The Blood Lust - leads us on another road in the quest for youth

Dracula Therapy

The anti-aging treatment du jour

I vant to suck your blood... okay, no not really. It may make you think of that savagely, sadistic Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory who, in the 16th Century, would bathe in the warm blood of young girls to preserve her youth. That thought just gave me the heebies (the goose-bumpy shudders).

Does it give you the heebies? Woman have been doing bizarre things in the name of beauty for centuries - snail gel, whale sperm, roasting in the sun like basting in baby oil.

This so-called "vampire therapy" or stimulated skin self-serum (S3) therapy,  is fast becoming a rage among those who are looking for non-surgical anti-ageing solutions. An attractive option for those wanting to avoid invasive surgery and perhaps not as gruesome as it's made out to be.

According to Dr Daniel Sister, a London-based skin specialist who is credited with introducing this method for cosmetic benefits, this therapy infuses new life into the skin and helps to smoothen wrinkles.  This therapy is not new and it has been used by dentists(yey for me!) to treat the problem of receding gums, in cardiovascular surgery and to also treat burn victims. “This therapy is for anyone who wants to improve their skin. But the thing is that this is not restricted to skin alone. The S3 therapy can even be used to treat other issues like hair loss and it has proven to be very effective in these areas too.”

The process of injecting the blood helps to stimulate DNA, which is very important to slow down ageing. Apart from this, the process also acts as a natural detox for the blood stream and helps in tackling various skin-related, internal issues. “What happens is that the blood is taken from the arm or the thigh. Then, it is separated into different categories based on elements like red blood cells, collagen formation, amino acids,platelets.  Later, this is injected into the face (vitamins and amino acids may be added) or any other area that needs help.

What makes this treatment such a hit is the fact that there are no foreign influences being used and there is no risk of allergy.  There are no scars or marks that are left by the treatment either. A patient may experience slight swelling associated with the injection site . Treatments are required at 4-6 monthg intervals.