportunity to infuse the skin with nutrients or serums designed to address various cosmetic skin issues. This is because the many “micro-channels” in the surface allow the skin to absorb various products—including platelet-rich plasma-—more easily.

To create platelet-rich plasma, a small sample of a patient’s own blood is taken and processed to create a solution that it is rich in platelets and growth factors—the elements of your blood that are essential for wound healing. This resulting PRP is applied onto the skin after microneedling to speed up skin rejuvenation in a way that wouldn’t be possible with microneedling alone.

Curious about whether the Vampire Facial lives up to the hype? Talk to our AboutSkin Dermatology team about having it done, or check out the other aesthetic treatments we offer for improving the tone and texture of the skin. Call us at (303) 756-SKIN (7546) or fill out a contact form if you would like to meet with us for a consultation.