Since the dawn of humanity, people have been obsessed with looking young and attractive.
Nowadays, we see so many advertisements telling us what is beautiful, it's hard not to feel self-conscious.
While some people love the idea of aging gracefully, a wrinkle here and there can be the cause of immense stress for others.
Just like how there are many controversial weight loss plans and diets, there's a lot of questionable beauty treatments out there too.
The Price Of Young Blood
Forget about the fountain of youth. Some people are convinced that the answer to looking forever young is not from water, but blood.
"Using platelet-rich plasma is a very hot trend right now in dermatology," Joshua Zeichner, the director of clinical and cosmetic research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told Allure. "It is being used to improve skin tone and texture, wrinkles, and even promote hair growth."
As you may have figured, blood for beauty will cost you a pretty penny.
People are spending approximately $8,000 on these treatments that involve injecting blood plasma, the light yellow fluid of the blood responsible for the movement of cells and other elements of blood in the circulatory system, to get that youthful glow.
"The idea is that the plasma of the blood is rich in proteins and growth factors that promote healthy skin cell functioning and may encourage older or lazy cells to behave more like young cells," Zeichner added.
As for how this blood donation process works, according to an article by CNBC, anyone under the age of 25 is eligible to donate.
Teenagers who donate their blood to a blood bank may not even know that their blood is being sold to a pharmaceutical company and given to healthy adults.
Does It Actually Work?
You may have heard about "vampire facials" before, where people use their own blood to combat wrinkles.
Even celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Gisele Bundchen have tried this treatment to get that youthful glow.
But the reason why injecting teen blood is getting much more attention is because people think theirs will work best.
The reality is that there's been very little concrete research on this beauty treatment, but a start-up company called Ambrosia is hoping to change that.
The founder of the company, Dr. Jesse Karmazin, told CNBC that people who signed up for the treatment have so far reported positive results.
While he doesn't claim this transfusion can cure aging, Karmazin has reviewed research on the effects of injecting older mice with the plasma of young ones and believes there are benefits.
[H/T: Little Things / CNBC / Allure]