According to US Health Body, at least three women contracted HIV during a “vampire facial” at a spa
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that three women were probably HIV positive after getting a “vampire facial” at a spa in New Mexico. These are the first documented instances of the virus spreading after a cosmetic injection technique. A vampire facial is said to be a less intrusive and more cost-effective alternative to a facelift. Blood is extracted from the patient’s arm for the facial, and platelets are then extracted and put on the patient’s face using microneedles.
This procedure, although inexpensive, poses a significant risk to one’s health if carried out in an unhygienic manner.
According to the CDC study, this turned out to be the case for many individuals who were probably HIV-positive after receiving vampire facials at the now-closed establishment. According to CBS News, “this investigation is the first to associate HIV transmission with nonsterile cosmetic injection services.”
As per the article, the New Mexico Department of Health provided free testing to all individuals who had injections at the VIP Spa in Albuquerque after the first case connected to the establishment was identified in 2018. The agency said at the time that its inspectors had “identified practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections” as the reason for the spa’s closure. The health authorities reopened the inquiry after the most recent occurrence, in which a previous customer of the spa tested positive for the virus last year.
New information on the impacted customers and the spa’s procedures is now available in the CDC report. The first instance, according to NBC News, was a middle-aged lady who tested positive for HIV in 2018. The CDC study said that while she did not have a history of injectable drug use, recent blood transfusions, or a recent sexual encounter with an HIV-positive person, she did claim to have obtained a vampire facial. The other two were middle-aged ladies who had received vampire facials in the previous year.
According to the CDC, the spa was operating without the required permits and was not taking the necessary safety precautions. It also discovered more injectables kept in the kitchen refrigerator with food, as well as blood tubes without labels on a counter. The health department said this year that the proprietor of the spa entered a guilty plea to five felony charges of practicing medicine without a license in 2022. She received a three-and-a half-year jail term.
Investigators from the CDC and health department finally concluded that 59 spa patrons could have been exposed to HIV. Twenty of them had had vampire facials. The initial source of the HIV infection at the spa, according to the authorities, is still a mystery.
The CDC advised anybody thinking about getting an injection for medical or aesthetic purposes to find out whether the doctor, clinic, or spa has the necessary training and licensure and if the goods being used are FDA-approved and sourced from a reputable supplier.
