This is the face of the latest beauty fad to sweep the nation...
Well -- sort of.
Many patients are gushing over what's been dubbed the "vampire face-lift."
"... Erase some of the depth of the nasal labial folds, uh, crow's feet, wrinkles up here...," says Isabelle DiCostanzo - patient.
It's not really surgery -- but a dermal plumping system called "Selphyl." It gets its ghoulish nickname because blood is "sucked" or, rather, drawn, from the arm.
Doctors separate the blood's platelets and fibrin -- then re-inject the resulting mixture into the face.
"They stimulate your own tissue to produce collagen and so they're more of a volume producing product as opposed to a filler that's occupying space," says Dr. Rodger Pielet - plastic surgeon.
The procedure can take a bite out of your wallet -- costing around a thousand dollars. Some experts say there's not enough independent research into Selphyl -- and warn against throwing money into this fountain of youth.
Dr. Phil Haeck is President of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "There is no long-term study to show that it will plump your face for as long as fat or injectable filler substances."
Still -- doctors who perform the procedure say Selphyl is less likely to cause lumps and bumps associated with some fillers...
Patients say they're drawn to the fact that they're using their own blood, rather than a toxin or other synthetic. And many are thrilled with the results...
"You did something, what did you do? (laughs) That's what you wanna hear," says Isabelle DiCostanzo - patient.
It may be another way to get youthful-looking skin even in the twilight of life...
Some patients have seen results from Selphyl for as long as 15 months after their procedure.
