I Got a PRP Facial – Here’s How It Went

I’m always down to try a new beauty trend. As I’ve moved into my 30’s I do all I can to keep my skin looking young and firm and I’m no stranger to a good chemical peel or needle poke to help keep me looking fresh and rested.
I’ve heard of PRP facials by their other name ‘Vampire facial’, and those famous pictures of Kim Kardashian’s face covered in blood. Yikes, right? I was a little apprehensive about it, but then again, I’ve heard celebrities sing its praise with their glowing, baby like skin, which is definitely something I strive for. So, why not?

BEFORE

What happens during the procedure, is that your blood is drawn and spun around in a vial for a few minutes so that your platelet rich plasma separates from the blood. The ‘liquid gold’ will then be injected into your face as the nurse runs the micro-needling pen over your skin. The plasma will be put into the mini injection holes the pen creates.
I was given this facial free to try from Skin Vitality and @skinvitality on Instagram, be sure to check them out) They have a few locations all over Ontario to serve you and I went to their  351 Eglinton Avenue W address.
I dove deep into research for a few weeks before my appointment, I read articles, watched Youtube videos, creeped before and after photos. I wanted to know exactly what to expect. The part I was dreading the most was having my blood taken, I always get a little squeamish around blood (Don’t I sound like the perfect candidate for a PRP facial!? Ha!)


I arrived to the clinic ready to go and excited on the day of. I was greeted warmly and lead to a private room where the nurse ran over what was to be expected. A numbing cream was applied to my face and left on for about 15 minutes. While we waited for the cream to do its job, the nurse prepped my arm to draw blood. I let her know this part of the procedure made me nervous. She was nice enough to switch out the regular needle with a butterfly needle so there wouldn’t be as much of a pinch. I was really grateful.

The blood was ready to be spun in the centrifuge, and a few minutes later it was brought back into the room with a bright yellow liquid floating above my blood sample. It looked so strange. The platelet rich plasma triggers collagen production when put into the mini injection holes and can assist with a smoother complexion and tighter skin.

​

​The nurse cleaned the numbing cream off of my face and began the microneedling procedure. If I’m honest, I was expecting this to hurt much more than it did. While it felt annoying, I didn’t feel any real pain. There was maybe a moment when it hurt for a few seconds while being run over my nose where it stung, but other than that I found it to be very bearable. It felt more like a vibration than anything else.
As the pen was run over my skin, the bright yellow plasma (yuck) was smoothed over my face. I can’t say I wasn’t grossed out by this, but the nurse kept ensuring me it worked wonders. The whole facial took about 15 minutes.
After the procedure you aren’t supposed to wash your face for a whole 24 hours. You read that right, you need to leave that plasma on your face! While it DOES get absorbed into the micro injection holes, it does leave your face feeling tight. Again, not painful but more annoying. This part was the most uncomfortable for me. I wanted to go home and do my normal skin care routine and scrub this stuff off! But I had made it this far, there’s no point in minimizing the results by scrubbing the plasma off early.

I sucked it up and pretty much ran into my husband’s waiting car. The day of the procedure will leave you a nice shade of red and I didn’t want anyone to clock me on the street. I went home and went about my day indoors. I did this on a Friday so I could have the weekend to ‘heal’ if need be. I wouldn’t recommend going to work the very next day as you’re still a little pink and tender and (GASP) you can’t wear makeup right away.
I went to sleep with the plasma on my face, feeling a little grossed out. I woke up no longer red, but pink and counted down the hours until I could finally wash my face with a gentle cleanser and light moisturizer. I have literally never been so happy to wash my face. After applying my moisturizer (very gently) I noticed my face looked a little more plump and smooth. So far, so good!

RIGHT AFTER THE PROCEDURE

​If you plan on going out in the sun or being outdoors after this facial, be sure to apply a sensitive skin facial sunscreen. Your skin is super sensitive at this point and you’ll need to really take care of it for the next few days.
On day’s 3-4 is when I noticed a light peeling. While it wasn’t too bad and friends told me they really couldn’t see it (Girl, you TOTALLY can!) I felt a little self-conscious about it and was constantly applying a light moisturizer. It lasted for about 3 to 4 days and then it was like I had shed into a new skin! Bumps were smoothed over, pores were reduced and I felt like I had more of a glow to me. I can definitely see the appeal of a PRP facial!

PEELING SKIN BEFORE APPLYING MOISTURIZER

AFTER A WASH AND MOISTURIZE

​To see long lasting results, it’s recommended to have this procedure done a few times. I could see myself trying this out a few more times over the year. My skin has never looked as bright and smooth as it has from chemical peels, micro-dermabrasion or oxygen facials and I can appreciate the great results that come with waiting out the ‘healing’ process. It might not be for everyone and I know other’s will tend to go for a facial that requires less or no ‘down time’ afterwards but the results speak for themselves.

GLOWING RESULTS!!!

Many thanks to the great staff at Skin Vitality for having me and making me feel my best!
 
If you have any other questions for me, please leave them below 🙂  Thanks for reading!