The CDC reported the first-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections after several middle-aged women were diagnosed with HIV following "vampire facials".
Three patients at VIP Spa in Albuquerque, N.M., were infected between 2018 and 2023 after receiving cosmetic platelet-rich plasma microneedling facials, known as vampire facials, NBC News reported. The procedure involves taking blood from the patient, separating the platelets and using microneedles to place the platelets back into the facial skin.
The first HIV case linked to the spa was reported in 2018 in a middle aged woman who had no HIV risk factors, according to an April 25 agency news release. The report led to an investigation into the spa by the CDC and the New Mexico Department of Health. The spa was shut down after the investigation discovered "practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections," NBC reported, and that it was operating without a license.
The most recent victim was diagnosed with HIV in 2023 when she was hospitalized with severe symptoms.
The CDC determined that 59 spa clients may have been exposed to HIV, and of those 20 received vampire facials. The others received other injection services such as Botox.
A sexual partner of one of the patients was also infected with HIV but was not a patient of the spa, the CDC said.