The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

FACE & SKIN Beauty Editor Giovanna Zac speaks to Dr Rahul Shah about natural aes- thetic treatments where she discovered the beauty of PRP and how ‘Vampire Treatment’ can take years off your face. bitebeauty S earching for ways to keep a youthful look is part of everyday life, and some of us go a long way to achieve that perfect shape or look. I am always looking to discover brands that embrace the love for natural and effective treatments, avoiding damaging chemi- cals as much as possible. Therefore, I was very intrigued when I was offered to try an all-natural popular skin rejuvenating treatment with no chemicals involved. The ‘Vampire or Dracula Facelift’, also known as PRP (Plate- let-Rich Plasma) therapy, works on your body’s capability to regenerate and heal the treated area. This technique has two main benefits: stem cell and growth factors that utilise your blood and regenerate healthy new cells to start the healing pro- cess. It is achieved by the practitioner drawing a blood sample from your arm, which is then placed into a centrifuge machine to separate the red cells from the plasma. The plasma is then injected into the desired area to be treated using very fine needles. This process increases collagen pro- duction and helps with skin conditions such as acne, scars, pigmentation, dark circles, sun-damaged, saggy, tired and aged skin. PRP is very beneficial for men, too, including treat- ing hair loss. The Treatment Dr Rahul Shah welcomed me at his Face & Skin clinic in Woolmer Green, Hertfordshire, for my skin consultation and treatment. I could not deny being nervous about this proce- dure, but it was comforting knowing how experienced and knowledgeable Dr Shah is. He trained as a non-surgical facial rejuvenator and became a member of the Royal College of Practitioners in 2007 and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2013. Working at various locations in cosmetics, Dr Shah is also a clinical educator at the University of Cambridge. I knew I was in excellent hands. The doctor explained what PRP is and its purposes. He reas- sured me of its natural, chemical-free principles, and, most of all, it’s almost pain-free, with some discomfort and temporary redness of the skin. After my skin consultation and cleansing, I applied local anaesthetic cream to my face and neck. A blood sample was taken and placed in the centrifuge machine before being injected into my skin. Thankfully, the needles were tiny and thin; there was hardly any pain. The anaesthetic cream worked immediately, and all I could feel was a tingling sensa- tion here and there and the occasional discomfort in certain areas. After the injections, my skin was quite red, with some swelling and stinging. Dr Shah explained, “The treatment does not re- ally have side effects because we use your blood. Any reaction is due to the actual injections, and it is temporarily. It will go away fairly quickly. In the worse scenario, in some sensitive skin, it could last up to three to four days for the skin to go back to its normal colouration.” The redness had gone within a couple of hours, and I already saw how glowing it was. Dr Shah further said the results are not visible immediately be- cause it takes approximately three weeks for the cells to regen- erate new healthy ones before appearing on the skin’s surface. The treatment for this natural process is long-lasting, with two or three consecutive treatments, one per month, enough to last a whole year. Compared to Botox, where the effects are immediate, it lasts almost three months. At the end of the first session, I was given a list of post-treatment advice, such as avoiding using make-up for the day, using SPF daily, drinking plenty of water, and following a good healthy diet and specific supplements throughout the month. COSMETIC TREATMENTS BY DOCTORS B eauty R evelation V ampire T reatment