Bar Refaeli is a fan of the popular Hollywood "Vampire Facial." The Israeli supermodel posted a photo of the bizarre-looking facial to her Instagram account with patches of blood on her face, Radar Online reports.
Typically the controversial beauty treatment costs around $1,500 and takes anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes to complete. Kim Kardashian was one of the first celebrities to publicly admit to trying the facial when she posted a photo of her swollen face with blood all over it. She also caught the entire procedure on camera for an episode of "Kourtney and Kim Take Miami."
"Ow, that hurts so bad!" she said as blood streamed down her face.
Dr. David Colbert, a New York based dermatologist, told US Weekly that typically the facial doesn't hurt that bad and feels more like an "acupuncture treatment."
"We use a topical numbing agent and patients are very comfortable throughout the 15 minute procedure," he said. "They are always surprised that it doesn't really hurt."
The Vampire Facelift was trademarked by Alabama doctor Charlies Runels and is said to be so popular in Hollywood that a gift certificate for the procedure was included in the swag bags at the 2013 Academy Awards, the New York Daily News reports.
The facial promises patients younger and firmer looking skin by removing about two teaspoons of blood from the patient's arm and separating the platelets into a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) using a centrifuge. The plasma is then combined with Juvederm or Restylane and injected into the patient's face o help remove lines and wrinkles.
According to the Daily News, Amiya Prasad, a cosmetic surgeon with a practice on the East Side, performs about four Vampire Facelifts a week.
"This is a more aggressive treatment than a regular facial," Prasad said. "But it's justified because skin quality improves quite nicely."
He said clients typically notice results in a couple days and the firmer-looking skin could last four to six months.
"As bad as your face may look on the day of the procedure, it's remarkable how good people can look a couple of days later," he said.
