In a new procedure dubbed the 'vampire facelift', women are ironing out wrinkles and rejuvenating their skin with injections of their own blood.
It involves taking a blood sample from the patient's arm and putting it through a machine which separates out the platelets, the Daily Mail reported.
These are tiny fragments of cells which circulate in the blood and are filled with hormones and proteins.
They are responsible for making the blood clot when people get a cut or bruise. But also at high concentrations they are thought to stimulate the skin to repair itself. These platelets are then injected into the face.
The procedure has had succesful results in the US and is now being offered by clinics in Britain.
"It can rejuvenate and repair skin that has environmental damage. It's good for skin that has been damaged by the sun or smoking and that is dry and damaged and wrinkled. This appeals to people because it's a natural product," said Taimur Shoaib, a consultant plastic surgeon who offers the treatment in three 400 pounds sessions at his clinic La Belle Forme in Edinburgh.
Platelet transfusions have long been used in reconstructive surgery, but this is their first use as a cosmetic treatment.
In experiments on rats injected with platelets, scientists found high concentrations increased the number of collagen fibres in their skin and improved skin quality.
Reza Nassab at Bassim Matti's clinic in Harley Street, who presented the results at the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons scientific meeting in London, said it worked the same way in humans.
"It's using your own blood, a technique which has been used in medicine for a long time, to give your skin a boost," he said.
