‘Sucking’ the life out of wrinkles

Doctors want to ‘suck your blood’ – but not literally. Medical science has now reportedly put ‘dracula therapy’ to the ‘fight-against ageing’ test as they allege a test tube full of your own blood could possibly be used to banish wrinkles.

The therapy is conducted by extracting 15 to 20ml of blood from a person’s body, and after processing it with growth hormones in the laboratory, the blood is injected into a person’s face using micro-needles after applying local anaesthesia.

According to experts, botox paralyses facial muscles to stop wrinkles, while dracula therapy, uses a person’s own blood to “replenish damaged skin cells”.

According to A.S Bath, the head of the department of plastic and cosmetic surgery at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in India, a person’s own blood, with additions of growth hormones, has the ability to help stimulate the growth of fresh cells, repair DNA, heal scars and treat wrinkled skin without additional chemicals or surgical procedures.

The procedure, which has been described as non-invasive, was introduced in Britain by London-based French cosmetic doctor, Daniel Sister, with experts suggesting women who often opt for botox and laser therapy now have a “painless technique to vouch for”.

To avoid infection, the blood reportedly needs to be “fresh” and processed for plasma within hours.

A new Australian survey also recently found that fighting wrinkles is a top priority for Australian women.

The Renaissance Clinics survey shows that when it comes to skincare treatment, 64% of Australian women prefer anti-wrinkle products such as Botox and Dysport, which is a drug that helps to fade or eliminate wrinkles. The second most favoured anti-ageing product by 26% of the women surveyed is reportedly dermal fillers, such as collagen, that plump out the skin.

While the survey shows the young are working hard and spending big dollars to get a head start on glowing skin before reaching old age, Renaissance founder, Dr Albert Ho, says 35% of their customers are aged between 40 and 50 years.

“The survey confirmed the group’s anecdotal understanding that many Australian women, particularly those heading into their 40s and beyond, wish to address both natural ageing and external factors such as skin damage cause by sun exposure in Australia’s harsh climate,” Dr Ho says.

A single sitting for dracula therapy is said to cost about $500 (AUD). Click here to read DPS News’ story this week on how Australian women are fighting wrinkles using botox.