Vampire facelift to slow ageing process

Melbourne women are blood-thirsty for the latest anti-ageing fad sweeping Hollywood and helping stars to vamp-up their appearance.

The cosmetic procedure, dubbed the vampire facelift, promises to zap signs of ageing, including fine lines and wrinkles.

Ghoulish as the procedure sounds, Melbourne women are truly embracing the wrinkle-removing treatment, which uses a patient's blood to smooth and repair damaged areas.

It's technical name is 'Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy'(PRP) and it involves a doctor taking a patient's blood, which is then spun in a machine to separate platelets rich in healing qualities.

The mixture of blood products is then injected back into the face and neck to stimulate collagen, and even into the hairline to promote hair growth.

The Victorian Cosmetic Institute's plastic surgeon Doctor Gavin Chan told Seven News reporter Karen O'Sullivan: "You're using the power of your own blood, your own platelets to improve your skin, to rejuvenate your skin."

It may seem like an extreme way to achieve eternal youth, but women say there's nothing more natural than the vampire facial.

Patient Maggi, 63, has become a sucker for the treatment in her bid to achieve forever-young skin.

"It's a natural procedure which is using your own blood," she said. "They're not injecting any foreign bodies into your system.

"This is using your own platelet-rich plasma to improve your skin texture.

"You're always going for blood samples anyway, you're just drawing out blood and then putting it back in where you need it most."

The procedure has been used by elite sportsmen, including Tiger Woods, to speed up the healing process following surgery.

Maggi said she is sore and swollen for a while after each lift but insists she sees the benefits in a few days.

"I'll have brighter skin, smoother skin and people might say you look healthy, or have a nice glow to your skin," she said.

For more information visit The Victorian Cosmetic Institute's website