The trendiness of the “vampire facial” isn’t as immortal as the name implies.
The Kim Kardashian-endorsed platelet-rich plasma procedure, or PRP, is being replaced at New York City aesthetics clinics in favor of a new kind of regenerative treatment: exosome therapy.
Where PRP involves using the patient’s own blood, exosomes are derived from stem cells, which are considered “the holy grail of regenerative medicine,” explained Lushful Aesthetics nurse practitioner Chris Bustamante.
“If stem cells are the Champagne, exosomes are the bubbles of the Champagne,” he told The Post of the trendy treatment. “We all love Champagne.”
The catch, however, is that stem cells are “very expensive” and “hard to come by,” so the “second best thing is exosomes,” he added.
In Bustamante’s practice, exosomes are applied topically to the skin sans needles in a serumlike substance that expedites the healing process, telling cells to “not just heal faster, [but] heal better.”
For that reason, Bustamante recently swapped PRP for exosome therapy after noticing that exosomes were more efficient and yielded better results — for virtually the same price. At Lushful Aesthetics, he charges $700 for one session of microneedling, exosome application and red LED light therapy.
Better than Botox?
Across Manhattan, multiple medspas and doctors have started offering exosome therapy as the trend has taken off, and Bustamente only began using exosomes in his office a year ago.
But even Kardashian — once a proponent of the “vampire facial” — is seemingly an exosome convert, posting to her Instagram Story in December that she was receiving the therapy.
The magic of exosomes is in their rejuvenation properties, which have been hailed as better than Botox for achieving youthful-looking skin when coupled with other aesthetic treatments, such as microneedling or laser resurfacing, to banish dull skin and ward off fine lines and wrinkles.
Exosomes improve intracellular communication — or how cells communicate with each other — which can aid skin rejuvenation and decrease inflammation, board-certified surgeon Dr. Gabriel Chiu, of Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, told The Post. They also increase the production of collagen and elastin, which thicken and firm the skin.
“Exosomes contain genetic information and are enriched with growth factors, which are naturally occurring biologically active proteins that promote cell growth, differentiation and tissue repair,” he explained. “When administered in cosmetic treatments, exosomes can stimulate the body’s natural regenerative processes.”
For those looking to turn back the clock — at least on their face — exosomes could be the answer, as a “less invasive alternative to procedures, lasers or injections.”
More than vanity
But the therapy isn’t just for youth chasers. It could be a game changer for those balding, too. According to Chiu, exosomes are “more effective than PRP increasing and maintaining hair count” in patients experiencing thinning hair or hair loss.
Not to mention, it could aid in wound healing as well, said Dr. Jennifer Levine, a board-certified surgeon in Manhattan. After Jeremy Renner’s snowplow accident, the actor said he underwent exosome therapy to treat his injuries.
“After nonsurgical procedures, we use exosomes to decrease inflammation, accelerate tissue remodeling, inhibit melanin formation and inhibit scarring,” Chiu explained.
“After surgery and for wound healing, exosomes kick start the healing and regenerative process. In fat grafting, we use exosomes to increase fat graft survival.”
While there are serums on the market that can be purchased for at-home topical use, cosmetically, exosomes are most effective when applied after treatments like microneedling or laser resurfacing, which cause a micro-injury to the skin and “tell your body to wake up and start healing” itself in order to deliver results, Bustamante explained.
While exosomes have become popular in the US over the last few years, the therapy has “been used in other countries, such as South Korea, for decades,” Levine noted.
And, any risks are “theoretical,” Levine said, because “just as it can help healthy cells proliferate, there is concern it may help diseased cells proliferate . . . but this has not shown to be true,” she explained.
Because of its ability to promote healing and rejuvenation, exosomes are being studied to treat chronic conditions and other diseases, in what Dr. Raphael Kellman, of the Kellman Wellness Center, calls “a new era of medicine.”
“The aesthetic change is really remarkable, and people just need to experience it,” Kellman told The Post. “When you experience it, that’s when you start to believe in it and to feel it.”
