In a shocking incident, three women were diagnosed with HIV after receiving vampire facials at an unlicensed spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is believed to be the first-ever case of HIV transmission through cosmetic injections.
The process of vampire facials involves injecting a client’s own blood into their skin using microneedles to stimulate collagen growth and new skin cell production.
The New Mexico Department of Health initiated an investigation after a woman who had undergone a PRP microneedling facial in 2018 tested positive for HIV, despite having no other risk factors. Shortly after, two more individuals who had undergone vampire facials at the same spa in 2018 also tested positive for HIV. The CDC and NMHD officials concluded that contamination at the spa during the spring and summer of 2018 led to HIV-1 transmission to the three patients.
Anna Stadelman-Behar, a CDC epidemiologist, said, “When we did the inspection at the spa, it was clear that needles were being reused, and also clear that blood specimens were being reused.”
Further reports suggest that needles and blood specimens were being reused at the spa. During the inspection, officials found vials with no label, no date of birth, and no date of collection, that had been punctured multiple times.
Researchers analyzed viral genes from the infected individuals to establish a connection, as they did not share any contacts or risk factors apart from the spa procedure. The method of transmission could not be definitively identified, but needle or vial reuse was considered a potential cause.
The spa owner, Maria “Ramos de Ruiz,” was sentenced to over three years in prison after pleading guilty to negligence in 2022. The spa shut down in the fall of 2018 after the first infection was identified. This incident has raised concerns about the safety and regulation of such treatments and the need for strict adherence to safety protocols.
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