Many regular readers know not only how much I stand by every procedure that Maine Laser Skin Care practices on our patients, but most especially how much I have stressed the effectiveness of the recent Vampire procedures. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of attention in the news media lately about a spa in New Mexico that was improperly handling blood and needles in a way that may have exposed their clients to bloodborne infections such as hepatitis and HIV.
Over this past weekend, I received an email from Charles Runels M.D., the inventor of the Vampire Facelift procedure. In the message, he discussed some very important details about this incident that I feel personally and professionally obligated to relay to all of you, especially those of you who are understandably concerned.
First and foremost, this New Mexico spa was illegally using the name Vampire Facelift. Unlike us, the providers were not trained by Dr. Runels and were not certified to perform this procedure.
The only medical offices or spas that allowed to use this formal name of Vampire Facelift are those that have been trained either by Dr. Runels himself or his certified medical teachers. All of us who perform Vampire Facelifts safely and successfully are members of the American Cellular Medicine Association (ACMA), and can also be found on the official Vampire Facelift website, www.vampirefacelift.com.
Second, there are over 10,000 medical papers published on the effectiveness and safety of the use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) in multiple medical specialties. Over one million procedures are performed per year worldwide using PRP, and no one has died or had a serious infection when done by someone certified by the ACMA group and using FDA-approved equipment.
Third, proper medical technique needs to be used at all times in any procedure involving human blood. Those techniques are followed meticulously when any Vampire procedure is performed at Maine Laser Skin Care.
The blood is drawn in a sterile fashion and placed in a sterile tube specifically designed and FDA-approved for PRP treatments. After being centrifuged, the PRP is also removed from tube into sterile syringes with sterile needles.
Before anything is re-injected into the body, the skin is cleaned thoroughly to insure a clean site for injection or microneedling. Done properly, everything in the chain of blood handling is sterile, and there is no trace of blood from anyone else.
Fourth, whether it is Botox, injectable fillers, or Vampire procedures, I feel it is important that the consumer knows that the injector is fully trained and certified and experienced. I have been a physician for over 30 years, and have performed aesthetic procedures for over 15 years.
I traveled to Alabama over three years ago to be trained in person by Dr. Runels in Vampire techniques. I have since treated hundreds of patients with these procedures over that time frame.
With as much medical certainty as possible, I can vouch for the safety of the use of platelet rich plasma. I have had the Vampire Facelift done on myself, and several members of my family have undergone Vampire treatments on multiple occasions without complications.
Sadly, there are always going to be unscrupulous people out there who pretend to be medical professionals when they are not, or who take advantage of unsuspecting consumers who only want to improve their appearance. Hopefully this incident will be an isolated case that will not tarnish the image of this very valuable and safe procedure or anyone who is actually qualified to practice it.
If you have any questions about the Vampire Facelift or any of our other procedures, please feel free to call our office in Augusta at (207) 873-2158 or in Scarborough at (207) 303-0125 to ask or to schedule a free consultation. We also carry the book about the Vampire Facelift authored by Charles Runels M.D. To get your free copy, just call us or drop by our offices at either 12 Shuman Ave, Suite 7 in Augusta, or 438 US Route 1 in Scarborough.