Still badly bruised one week after vampire facelift?

Question

I had this procedure done for the first time a week ago and I have been left with terrible bruising all over my face and a black eye. I also have lumps under the skin on my forehead which give me a permanent headache. My face is so tender that I can't really touch it. I appreciate people heal at different rates but I am using arnica but it's not working. Is this normal because from everything I've read you are supposed to heal quite quickly and notice results in a few days?

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. You submitted a question without a photo, stating you had the Vampire Facelift® done about 1 week prior, and you have extensive bruising, and a black eye. There were also lumps in your forehead that was also giving you a permanent headache. Naturally, you’re asking what this is about.
I can share with you my perspective as someone who performs this procedure. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I have been a member of the Vampire Facelift® network of doctors for many years. I’ve been a resource for the media whenever there’s a need for commentary about this procedure, or if a celebrity has something similar done. I’ve been doing my best to help explain what the treatment is about because there are certainly people confused about what this is. To understand what you’re going through, I’ll give some clarification of the Vampire Facelift® procedure, and will differentiate it from PRP alone.
Vampire Facelift® as conceived by Dr. Charles Runels is a procedure where you use PRP,  or platelet-rich plasma, derived from your own blood. It is injected strategically in different areas of the face with the purpose of stimulating skin quality, and getting a nice glow and cushiony feeling to the skin which makes the skin look more youthful. The strict definition of Vampire Facelift® also uses one syringe of a hyaluronic acid filler chosen by the physician to add volume in strategic areas, and to help create fullness in areas of volume loss. There’s a limit with how much you can do with one syringe of filler, and there is a synergy between PRP and hyaluronic acid.
When I see this description of extensive bruising, I wonder a couple of things. The PRP injected may have had a lot more red blood cells than is generally done, or at least the way we prepare PRP. When you look at the PRP we use, it’s fairly free of red blood cells, so it’s relatively clear. When this is being injected with a lot of red blood cells in there, then it can create bruising, so that’s one possible explanation.
It’s very unusual for me to be aware of anyone who is a Vampire Facelift® provider following the strict guidelines and trained appropriately. Often, people say they’re doing a Vampire Facelift® even though they’re not part of the network and have not been trained for that specific procedure, but use the name and are just administering PRP in the way they feel they should, so that’s another possibility. I’m not saying that’s the case in your situation, but I don’t know any other details.
My other concern is whether or not the injections were traumatic. PRP is easily injected with small, fine needles, so I look at it in comparison with any other injectable like Botox® or a filler like Restylane. When you place PRP, the difference compared to a filler is you can cover a wide area with a single entry point. It does surprise me there’s a fair amount of bruising caused by the trauma of the placement. That’s one potential explanation, and it’s not always the doctor’s fault if someone gets bruising.
The other question to ask yourself is if you were taking any blood thinners. Aspirin, motrin, ibuprofen, gingko, echinacea, St. John’s wort, and vitamin E are among the blood thinners people don’t realize are blood thinners, which can cause a fair amount of bruising.
I think it’s important you reach out to your doctor and ask these questions. Besides the arnica cream, there may be value in warm compresses to expedite circulation. Generally speaking, bruising takes time. I would tell someone with your situation to hydrate, protect your skin with sunblock, and if there are any areas of elevation maybe some gentle massage and maybe talk to your doctor to see if there’s any evidence of a hematoma, which doesn’t sound like there would be, but just make sure there’s no large collections.
It is important to understand more details about your procedure, how it was performed, and whether or not it was a real Vampire Facelift® versus just PRP. This is a discussion you should have with your doctor, then move forward. I think with no additional intervention, you will eventually get better, but I want you to at least understand that extensive bruising is not the norm - it can happen, but it’s generally unlikely. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question.

Rick Balharry, MD · Answer

buffyann this is a great question. this procedure can be very productive and give great results. there are some problems though, as with any procedure. sometimes, when blood mixes with the gels in the fillers, it holds the bruising for a lot longer causing persistant appearance of bruising for a much longer time. i am concerned, though, about your comments about lumps. the fillers can sometimes cause a reaction in the tissues and lumps can form. if you treat them early, they can be quite easily broken down but some of the newer fillers are more resistant to this treatment (particularly the newer filler line from Juvederm). i suggest that you follow up fairly soon with your provider to check out the lumps.

Anup Dhir, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Bruising and swelling usually settles within 48 to 72 hours but in some cases the bruising may take longer to settle.Make sure you are not on any blood thinning medication and do not have any underlying medical  condition that may affect healing.If it does not settle soon, please see your doctor.

Still badly bruised one week after vampire facelift?

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Still badly bruised one week after vampire facelift?

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