Yesterday's fabled story of Martin Luther lighting up the Christmas tree seems sort-of believable. It is a simple myth of eternal Christmas. But it pales in comparison to the myths of eternal youth be found today. I heard about this on Gavin Crawford's Because News yesterday morning on CBC Radio, and have looked it up. I had visions of blood smeared all over one's face and then a mask on top of that - a messy horror sort of movie.
So the Vampire Facial! Sounds gruesome. Sounds like blood is involved. Sounds correct. But very different from my fantasy. Here's the information from the American Academy of Dermatology:
"...platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has received so much attention that it may seem as if we’ve finally found the fountain of youth. Despite the hoopla, there’s little evidence to show that it works — or doesn’t work.
We all have platelets in our blood. PRP is 3-step procedure that involves having your blood:
Drawn from your arm (2 to 4 tablespoons)
Placed into a machine that separates the platelets from the rest of your blood
Re-injected into you (only the part of your blood that contains a high concentration of platelets). For the "fountain of youth" it is injected into your face using microneedling. And in 45 minutes you are done and have spent $1,300 in Toronto.
Orthopedic surgeons use PRP to help athletes recover more quickly after an injury. In dermatology, PRP is being tested as a possible treatment for hair loss. PRP may also speed up wound healing. A few dermatologists are using PRP to give patients younger-looking skin."
I don't think it sounds like "a few" - unless you consider a "small number" to be in the thousands or even tens of thousands. An expression like "art is not just for the few" refers to a minority of people and that could be in the billions on this planet. But then I can't imagine the American Dermatology Association wants to own this one, given the lack of research conducted so far.
What the Association does say is that researchers have found that most patients who get results have 3 or more treatments. That means, you’d have to go to your dermatologist’s office 3 or more times to have blood drawn, treated, and injected back into you. The results will show up in a few weeks to months. Expect "a bit of pain, bruising, and swelling afterwards. These tend to go away within a few days."
Sounds definitely like evasiveness on the association's part. The McGill University Article called the body of evidence "anemic" and a research review of the procedure said is was "modestly beneficial." with dark under-eye circles getting the most consistent improvements.
So maybe that's why it was covered in the news recently. It makes for a truly surprising Christmas present. You can count on me to bring you the best in Christmas-cringe-worthy presents.
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