Vampire Facial
A vampire facial is microneedling with your own PRP spread over the skin, so the pen passes over a surface already wet with plasma.
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Vampire Facial vs Microneedling
A vampire facial is microneedling with PRP added. Blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, and that plasma is applied to skin that has just been needled. Microneedling is the same treatment without that step. So the real choice is not between two treatments — it is whether the add-on is worth paying for, and the evidence for it is thin and mixed.
At a glance
| The difference | Vampire Facial | Microneedling |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | The needling price, plus an add-on fee | The base price, with nothing added |
Microneedling
The microneedling pen is held upright and stamped across the skin in rows. The needles go straight in and out, and the depth is set on the pen.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What you actually do
Vampire Facial
Microneedling, then your own plasma
Blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge. The platelet-rich layer is separated off and applied to the freshly needled skin. It may also be injected. Platelets carry signalling proteins the body uses to direct repair, and the theory is that concentrating them speeds up healing.
Microneedling
Microneedling on its own
A motorised cartridge of fine needles makes thousands of tiny vertical channels. No energy, nothing added. Healing brings new collagen and elastin.
Conditions treated
Microneedling
Ice Pick Scars
Narrow and deep, like a puncture. A needle passing over the surface cannot reach the bottom of the tract. These need TCA CROSS, punch excision, or a laser.
1 / 10→
Stretch Marks
Fine needles make controlled micro-injuries that prompt new collagen in the scarred layer. Improvement is modest and needs a course of sessions, but it carries a lower risk of leaving dark marks than lasers do, which makes it the more sensible first device on deeper skin tones. It works on both red and white marks.
←2 / 10→
Acne Scarring
Fine needles injure the skin just enough to trigger new collagen. It does most for rolling and shallow boxcar scars, and very little for icepick ones. It is the gentlest of the resurfacing options, which also makes it the slowest — expect four to six sessions and judge it at a year, not at a month.
←3 / 10→
Male Pattern Hair Loss
Fine needles rolled or stamped into the scalp, used alongside minoxidil rather than instead of it. The small trials that exist favor the combination over minoxidil alone. Sessions are spaced weeks apart, and doing it too often or too deeply irritates the scalp without adding anything.
←4 / 10→
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Fine needles make controlled injuries that prompt the skin to lay down collagen. Improvement in fine lines and texture is modest and builds over three to six sessions. Its advantage here is a lower risk of pigment problems on deeper skin tones than lasers or deep peels carry, which makes it a common first choice.
←5 / 10→
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Fine needles make controlled channels that help topical treatments penetrate and encourage the skin to remodel. It is mainly a scarring treatment, and its effect on pigment alone is small. It is a reasonable choice when true scars and dark marks sit together, but it can inflame reactive skin, so conservative depths are used on deeper skin tones.
←6 / 10→
Melasma
Fine needles make temporary channels that help tranexamic acid or other treatments reach deeper, and that combination is where the evidence sits — not needling on its own. It has to be done gently. Aggressive needling inflames the skin, and inflamed skin with active pigment cells makes more pigment, not less.
←7 / 10→
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Thickens the skin slightly over a course of sessions, which can make the vessels underneath a little less visible. The evidence around the eye is thin and the change is subtle. It will not fill a hollow, and on deeper skin tones it carries its own risk of leaving marks, so it is not a first choice here.
←8 / 10→
Rolling Scars
←9 / 10→
Boxcar Scars
←10 / 10
What you can expect to see
Vampire Facial
The same targets, with a claimed boost
Acne scars and overall skin quality — the same as the microneedling underneath it. The added benefit is the disputed part.
Microneedling
Shallower dented scars, smoother texture
Dented acne scars, texture, fine lines and the look of large pores.
How consistent it is
Vampire Facial
PRP is not a standardised product
A review of clinic data found that preparation devices turned out PRP of inconsistent make-up. Results do not transfer from one system to another. That is a core reason the studies disagree with each other.
Microneedling
The needling itself is consistent
Depth and speed are set on the device. The cartridge is the same from one session to the next.
The downside
Vampire Facial
Needling, plus bruising from injections
Bruising anywhere PRP was injected, on top of everything opposite. Blood is also drawn, handled and put back into open wounds, so infection control matters more here.
Microneedling
A few days looking sunburned
Redness like a moderate sunburn for about 24 to 72 hours. Mild swelling too, and sometimes pinpoint bleeding on the day.
Related topic illustrations
Microneedling
Fractional CO2 laser
Strong evidence, and the most effective single option for indented acne scars. In exchange it brings a week of real downtime, higher cost, and a genuine risk of lasting pigment change, especially on deeper skin tones.
1 / 4→
RF microneedling
Moderate evidence. Adds heat at depth, which does more for laxity and can do more for scars, at the cost of more discomfort, more downtime, and a higher price. Still safer on deeper skin tones than ablative lasers.
←2 / 4→
Subcision
Strong evidence for one specific job. It cuts the fibrous bands tethering rolling scars downward, which needling cannot reach. Often done alongside microneedling rather than instead of it.
←3 / 4→
Chemical peel
Strong evidence for pores and brown marks, none for indented scars. Superficial peels work on the surface and cannot lift a scar floor.
←4 / 4
Cost
Vampire Facial
The needling price, plus an add-on fee
You pay for the microneedling, then again for the extra step. It is an optional extra and should be priced as one.
Microneedling
The base price, with nothing added
No blood draw, no centrifuge, no second consumable.
The at-home or drugstore version
Vampire Facial
There is no home version of PRP
PRP needs a blood draw and a centrifuge. Nothing sold for home use makes it, and nothing in a bottle is it.
Microneedling
Rollers and home pens
A roller drags sideways instead of going straight in and out, so it tears more than it punctures. The needles are shorter and blunt quickly. A blunt needle does more damage than a sharp one.
Who tends to be happy with it
Vampire Facial
- Best for — People already committed to microneedling who want to try the add-on with clear eyes about the evidence.
- The mindset — An optional extra, priced as one.
Microneedling
- Best for — People who want the version with an authorised indication and fewer moving parts.
- The mindset — Do the well-studied thing properly first.
What PRP actually is
How it works, illustrated
Microneedling
Does adding PRP to microneedling help?
Microneedling
The one randomised test with RF microneedling found no clear benefit. Twenty people were treated for neck laxity. Both groups improved, but the PRP group's edge in skin thickness was not significant.
The fine print
Microneedling
Microneedling devices are authorised for facial acne scars. SkinPen Precision was authorised in March 2018 via De Novo DEN160029, for facial acne scars in adults 22 and over. A neck wrinkle indication followed in 2021. Dermapen 4 is cleared for facial acne scars.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Is a vampire facial just microneedling?
It is microneedling plus platelet-rich plasma made from your own blood, applied to the treated skin and sometimes injected. The microneedling part is identical; PRP is the add-on.
Is PRP FDA approved?
No. PRP has no FDA approval for any aesthetic use. The devices that prepare PRP are FDA-cleared, but the cleared purpose for the widely used product code is preparing PRP to be mixed with bone graft in orthopaedic surgery. Aesthetic PRP is an off-label use.
Does adding PRP actually make it work better?
The evidence is mixed and the increment looks smaller than the marketing suggests. One meta-analysis found PRP added to microneedling produced marked improvement in 43% and excellent improvement in 23%, but a network meta-analysis of 24 randomised trials ranked microneedling with a chemical peel above microneedling with PRP.
Is a vampire facial safe?
The main published safety lesson is about the facility, not the fluid. CDC investigators reported presumptive HIV transmission among clients of an unlicensed New Mexico spa offering PRP microneedling facials between 2018 and 2023, where infection control was not followed and no client records were kept. Blood handling plus needles requires a licensed provider and sterile single-use equipment.
Why is it called a vampire facial?
It is a marketing name, from the blood draw and the look of PRP on the skin during treatment. It is not a medical term and it does not describe a distinct procedure.
Can I have PRP with RF microneedling instead?
It is offered. The one randomised comparison, in 20 people treated for neck laxity, found both groups improved but the PRP group's dermal thickness advantage was not statistically significant, and the authors said the benefit remains questionable.
Is PRP applied on top the same as PRP injected?
Both are done — applied immediately after microneedling so the channels carry it in, or injected into the skin. The two routes have not been compared in published research, so there is no evidence-based answer on which is better.
Safety to keep in mind
PRP has no FDA approval or clearance for any aesthetic use. PRP preparation devices are cleared for preparing PRP to be mixed with bone graft at an orthopaedic surgical site. That is the cleared purpose. Aesthetic PRP is off-label practice of medicine, which is legal, but it is not what "FDA approved" means. "PRP is FDA-approved" is simply wrong, and it is common. "PRP kits are FDA-approved" is also wrong — they are cleared, and for a different job.