People searching for a PRP facial and people searching for the trademarked Vampire Facial® are usually looking at the same procedure: controlled microneedling followed by platelet-rich plasma prepared from a sample of their own blood. One of those names is a registered trademark licensed to providers who complete a defined training and protocol system. The other is the plain description of what happens on the treatment table. A different name on the menu does not mean you are being offered less.
InjectCo is not licensed to market that registered protocol, so this article uses PRP facial and PRP microneedling throughout. The comparison worth having is mechanical rather than commercial. Microneedling is what starts collagen remodelling. PRP is the add-on, and research has not consistently established how much extra improvement it contributes.
Key takeaways
Written by Kiara, BSN, RN, CPN. Medically reviewed by Dr. Josh Allen, D.O., Medical Director. Published August 2026. Last updated August 2026.
This article is general education and is not medical advice. PRP is not FDA approved as a cosmetic facial treatment. The FDA has cleared specific microneedling devices for limited indications, and combining them with PRP is an off-label use. Discuss your health history, your medications and realistic goals with a qualified clinician before booking. Individual results vary.
Vampire Facial® is a registered treatment name. Its holder licenses eligible providers under a defined training and protocol system, and clinics without that licence should not use the name to market a service. That is a straightforward trademark matter, not a comment on the quality of anyone involved.
PRP microneedling is the generic description of platelet-rich plasma combined with controlled needling. PRP facial usually means the same process, though usage varies enough that it is worth asking exactly what a given appointment includes.
InjectCo is not licensed to offer the registered protocol and does not market its service under that name. It uses the accurate generic term for what it performs, which is PRP microneedling. The practical point for you as a patient is that the naming difference is a licensing difference. It is not evidence that one clinic is doing something the other cannot.
Microneedling creates a controlled injury. PRP is prepared separately from your blood and added afterwards. Walking through the sequence in order makes it much easier to judge what each component is actually contributing.
A clinician draws blood into designated tubes. A centrifuge then spins the sample and separates its components by density. What is left is plasma carrying a higher concentration of platelets than whole blood, though how much higher depends on the collection method and the processing system in use.
A provider passes a sterile, single-use cartridge across the treatment area. Its needles create controlled micro-injuries at a set depth. That depth should reflect the concern being treated, the area of the face and your individual risk, which is why this is a clinical decision rather than a fixed setting.
The skin produces a brief inflammatory response first. Repair cells then move in and build new tissue, and collagen remodels gradually over the following weeks and months. This is the part that produces the result. The pinpoint bleeding people photograph is a side effect of the needling, not the mechanism.
Prepared PRP is applied over the treated skin, and in some protocols elsewhere it is injected. The theory is that platelet-derived signals amplify the repair response already underway. InjectCo applies PRP to treated skin.
It is worth being precise about what is established here. The collagen-induction effect of microneedling has a solid evidence base. The added value of PRP on top of it is far less certain. PRP is not FDA approved as a cosmetic facial treatment, the FDA has cleared specific microneedling devices only for limited indications, and the combination is off label.
A nurse can tell you whether standard microneedling is likely to be enough, or whether PRP could justify the added cost for your concern.
Separating the two components stops the add-on taking credit for everything microneedling already does on its own. This is the single most useful comparison in the article.
| Question | Microneedling alone | PRP add-on |
|---|---|---|
| What starts the repair? | Controlled micro-injuries | PRP does not replace the needling |
| Clearest role | Texture, some acne scars, pores and fine lines | Possible added healing or scar benefit |
| Evidence | Supported for several texture concerns | Results vary with preparation and protocol |
| The appointment | Cleansing, numbing and needling | Adds a blood draw, processing and application |
| Cost | Standard session fee | Adds collection materials and clinical handling |
A 2024 overview of systematic reviews on PRP for acne scars reported higher clinical improvement scores and shorter crusting and redness times in people who received PRP compared with controls. The same authors graded the certainty of that evidence as low to very low, citing risk of bias, inconsistency between studies and imprecision, and concluded that it does not support a clear clinical decision either way.
Read plainly, that means PRP may suit selected patients. It does not mean everyone booking microneedling needs it.
This treatment involves drawing, processing and reapplying blood. That makes sterile technique and single-patient handling the core of it, not administrative detail, and there is a documented case that shows why.
In 2018 the New Mexico Department of Health was notified of an HIV diagnosis in a woman with no known risk factors who reported receiving PRP microneedling at a spa operating without the appropriate licences. A CDC and state investigation published in 2024 went on to identify five people with genetically linked HIV infections: four former clients who had received PRP microneedling there, and the sexual partner of one client. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed the strains clustered together.
The on-site inspection found what you would expect to find behind an outcome like that. Unlabelled tubes of blood sat on a kitchen counter. Blood and injectables were stored in a kitchen refrigerator alongside food. Unwrapped syringes were in drawers and in ordinary bins. There was no autoclave on the premises, and client records were too incomplete to trace who had been exposed.
The report does not show that PRP transmits HIV. It shows what unsafe blood handling and absent infection control can do. Autologous does not mean infection-proof, and the questions below are entirely reasonable to ask any clinic, including this one.
The FDA guidance on microneedling devices is direct on the equipment point. A microneedling cartridge should not be reused or used on more than one patient, because doing so could transfer infectious agents. Cleaning does not make reuse acceptable.
Ask how InjectCo draws, labels, processes and applies PRP. A qualified provider should be able to answer all of it without hesitating.
Recovery tracks treatment depth and how sensitive your skin is, so the pattern below is typical rather than guaranteed. A first week often looks like this.
Results are not immediate, and any clinic promising otherwise is overselling. Early texture changes may show within a few weeks while collagen continues remodelling for months afterwards. Many patients complete three sessions spaced several weeks apart, with maintenance decided by how their skin actually responded rather than by a fixed calendar.
PRP microneedling tends to suit uneven texture, shallow acne scarring, enlarged pores, early fine lines and general tone. It cannot replace filler for volume loss or surgery for significant laxity, and deep folds or ice-pick scars usually need a different approach entirely.
Treatment should wait when active acne, a rash or an infection affects the area. Blood and platelet disorders, immune suppression, anticoagulant medication, pregnancy and breastfeeding can all change whether you are a candidate. Never stop a prescribed medication to qualify for a cosmetic treatment without your clinician directing it.
PRP costs more than needling alone because the appointment adds a blood draw, collection materials, centrifuge processing and extra clinical handling. Session count then multiplies whatever that difference is.
PRP with microneedling is currently listed at $799 per session at InjectCo. Check the current rate when you schedule. For a fuller breakdown of pricing and side effects across every PRP treatment, see the guide to PRP injections. The question worth asking here is narrower: does the expected benefit of the add-on justify the difference for your concern?
These are the questions that come up most often once patients realise the two names point at broadly the same procedure. Sources for the safety and regulatory points sit directly beneath the answers.
The registered name identifies a licensed protocol that pairs platelet-rich plasma with a skin procedure. PRP facial and PRP microneedling are generic terms that usually describe the same components, although the exact steps vary between clinics. InjectCo is not licensed to market the registered protocol, so it uses the generic name for the treatment it performs. Ask any clinic what its appointment actually includes rather than relying on the name.
Most providers apply a topical numbing cream first. Patients usually describe pressure, vibration or a scratching sensation rather than sharp pain. Comfort depends on the area treated, the needle depth and your own sensitivity. Skin often feels sunburned afterwards. Tell the provider during the session if discomfort becomes difficult to tolerate, because depth can be adjusted.
Many patients complete three sessions spaced several weeks apart, but that is a common pattern rather than a rule. Mild texture concerns may need fewer, while acne scarring may need more or a different procedure altogether. How your skin responds after the first session should guide the rest of the course.
It can be performed safely with proper screening, licensed staff, sterile blood handling and single-use equipment. Using your own plasma does not remove every risk. Infection, bleeding, pigment change and cold-sore reactivation all remain possible. Ask specifically about cartridges, sample labelling, cleaning protocols and who provides medical support if something goes wrong.
There is no guaranteed duration. Improvement builds as collagen remodels, then shifts again with ageing, sun exposure and your skin care routine. Some patients consider maintenance somewhere between six and 12 months. The interval should follow what you can actually see rather than a fixed schedule sold at the time of booking.
It may be for selected acne scarring, or for patients comfortable paying for a benefit that research has not firmly established. It may not be for mild texture that standard microneedling already handles well. Ask the provider what improvement they expect from the PRP specifically, over and above the needling, before you agree to the upgrade.
Sources for the points above: the CDC investigation of presumptive HIV transmission at a New Mexico spa, the FDA guidance on microneedling devices, and a 2024 overview of systematic reviews on PRP for acne scars.
Strip away the branding and this is one procedure with a well-supported core and an add-on whose benefit is less certain. Microneedling drives the collagen remodelling. PRP may support it. The decision in front of you is whether that possible support is worth the extra handling, the extra blood work and the extra cost for the specific thing you want to change.
A provider who cannot separate those two things for you is not the right provider for this treatment. Individual results vary, and the honest answer to whether you need the upgrade is that it depends on your skin.
An InjectCo nurse can compare both options and explain which one fits your skin, your recovery tolerance and your goals.
Dr. Allen earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency with Texas A&M. As Medical Director, he reviews InjectCo’s treatments, protocols, and patient education content for accuracy and safety across all nine Texas locations.
