Trendy, high-end celebrity wellness fads are often prohibitively expensive, which only adds to their mystique.
Apheresis — a decades-old medical procedure — was first used in a clinical setting in 1952, but the practice philosophically stretches back to the bloodletting of Ancient Rome and Greece.
Movie stars, influencers, and the generally well-to-do have begun to seek apheresis for broader wellness-related reasons, and while the procedure is pricey, intrepid journalist Kate Spicer agreed to experience it firsthand for The Times.
Just a few days before Spicer’s article appeared, legacy beauty magazine Allure took an in-depth look at the increasingly blurred line between “med spa” treatments and more aggressive cosmetic medical interventions.
“Med spas provide the supply, in most cases, more conveniently and at a lower cost than a board-certified doctor would,” the outlet observed.
In Spicer’s case, the apheresis procedure occurred at London’s Viavi clinic, founded by Dr. Sabine Donnai. Donnai emphasized that what Spicer described as “blood cleaning” was “not a pampering treatment,” but rather, a “medical procedure.”
Although apheresis has established, evidence-backed clinical applications, the jury is still out on whether it’s worth the expense for “cleaning” blood. As Spicer noted, Orlando Bloom was one of the celebrities to tout the procedure, which he underwent due to concerns about microplastics.
Donnai “collects data assiduously,” the outlet said, in order to add to evidence of its efficacy in filtering environmental contaminants like microplastics from the blood.
Microplastics are environmentally pervasive and impossible to avoid completely, and Spicer mentioned “heavy metals, microplastics, forever chemicals, pesticides, [and] herbicides” as toxins apheresis could theoretically purge — for a considerable price.
Viavi clients first require an intake assessment, which costs £14,000 ($18,311), prior to the procedure. Apheresis treatment “costs £3,800 a pop,” or $4,970, and the outlet said that one treatment is “rarely enough.”
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Spicer described a “flush” during the treatment, when a debris canister requires emptying, and said her procedure produced five “flushes,” with the highest number Donnai has seen placed at seven.
“A week after my treatment, I still feel a bit sick all the time,” she wrote, adding that Donnai provided an analysis of Spicer’s labs, with toxins “as high as she has ever seen.”
Apheresis has shown potential as a method for filtering microplastics, but Spicer pointed out that she and many others couldn’t afford the £17,800 ($23,280) price tag. To her credit, Donnai didn’t frame apheresis as the only way to purge environmental toxins.
“Avoid eating and drinking out of plastic, and try to avoid using nonstick pans and cosmetics with parabens and phthalates,” Donnai advised.
In addition to using less plastic and eschewing cookware known to leach toxins, Donnai’s final recommendation for accessible blood filtration happened to be one that benefited others.
“Give blood. Getting rid of 300ml [of blood] with toxins in [it] means you can make your own clean new blood,” she advised.
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