‘Vampire facial’ spa injections now linked to 2 HIV cases in New Mexico, officials say
Health officials in New Mexico are urging HIV and hepatitis tests for clients who got injections at an Albuquerque spa last year after two treated at the facility tested positive for HIV.
VIP Spa offered so-called “vampire facials,” which draw clients’ blood and then apply the blood to the face after it’s spun in a centrifuge, Vox reports. It was shut down in September 2018 following an HIV scare, McClatchy reported last year.
That scare prompted the state’s health department to ask anyone who received needle-related procedures there to get tested for exposure to HIV and hepatitis B and C. Those sorts of injections need to be given by a licensed medical provider, according to state officials.
State health officials announced Monday that investigators are now looking into “two cases of HIV infection among VIP Spa clients who received injection related procedures at the VIP Spa between May and September 2018.” More than 100 clients from the spa have already been tested for the blood-borne diseases, according to state officials.
The health department said in a news release that testing on those two clients suggests “recent infection with the same HIV virus — increasing the likelihood that the two HIV infections may have resulted from a procedure at the VIP spa.”
The spa has been closed since Sept. 7, 2018, after a state inspection revealed “practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections, such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to clients,” according to the news release.
“Testing is important for everyone as there are effective treatments for HIV and many hepatitis infections,” Kathy Kunkel, the New Mexico Department of Health Cabinet secretary, said in a statement.
Free and confidential testing in the area can be accessed by going to South Valley Health Commons at 2001 El Centro Familiar SW in Albuquerque on Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed from 12-1:00 p.m.) or Casa de Salud Family Medical Office at 1608 Isleta Blvd SW in Albuquerque on Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., according to state officials.
“Vampire facials” gained notoriety several years ago, as McClatchy reported, after reality TV star Kim Kardashian posted a picture on Instagram showing the bloody skin treatment — though Kardashian later said she regretted the procedure, according to Refinery29.
State officials cited “issues with storage, handling and disposing of needles” before the spa closed, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
According to Vox, the idea behind the procedure is that by putting blood in the centrifuge, medical professionals can separate red blood cells from the plasma and platelets, leaving a liquid “platelet-rich plasma.”
“The plasma contains protein and other nutrients that are supposed to help stimulate skin cell growth and collagen,” Vox’s Rebecca Jennings wrote last year. “Then that material is either applied topically or injected into the face using microneedling techniques, which essentially involves puncturing the skin many times with super-tiny needles. The theory is that the holes help the growth factors and other nutrients get into deeper layers of the skin.”
The treatment isn’t new, and it can be safe if it’s performed by licensed experts, Newsweek reports.
“While it has become incredibly popular and can yield wonderful results, it is not necessarily the miracle treatment some advertise it as,” said Wilbur Hah of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, according to Newsweek. “That being said, (it) has been used for (the) last two decades to help treat musculoskeletal pain and regenerate cells; it is not a new ‘fad’ treatment. In fact, studies have shown that PRP effectively promotes tissue remodeling in aging skin.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 3:32 PM.