Vampire Facials and Microneedling Explained with Dr. Nowak

Here are some of the questions he covered:

Q: Where do you see technology going as far as industry trends?

Laser technology is definitely a trend. More and more patients come in and say, "What can I do without surgery, without scaring, and without a big downtime or recovery time."

Technology has changed, so when someone is looking for a more dramatic result, they need to see it quickly and want it just as dramatic as possible. So if someone says, "I have areas that I can't get them where I want, but I can't have the downtime," we can do things like cool sculpting. We can use lasers to shape and contour those areas.

And we can do it without downtime or recovery time, so we have ways to treat muscles. Years ago, we would have patients come in, and surgery was the only direction for them, but now we have technology and sculpting. A whole variety of other technologies are coming: ways to build muscles, make them stronger, and make them tighter.

For example, we had a patient in her 60s who wanted to do planks. Before the treatment, she could barely do 30 seconds. I asked her how she was progressing during her follow-up, and she said she was at four minutes!

Q: What is Micro-needling?

Micro-needling uses little microneedles to make openings in the skin to create a controlled healing response.

We use the tool and go over the skin's surface, and it helps with pigmentation, it helps with the texture of the skin, it can help with lines and wrinkles, and it helps with acne scars.

Micro-needling is kind of level one. Level two we do with PRP, or platinum-rich plasma. That's where we draw a vile of blood, get rid of the red blood cells, and then introduce it back into the skin (vampire facial).

Q: Does micro-needling hurt?

No, we do it with topical numbing, so patients are very comfortable. Patients say, "I feel like I want to take a nap. I'm relaxed because it's just like a little vibration there."

Q: What is a vampire facial?

So, if you have seen a video with someone where they're red all over, that's not how a vampire facial is done. We draw a vile of blood and get rid of the red blood cells. That's the Platinum-rich Plasma, and we're only using that straw-colored liquid (not the red blood like you might have seen in videos).

After separating the blood, we use microneedling to introduce it to the skin. It's something the body creates to help itself heal. So we introduce it back into the skin to stimulate more collagen production to create healing topically. So if you have deep areas of concern or deep scars, we will inject some into that scarred area to stimulate even more healing responses.

With the vampire facial, you're going to get a little red for 24-48 hours (unless you have deep scars that take longer to heal). After that, you may have a slight dryness, or a little flakiness, peeling, but not a lot of downtime or recovery time.

We're getting close to laser-level results with a series of vampire facials.

Q: Does a vampire facial hurt?

No, it's comfortable. We use a little topical numbing; that is all that's needed.

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Meet the Experts

Dr. Eugene Nowak

Dr. Eugene Nowak is a popular board-certified dermatologist who practices in Chula Vista, California. He helped pioneer the ThermaLipo procedure, a new advancement in body contouring.

Dr. Nowak received his medical training at Midwestern University and completed his residency at the POH Medical Center through Michigan State University, acting as Chief Resident. He has spoken internationally and performs as an instructor to many physicians, training them in dermatologic and cosmetic/aesthetic procedures.

Amy Frena

An on-camera host and tradeshow presenter. She holds a degree in Exercise and Health Science and believes "if you can dream it, you do it."

Kristin Driver

A digital writer with CareCredit. She specializes in writing about health care, finances, and pet care. Her work has been published by Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health, Stanford Health Care, Risk & Insurance, Modern Health Care, Risk Insider, CIO Review, and more.

This is not a transcript. This is a summary of the information discussed during the interview.