Three women were likely infected with HIV while receiving a so-called vampire facial at a New Mexico spa, marking the first known cases of the virus being transmitted during a cosmetic injection procedure, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vampire facial is considered to be a more affordable and less invasive option than getting a facelift. During the facial, a person's blood is drawn from their arm, and then platelets are separated out and applied to the patient's face using microneedles. Although affordable, this process can be a serious health hazard if done in unsanitary conditions.
That proved to be the case for multiple people who were likely infected with HIV through vampire facials at the since-closed facility, the CDC report said. "This investigation is the first to associate HIV transmission with nonsterile cosmetic injection services," it stated, as per CBS News.
According to the report, the first case linked to the VIP Spa in Albuquerque was discovered in 2018 and prompted the New Mexico Department of Health to offer free testing to anyone who got injections at the facility. The department stated at the time that the spa was shut down after its investigators "identified practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections". The most recent case was a former client of the spa who tested positive for the virus last year, which led the health department to reopen the investigation.
Now, the CDC report provides new details about the affected clients and the spa's practices. As per NBC News, the first case was a middle-aged woman who tested positive for HIV in 2018. She had no history of injectable drug use, recent blood transfusions or recent sexual contact with someone with HIV - but she did report getting a vampire facial, the CDC report stated. The second two were also middle-aged women who had gotten vampire facials in 2018.
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The CDC said that the spa did not have appropriate licenses to operate and was not using proper safety measures. It also found unlabeled tubes of blood on a kitchen counter as well as other injectables stored along with food in the kitchen's refrigerator. The spa's owner pleaded guilty in 2022 to five felony counts of practising medicine without a license, the health department said last year. She was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.
CDC and health department investigators ultimately determined that 59 spa clients may have been exposed to HIV. Of those, 20 had received vampire facials. The investigators said the original source of the HIV contamination at the spa remains unknown.
People considering injections for medical or cosmetic reasons are urged to ask whether a provider, clinic or spa is licensed and trained, and if any products involved are FDA approved and purchased from a reliable source, the CDC said.
