My (Unsolicited) Thoughts on the "Vampire Face Lift"

A friend of mine just had a "vampire face lift." Me? I had a "what the!?" moment when she told me about it. Had never even heard of such a thing!

Turns out that this isn't some "Twilight" marketing ploy (though, since they've pretty much exhausted every other device, they may want to consider it), it's a bona fide cosmetic procedure. One that's raising a lot of eyebrows -- and getting a surprising amount of praise.

Here's the deal. First off, it's not truly a "face lift." It's a line filler/plumper like Restylane or Juvederm only, here's the wrinkle, it's made from your own blood.

Still with me?

Step 1: A doctor extracts blood from his patient.
Step 2: He puts it into a centrifuge that works to separate the platelets from the red blood cells.
Step 3: He injects the resulting "platelet-rich fibrin matrix" into your face.
Ta-da.

The process, called Selphyl (cell-fill) is being used by more than 300 docs in the U.S. and some say that their patients prefer the concept of injecting their face with a "natural" substance (like their own blood) over something synthetic like the mainstream hyaluronic fillers that dominate the market. Plus, it's purported to last up to 24 months, much longer than the traditional fillers do.

The price tag? My friend coughed up $1,200, which is on par for what to expect after a wrinkle-filling appointment with the derm.

What do you think? Would you ever dream of doing a procedure like this? Too creepy? Better than botulism? Let me know! Or, if you'd prefer to treat your aging skin more conservatively, check out these pro tips.