Three women were likely infected with HIV while receiving so-called vampire treatments at a New Mexico spa, marking the first known cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic injections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report Thursday.
The first case of HIV linked to VIP Spa in Albuquerque was discovered in 2018 and prompted the New Mexico Department of Health to offer free testing to anyone who injected at the facility. The department said at the time that the spa was closed after its investigators “identified practices that could potentially transmit bloodborne infections.”
The most recent case was a former spa client who tested positive for HIV last year, according to the health department — prompting it to reopen the earlier investigation.
Now, the CDC report provides new details about the affected customers and spa practices.
The first case was a middle-aged woman who tested positive for HIV in 2018, the CDC said. He had no history of injecting drug use, recent blood transfusions or recent sexual contact with someone with HIV – but did report having a vampire facial.
The second two were also middle-aged women who had a vampire facial in 2018. One was diagnosed with the earliest stage of HIV in 2019 and the other in 2023, when she was hospitalized with severe symptoms.
The CDC said the spa did not have proper permits and was not using proper safety measures.
A joint investigation by the CDC and the New Mexico Department of Health found a shelf of unlabeled blood tubes on a kitchen counter at the spa, as well as in the kitchen refrigerator, next to food and injectables such as lidocaine. Investigators also discovered unwrapped syringes in drawers, on counters and discarded in trash cans.
The spa owner pleaded guilty in 2022 to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, the health department announced last year. Albuquerque’s NBC affiliate KOB reported in 2022 when the owner was sentenced to 3 ½ 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 a vampire facial, a procedure also known as platelet-rich plasma microneedling. It involves drawing someone’s blood, separating the plasma, and then injecting the plasma into the face using tiny needles. The remaining clients had received other injection services such as botox, the CDC report said.
People get vampire facials to plump up sagging skin and reduce the appearance of acne scars or wrinkles, but according to the American Academy of Dermatology, there little evidence to support these claims. AAD says facials seems to be safe proper handling of the blood is sufficient.
In addition to the three spa clients who contracted HIV, the CDC identified a woman who had multiple vampire facials there in 2018 and had tested positive for HIV two years earlier. However, investigators said the original source of HIV infection at the spa remains unknown.
HIV is spread through contact with bodily fluids from an infected person, including blood and semen, so it is most often spread through sex or sharing needles. HIV attacks the immune system and if left untreated, can lead to AIDS. People with AIDS have severely damaged immune systems, which makes them vulnerable to various infections and serious illnesses.
The CDC said in its report that spa facilities that offer cosmetic injections should require proper infection control practices to prevent the transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens.
The dangers of cosmetic injections have also gained attention recently because of a ongoing CDC investigation to fake and incorrect Botox injections.
The agency identified 22 women who experienced adverse reactions from the injections, including slurred speech, difficulty breathing and blurred vision. Eleven hospitalizations had been reported as of last week.
Six patients were treated with botulism antitoxin because of concerns that the toxin in the injection could have spread beyond the site where it was administered.
Marlene Letang and David K. Lee contributed.
