Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, How much do you charge for Selphyl? And how many cc’s are included in the Vampire Facelift? I did this procedure over 4 years ago and am interested in getting it done again.
A: You have asked about two similar but slightly different injectable facial rejuvenation procedures.
Selphyl is a kit or system where PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is added to PRFM to create a gel-like matrix for injection. By adding a calcium chloride solution, the Selphyl system converts PRP into an injectable gel. This fibrin matrix serves as a three dimensional scaffold to maintain the platelets at the site of injection. This PRP gel adds both volume to the injected facial areas and serves as a tissue stimulant onto which fibrous tissue can be created. The cost of a single Selphyl treatment is $1500.
The Vampire Facelift takes PRP and traditional hyaluronic-based injectable fillers and injects them separately into the facial areas. The injectable filler serves as the three-dimensional matrix in which PRP is secondarily injected. It is not a kit or system per se and is more of a technique that has been given a branding name. A single Vampire facelift may cost up to $2500 depending upon how much injectable filler is used.
The facial rejuvenative concepts between Selphyl and the Vampire facelift are similar even though their methods and materials are slightly different.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I have read a lot about the Vampre Facelift and wanted to know what you think about it. While the name sounds a little creepy, using your own blood to help make you look younger seems like it might work.
A:Platelets are ubiquitous cellular fragments in the blood stream that is most known for helping blood clot. But platelets also make a major contribution to wound healing as they contain a multitude of growth factors which are well known to help repair and regenerate connective tissues. Application of these growth factors in high concentrations through platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used as an adjunct to wound healing for almost 20 years.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is blood plasma that has a high concentration of platelets due to processing techniques. A small amount of blood can be drawn from the patient and the platelets removed from it by centrifugation. This creates a platelet concentrate gel that can be added to a variety of plastic surgery procedures such as facelifts and fat grafts to theoretically improve their results through the delivery of its growth factors.
While PRP can be used alone, a variety of aesthetic facial procedures have been developed that combine it with different types of injectable fillers. Marketed brand names such as Selphyl and the Vampire Facelift create either a platelet-rich fibrin matrix or are used in conjunction with other well known fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane. The benefits of PRP in these facial rejuvenation techniques, while theoretically appealing, has not been fully substantiated in widespread clinical use and ongoing patient studies continue to evaluate this autologous therapy in aesthetic surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana