Three American women who were diagnosed with HIV after undergoing “vampire facials” at an unregistered New Mexico medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, federal health officials said.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in its Morbidity and Mortality Report last week that an investigation into the clinic from 2018 to 2023 showed it apparently reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use.
Although HIV transmission from contaminated blood through unsterile injection is a well-known risk, the report said this was the first documentation of probable infections involving cosmetic services, reports NPR.
Many popular cosmetic treatments are delivered with needles, like Botox and fillers. A “vampire facial”, or platelet-rich plasma micro-needling procedure, involves drawing a client’s own blood, separating its components, then using tiny needles to inject plasma into the face to rejuvenate the skin.
The New Mexico Department of Health began investigating the spa in 2018 after it was notified that a woman in her 40s had tested positive for HIV even though she had no known risk factors. She had reported exposure to needles through the procedure at the clinic that year.
The spa closed in late 2018 after the investigation was launched, and its owner prosecuted for practising medicine without a licence.
The report said the investigation showed how important it was to require infection control practices at businesses that offer cosmetic procedures involving needles.
NPR article – CDC says 3 women diagnosed with HIV after receiving 'vampire facial' (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Botched botox and the UK’s legislative crackdown on ‘cosmetic cowboysʼ
Australia put the brakes on cosmetic surgery ‘cowboys’
UK public health experts want laws on tattooing and acupuncture