At Least Three Women Were Infected With HIV After 'Vampire Facials'

The women underwent the cosmetic procedure at an unlicensed spa in New Mexico.

At least three women were infected with HIV. during “vampire facial” cosmetic procedures at an unlicensed spa in Albuquerque, federal officials said Thursday. This is the first time that HIV. transmission through cosmetic injection services has been documented, they said.

The three were part of a group of five people sharing very similar HIV infections . strains, four of whom had undergone a procedure called platelet-rich plasma microneedling at the spa. The fifth individual, a man, had sexual relations with one of the women.

Investigators still do not know the precise origin of the contamination. A 2018 HIV report. Diagnosis in a client who reported having no behavioral risk factors led to a public health investigation when the woman reported she received a cosmetic treatment involving needles, called microneedling platelet-rich plasma facial.

An inspection of the spa revealed unlabeled tubes of blood sitting on a kitchen counter, others stored with food in a refrigerator and unwrapped syringes in drawers and trash cans.

The facility also appears to reuse disposable equipment intended for single use only, according to a Centers report for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report comes on the heels of an announcement by health officials earlier this month that they were investigating a series of illnesses linked to counterfeit or improperly injected Botox containing large amounts of botulinum toxin, which is used in small doses to smooth wrinkles.

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