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‘Vampire Facials’: Viable or Just Bloody Gross?

November 1, 2021

To pursue beauty, people will use makeup, creams, and even plastic surgery. But, would you spread your own blood on your face?

Wait, Your Own Blood?

Earlier this year, these treatments, known as ‘blood facials’ or ‘vampire facials’ became well known due to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian posting about their rejuvenation effect on social media. Quickly, this sparked a debate over whether these treatments were handy or horrific. And who knows if they even work?

Well, Do They Work?

These vampire facials are actually known clinically as protein-rich plasma (PRP) treatments. First, your blood is drawn, then spun through a centrifuge. The high force makes the blood separate into three layers: red blood cells at the bottom, liquid plasma at the top, and a cloudy layer called the “serum portion” in the middle that contains the protein-rich plasma. After processing the PRP, it is ready for treatment. Treatment can include injecting it under the skin the way one would inject fillers, or it can be applied like a face mask. If the PRP is applied, it can be combined with a procedure like microneedling or microabrasion, which open up little holes and cracks in the skin to help the plasma absorb into the face. The dermatologists who perform them promise effects like reversal of hair loss, increased collagen production, and glowing skin. 

Just a Selling Point?

While there aren’t many clinical studies on these effects yet, PRP treatments have actually been used for healing joint and muscle injuries. They can speed up cell regeneration for a variety of sports injuries and even alleviate chronic tendonitis pain. The process is quite similar to how vampire facials work. The platelet-rich plasma is just injected or applied onto the skin of the area that needs to grow back.

Tell Me More!

For both the cosmetic and medical treatments, the plasma is full of platelets. In the blood, they help it clot when you get a cut. They contain alpha granules that have growth factors in them. These growth factors act as chemical messengers to promote cell division and growth. This also includes producing more proteins such as collagen, which provides structure to the body. So, they can help a torn ACL reform or cause cheek cells to multiply and plump up a face. Since PRP is minimally invasive and has few risks, it can be a good option for patients who have a variety of treatment goals.

If You’re Still Wrapping Your Head Around It All, You’re Not Alone!

Many people can get put off by this bloody procedure. On the surface, it sounds like yet another one of those beauty gimmicks that seems to exist only to trick the wealthy out of their money. But astonishingly, protein-rich plasma treatments have a basis in regenerative medicine. In reality, the worlds of beauty, science, and medicine can be very intertwined. When these disciplines learn from one another, interesting and helpful things can happen. What other examples of this other than vampire facials can you think of?

In any case, happy (belated) Halloween. Remember, your blood is very, very precious.

 

Citations

Abelman, D. (2021, August 5). What Exactly Is a Vampire Facial? . Allure. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://www.allure.com/story/vampire-facial-prp-treatment-guide.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection: How it works: HSS. Hospital for Special Surgery. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_prp-injections.asp.

Setayesh, K., Villarreal, A., Gottschalk, A., Tokish, J. M., & Choate, W. S. (2018, December). Treatment of muscle injuries with platelet-rich plasma: A review of the literature. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6220013/. 

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I'm a 3rd year neuroscience major interested in the intersection of science and art! I also like to share my experiences as someone studying an uncommon major.

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  Timothy Durham was convicted of rape when a test showed his DNA genotype matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene. Eye witnesses testified that Durham was in a different state at the time of the incident, but he wasn’t exonerated from his 3000 year sentence until follow up DNA analysis showed that the preliminary forensic analysis used in the trial was misinterpreted (Thomas et al.). DNA testing serves an invaluable part in our criminal justice system, but it comes with complications and bias that can lead to wrongful convictions and misinformed juries.  

Background:

Forensic genetics aims to identify the origin of a biological sample. It can be traced back to Karl Landsteiner who discovered human ABO blood groups. With blood groups, suspects could be eliminated based on their blood type. For example, if a suspect had type A blood and there was type B blood left at the scene by the perpetrator, the investigators could rule out the suspect. Unfortunately, the reverse didn’t work. If the suspect and perpetrator both had the same blood type, it can’t be concluded that the suspect was guilty. Blood identifiers evolved into 8 distinct categories which improved the ability to eliminate suspects, but could only conclude that (if the system matched) it might be the perpetrator or this person might be related to the perpetrator (Jobling and Gill). The field evolved in the 1980s with the discovery of Minisatellites, lines of repetitive DNA that don’t encode proteins. Minisatellite patterns in DNA create what we know today as the DNA fingerprint, and it has a much higher accuracy rate than previous methods (Augustyn et al.). Around the same time, a breakthrough for victims of sexual assault was discovered. In the case of assault, bodily fluids of both the victim and the assaulter can get mixed. A process called differential lysis was created which could selectively increase the concentration of sperm in a fluid sample thereby allowing for accurate DNA testing (Jobling and Gill). Forensics evolved to use single-locus probe testing after several years because of its ease of interpretation. It looked at specific minisatellites that had high variability between subjects. This was the first DNA-based method to be used in a criminal investigation. Two murder homicides from several years apart were connected using DNA evidence. The evidence was then used to exonerate an innocent man, and the guilty party was found when he tried to evade mandatory DNA testing for all men in the small town. His guilt was then reinforced when the DNA profiles matched, and he gave a confession (Jobling and Gill). Finding DNA at a crime scene doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find a murderer. There are issues with non-pure samples and limited samples that make DNA work difficult, and accreditation of facilities and new techniques and take time (Jobling and Gill).  

Subjectivity of DNA Interpretation:

In a 2009 publication, the National Academy of Science discusses the possibility for subjective influence in lab based forensics. The interpretation bias happens in complex cases where, for example, there could be a mixture of DNA. A study published in 2011 looked specifically at this issue. A gang rape happened in Georgia, and the mixture in DNA from the case was used to prosecute one suspect after another suspect took a plea bargain to testify against him. With DNA mixtures, there are three possible conclusions: suspect excluded, suspect cannot be excluded, and inconclusive. If the suspect is excluded, it means that there’s little to no possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. If the suspect cannot be excluded, it means that there’s a possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. In the trial, the DNA examiners who knew the context of the case concluded that the suspect being prosecuted could not be excluded. The 2011 study gave the DNA evidence from this case and the DNA profiles of the suspects to 17 forensic examiners. These examiners had no context of the case, and they all worked independently. Of the 17, only 1 came to the same conclusion (suspect cannot be excluded) as the examiners who knew the context of the case. Twelve of the 17 concluded that the suspect who was prosecuted and convicted had no relation to the DNA found in the sample. Not only does this show that subjectivity occurs due to the context of the case, but the 17 examiners came up with different findings based on their past experiences meaning that not all DNA analysis is objective. Some organizations like the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods say that quantitative statistical evidence should be presented with every categorical conclusion, but the US doesn’t require this (Dror and Hampikian).

False Positives:

There are two categories that cause wrongful identification in a DNA report: coincidental matches and false positives. Coincidental matches are DNA matches between two unrelated people. The probability of these matches is about 1 to 500,000 for white individuals and about 1 to 350,000 for black individuals. This small probability of coincidental matches makes people feel confident in DNA evidence. False positives, on the other hand, are matches between DNA and test DNA that result from issues in the forensics lab. There have been multiple cases of forensics labs accidentally switching victim and suspected rapist DNA which lead to convictions that were later overturned when the lab realized the error. There are also cases of misreading or misunderstanding a sample. In a case from 1993, a man was convicted of rape because someone interpreted a mixed sample of victim and perpetrator DNA as an individual sample. The conviction was again overturned. To prevent false convictions, retesting DNA is allowed, but it’s not an efficient solution. Many people are pushing for statistical information on the probability of false positives, so that the jurors can make accurate judgements based on DNA evidence (Thomas et al.).  

Conclusion:

DNA analysis is a useful tool for the criminal justice system, but subjectivity can be an issue in forensic testing. To combat wrongful convictions, there are organizations like The Innocence Project who use DNA testing to free the innocent, but reformed forensic testing standards should be put in place to prevent subjectivity and to ensure juries are correctly informed during trials. https://www.innocenceproject.org/    

Citation:

Augustyn , Adam, et al. “DNA Finerprinting.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 26 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/DNA-fingerprinting#ref153186. Dror, Itiel E., and Greg Hampikian. “Subjectivity and Bias in Forensic DNA Mixture Interpretation.” Science & Justice, vol. 51, no. 4, 2011, pp. 204–208., doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2011.08.004. Jobling, Mark A., and Peter Gill. “Encoded Evidence: DNA in Forensic Analysis.” Nature Reviews: Genetics, vol. 5, no. 10, Oct. 2004, pp. 739–751., doi:10.1038/nrg1455. Thompson, William C, et al. “How the Probability of a False Positive Affects the Value of DNA Evidence.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1520/jfs2001171.