Vampire Breast Lift (PRP Breast Lift): What It Is, Results, Risks

Locations:

AdvertisementAdvertisement

A vampire breast lift (VBL) augments your breasts without surgery. Providers inject platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to improve skin texture and make your breasts appear fuller. Side effects are minimal, but may include bruising, swelling and tenderness, and there’s no downtime. Long-term complications and effectiveness of PRP breast lifts aren’t known.

Advertisement

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

Care at Cleveland Clinic

A vampire breast lift (VBL) is a procedure to improve (augment) the look of your breasts if surgery isn’t yet warranted. VBL uses injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). This procedure is also known as a PRP breast lift.

Advertisement

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

Platelet-rich plasma comes from your blood. PRP contains proteins that promote blood clotting and help with cell growth.

Providers separate PRP from the rest of your blood in a centrifuge, a machine that spins your blood at high speeds. The centrifuge separates your blood into three components:

• Platelet-rich plasma.
• White blood cells.
• Red blood cells.

People may opt for a PRP breast lift if a surgical breast lift isn’t yet warranted. Providers who inject PRP into their patients’ breasts claim that it:

• Increases elastin (a protein that allows tissue to stretch).
• Promotes growth of collagen (a protein that provides structure to your body).
• Stimulates new cell growth.

A vampire breast lift may help to:

• Improve skin texture and tone.
• Make your breasts look lifted and fuller.
• Reduce the look of wrinkles, stretch marks and scars.

Scientists haven’t studied the effectiveness vampire blood lifts, also known as PRP breast lifts. The long-term side effects and risks aren’t known. If you're considering breast lift options, be sure to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist about the risks of this particular treatment.

Before a PRP breast lift, you’ll have a consultation with your provider to talk about what you want to achieve. Your provider will:

Advertisement

• Ask about your health history.
• Examine your breasts.
• Discuss your desired outcome from the procedure.

If you decide to move forward with a PRP breast lift, your provider may suggest that you:

• Stop taking some medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin, for a week before the procedure.
• Wear comfortable clothing to your appointment.
• Remove jewelry and keep it at home.

During a vampire breast lift, your provider will take a blood sample, usually from your arm. They’ll spin the blood in a centrifuge machine to separate the PRP.

Your provider will apply a numbing cream to your breasts to decrease your sensitivity during the procedure. Then they use a thin needle to inject PRP into areas throughout your breasts.

The injections generally take about 20 minutes. The entire procedure usually lasts less than an hour.

Most people don’t have any side effects after a vampire breast lift. Some people experience side effects for a few days, such as:

• Bruises.
• Swelling.
• Tenderness.

Care at Cleveland Clinic

People who have a VBL breast lift instead of surgical breast augmentation may have:

• Fewer complications.
• Less pain.
• Shorter recovery time.

You may experience some pain during the blood sample and injections. But any discomfort is usually mild.

Because a PRP breast lift isn’t surgery, it can’t:

• Completely lift saggy breasts.
• Give your breasts a new shape.
• Increase your breast size.
• Reduce excess skin.
• Reposition your nipples.

This procedure isn’t recommended if you’re:

• At high risk of breast cancer or have had breast cancer.
• Breastfeeding.
• Pregnant.

Because there haven’t been scientific studies on vampire breast lifts, the long-term effects aren’t known. It’s also unclear whether a PRP breast lift can affect a mammogram. Be sure to tell your provider about the procedure if you have a mammogram.

After a PRP breast lift, you may notice your breasts becoming gradually firmer and smoother over a period of three to four weeks. Final results may not appear for two to three months. Any changes can last up to two years.

You can usually return to your regular activities immediately. Your healthcare provider will offer guidance suitable for your recovery.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms after a vampire breast lift:

• Bleeding.
• Excessive bruising.
• Pain.
• Swelling that doesn’t go away.

A vampire breast lift uses injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to enhance your breasts. Side effects and recovery time from a PRP breast lift are usually minimal. Scientists haven’t studied the safety or effectiveness of this procedure. If you're considering a breast lift, talk to your provider and weigh the pros and cons of the available procedures.

Advertisement

Sign up for our Health Essentials emails for expert guidance on nutrition, fitness, sleep, skin care and more.

Learn more about the Health Library and our editorial process.

Cleveland Clinic’s health articles are based on evidence-backed information and review by medical professionals to ensure accuracy, reliability and up-to-date clinical standards.

Cleveland Clinic’s health articles are based on evidence-backed information and review by medical professionals to ensure accuracy, reliability and up-to-date clinical standards.

• American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Breast Lift Guide (https://www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/procedure-learning-center/breast/breast-lift-guide/). Accessed 10/11/2021.
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast Lift. (https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-lift) Accessed 10/11/2021.
• Everts P, Onishi K, Jayaram P, Fábio Lana J, Mautner K. Platelet-Rich Plasma: New Performance Understandings and Therapeutic Considerations in 2020 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7589810/). Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct;21(20):7794. Accessed 10/11/2021.
• Spartalis E, Tsilimigras DI, Charalampoudis P, et al. The “Yin and Yang“ of Platelet-rich Plasma in Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy or Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer (https://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/37/12/6557.long). Anticancer Research. 2017 Dec;37(12):6557-6562. Accessed 10/11/2021.

Whether you need cosmetic or reconstructive plastic surgery, you’ll need skilled, detailed and compassionate providers. At Cleveland Clinic, we’re here to help.

AdvertisementAdvertisement

Ad