The PRP Facial (Platelet Rich Plasma aka Vampire Facial) is a familiar treatment, often bombarding our Insta feeds or being highly praised by all manner of celebs from Kim Kardashian (obvs) to Rupert Everett. And rightly so, I had this treatment a couple of years ago myself and the results were incredible – it remains one of my favourite treatments in terms of results and efficacy.
Dr Sarah Tonks at The Lovely Clinic in Knightsbridge also believes in the wonders of PRP, but she takes it a step further with her advanced Eye PRP Treatment….
A regular PRP facial involves having some blood taken from your arm, which is then spun through a centrifuge to extract the plasma (which is full of healing proteins and collagen stimulating growth factors). The plasma is then re-injected evenly over the face in small amounts, with extra attention focussed on areas of concern. It is really tolerable, and any redness subsides very quickly (1 day max). The results, however, are not seen until 6-8 weeks later, this is how long it takes for the collagen regeneration effects to be seen on the surface. My results took 8 weeks exactly to show themselves – I had nearly given up hope and then all of a sudden (and very noticeably) my skin became ultra glowy and youthful!
Dr Tonks, took all this information based on the results of her own clients and created her eye treatment. Rather than injecting the plasma in small amounts, Dr Tonks uses a canula and inserts the entire syringe of plasma evenly beneath the eyes (half a syringe per eye). She explained “the eye area starts to show signs of ageing before anywhere else on the face, but it is also the area that can be difficult to treat with existing, effective anti-ageing treatments. The PRP is safe and effective to use around the eyes”.
The treatment is surprisingly painless – it feels very strange, but I didn’t find it painful at all. The worst part for me was the way I looked immediately after – when the plasma is first inserted it stays exactly where it is placed, meaning you instantly have 2 huge ‘bubbles’ under your eyes! It is then a waiting game for your body to reabsorb the plasma (around 48 hours) before you look back to normal. It’s not horrific but I would advise you to bring sunglasses with you to your appointment!
Dr Tonks has seen results in as little as 1 week with this treatment due to the ‘trauma’ of the treatment tricking the cells into repair-mode, mine took 8 weeks again (probably not helped by the late night of cocktails the night before possibly effecting the quality of my blood either! Take note – the healthier the blood, the better the results!). This treatment doesn’t make the skin look tight at all, it makes it look more like how it used to be! The elasticity improves, and the stimulated collagen puts the bounce back into the skin. Lines look less, and the overall skin health is improved. Another great treatment from The Lovely Clinic!
PRP from £550
www.thelovelyclinic.co.uk Tel: 020 3695 5400