Can vampire facials be done on black skin? (Photo)

Thank you for your question. You’d like to know if the Vampire Facial® is safe for dark skin, which I can certainly help you with. Treatment of ethnic skin makes up a large part of my practice, and I’ve also written articles about the subject matter, particularly ethnic considerations in eyelid surgery, so I can share with you my perspective on this. I am a member of the Vampire Facelift® network and have been quite prominent in the media when it comes to this treatment. I am also a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic surgeon.Let’s first make some clear distinctions between the Vampire Facelift® and the Vampire Facial®, as this has caused quite a bit of confusion in many people.The Vampire Facelift® is the combination of one syringe of a hyaluronic acid filler, like Juvederm or Restylane, and platelet-rich plasma, which is a concentration that is taken from your own blood. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, contains healing and growth factors that are able to stimulate collagen and blood supply to specific areas. Essentially, it is made up of the same factors responsible for creating a scab over a wound, thus allowing it to heal better and quicker. This combination is then strategically injected into certain parts of the face—the outer part of the brow, the cheekbones, the other corners of the mouth. Patients who have this treatment appreciate the instant volume correction from the fillers, the overall improvement in their skin quality and the glow that they get from platelet-rich plasma.The Vampire Facial® came a couple of years after the Vampire Facelift®. It entails using a micro-needling device to apply platelet-rich plasma onto the face. This is somewhat similar to the idea behind derma rollers—tiny openings are created in the skin with the micro-needling device, after which platelet-rich plasma is then applied over the areas, and the skin is subsequently rejuvenated.In terms of darker skin, before pursuing this treatment, first ask yourself what exactly you want to achieve. If you’re only concerned about some minor surface irregularities and small areas of pigmentation, you may not want to take the risk, because darker skin in general (or skin with significantly more melanin) is always at risk for hyper or hypopigmentation. Using a device that disrupts the integrity of the skin should be well justified.In my practice, what we do for my patients with darker skin is we’ll either do a Vampire Facelift®, or do PRP injections under the skin. Since we have several patients with pigmentation issues and are not good candidates for laser treatment, we routinely use platelet-rich plasma on them to help with the signs of hyperpigmentation from sun damage.In your case, I would say that you may be better off getting PRP injections or the Vampire Facelift®. If I were to consider doing a Vampire Facial® or a combination of micro-needling and PRP treatment, I would do test areas first just to see how the skin responds. Keep in mind that that micro-needling involves various depth measurements which is customized based on the type of tissue being needled. Another helpful thing to keep in mind is that if you want a more global improvement and glow to the complexion, then PRP injections are the way to go.I hope that was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf and on YouTube. To provide you with a personal and expert response, we use the image(s) you submitted on RealSelf in the video, but with respect to your privacy, we only show the body feature in question so you are not personally identifiable. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.