Since I have moved to East Africa, I have been looking for a Spa or Clinic to pamper myself from time to time. It has not been easy but I finally found one.
So yesterday in Dar es Salaam, I went to a clinic to try for the first time a vampire facial also known as Medical Microneedling with Platelet Enriched Plasma (PRP). It is a 100% organic, minimally invasive procedure used to rejuvenate the skin. It lifts and tightens the skin, while diminishing wrinkles and pores.
I have spent a lot of time outdoors and have sun bathed quite a lot since our arrival in Tanzania. Therefore I started noticing my skin getting dehydrated, the texture was slowly changing. I wasn't too happy about it and started searching for a place that could offer the services I was looking for, "skin rejuvenation".
So my google search pointed me in the right direction: Cloud9 wellness clinic on the 8th floor of the tanzanite park building-Bagamoyo road-Dar Es Salaam. The ladies there were knowledgeable and the service was a bit pricey for locals, but not too bad for expats. Totally worth it!
I wanted a facial that would give me a glow, cleanse and plump my skin.
However when I arrived there, I was pleased to discover that the clinic was offering permanent makeup (Microblading), botox, dermal fillers, laser, acne treatment, coolsculpting, hair restoration (PRP), breast lifting, cellulite removal and medical weight loss programs. Pretty Amazing to find all these services on the continent of Africa! No need to travel international (especially during these times). You can imagine how thrilled I am.
As you may know around the age of 20, your body’s collagen quality and production rate drops drastically. It continues to decline for the rest of your life unless you do something to stimulate its production rate. All of this results in visibly bad skin.
Little recap:
What is the vampire facial?
It is an anti-aging treatment that offers many advantages over a traditional facial.
What happens is that collagen production is stimulated when skin cell trauma occurs. It occurs when the tiny needles penetrate the upper layers of your skin during the microneedling of the VF treatment.
As soon as your skin is penetrated, existing collagen starts to heal the skin. While, your body starts to grow new, stronger, healthier collagen. This higher quality collagen takes a few weeks to grow. However, you will notice immediately the skin tightening. The treatment continues to improve for several weeks after treatment. The results start showing nicely within a week. After 1 or 2 months, you should see rejuvenated skin that appears younger and feels softer and more supple. The effects may remain from 1 to 2 years following the treatment.
Before:
Wear sunscreen whenever you go out for seven days before and after your treatment.
Wear a hat if you can.
Avoid excessive sun or heat exposure.
2 DAYS prior treatment, please avoid topical products such as Tretinoin (Retin-A), Retinols (vitamin A), Retinoids, Glycolic Acid, Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Salicylic Acid (acne), or other “anti-aging”, and “bleaching” brightening products.
Come to your appointment with a bare face. Do not wear makeup, moisturizer or any other skincare product.
After:
For a minimum of 18 hours after the vampire facial (PRP) has been applied to your skin, DO NOT wash your skin, expose to direct high heat, or engage in activities (e.g. blow dryer, sun exposure, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, very hot shower, hot yoga, sport exercise, etc.) that will get you wet or cause you to sweat.
Re-up on vitamin C supplements, 1000mg per day for at least one month minimum and you can add oral collagen supplements to your daily skin routine to achieve your ideal aesthetic.
My favorite is the Vital Proteins Original Collagen Peptides at Amazon made with vitamin c and hyaluronic acid to promote collagen promotion and absorption).
Because it uses the body’s own natural power to heal itself. It involves drawing your blood.
Your blood is made up of four primary components: red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets.
When the platelets in the plasma are concentrated, it is when the anti-aging recipe is at its best.
To achieve concentrated levels of platelets in plasma, all the components (mentioned) of your blood are separated by density. Then, the platelets are injected into the plasma, excluding the red and white blood cells. Eventually, the PRP aka Platelet-rich-plasma (mixed with stem cell, vitamin c and collagen) is absorbed by your skin. This reduces the recovery time from microneedling down while speeding along the collagen production process. Old skin cells are recycled and new skin cells, collagen and elastin are created.
What is the process? How long does it take? How many sessions do I need? How long is the healing period?
Not a lot of work that goes into preparing for treatment.
First, your blood is drawn into two syringes. Then, it is placed into a centrifuge and processed. The processing involves cleaning the blood so it is ready for transfer and injection and separating the components of your blood by mass.
It takes five minutes to draw your blood. Then, five minutes to run your blood through the centrifuge. Finally, the therapy itself only takes between 15 minutes to 20 minutes depending on the size of the areas you are treating. I personally spent an hour and half at the clinic (numbing cream + treatment).
Skin rejuvenation typically takes two to four treatments, and each of these treatment sessions needs to be spaced four to eight weeks apart. You only need to get a VF every year or two to retain a youthful look.
Thanks to PRP, the “micro-injuries” done by the microneedling are healed extremely fast (72h).
You may be a good candidate for a VF if you:
Suffer from acne scars, have hyperpigmentation, want to reduce wrinkles, desire tighter, firmer skin, have uneven skin tone, have a dehydrated skin, premature old skin. Only people with some clotting conditions requiring often the use of blood thinners or other blood-related disorders are not the ideal candidate for a VF. If you have any kind of scars, poor skin tone or texture, you can benefit from a VF enhanced with PRP. With old skin cells giving birth to new, healthy ones, you will be amazed by the incredible improvement in the appearance of your skin just in little time after one vampire facial.
It is now 24h post-treatment and my skin is a little red but no pain and the texture has drastically improved already. I can not wait to see how the final result will be after my second yearly session.
Thank you cloud9 team.
https://www.cloud9.co.tz
