CDC Reports First Known Hiv Transmission Through Cosmetic Injections

Three women were likely infected with HIV while undergoing so-called vampire facials at a New Mexico spa, marking the first known cases of HIV transmission by cosmetic injections, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday.

The first HIV incidence linked to the VIP Spa in Albuquerque was discovered in 2018, prompting the New Mexico Department of Health to provide free testing to everyone who received injections there. The agency stated at the time that the spa was closed after its investigators “identified practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections.”

The most recent case involved a former client of the spa who tested positive for HIV last year, prompting the health department to revive the previous inquiry. The CDC report now includes additional information about the impacted clients as well as the spa’s policies.

The CDC said that the first occurrence involved a middle-aged woman who tested positive for HIV in 2018. She had no history of injectable drug use, recent blood transfusions, or recent sexual encounters with someone infected with HIV, although she did disclose receiving a vampire facial.

The second two were both middle-aged women who had vampire facials in 2018. One was diagnosed with early-stage HIV in 2019, and the other in 2023, when she was hospitalized with severe symptoms. The CDC stated that the spa lacked the necessary licenses to operate and was not following sufficient safety precautions.

A joint investigation by the CDC and the New Mexico Department of Health discovered a rack of unlabeled blood tubes on a kitchen counter at the spa, as well as in the kitchen refrigerator, adjacent to food and injectables such as lidocaine. The investigators also found unwrapped syringes in drawers, on counters, and in garbage cans.

Last year, the health department announced that the spa’s owner pleaded guilty in 2022 to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. In 2022, NBC station KOB of Albuquerque reported that the owner was sentenced to 3 and a half years in jail.

Investigators from the CDC and the health department concluded that 59 spa clients may have been infected with HIV. Of those, 20 had had vampire facials, also known as platelet-rich plasma microneedling. It entails extracting someone’s blood, separating the plasma, and injecting it into their face with tiny needles. The remaining consumers received alternative injection services, such as Botox, according to the CDC report.

People use vampire facials to fill up sagging skin and lessen the look of acne scars or wrinkles, but the American Academy of Dermatology says there’s little data to back up those claims. The AAD states that facials appear to be safe as long as blood is handled carefully.

In addition to the three spa guests who obtained HIV, the CDC found a woman who received multiple vampire facials there in 2018 and tested positive for HIV two years prior. However, the scientists stated that the source of the HIV contamination at the spa is unknown.

HIV is transferred through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids, including blood and sperm, which is why it is most commonly contracted through sex or needle sharing. HIV assaults the immune system and, if left untreated, can progress to AIDS. People with AIDS have a severely compromised immune system, leaving them vulnerable to a variety of diseases and deadly illnesses.

According to the CDC’s research, spas that provide cosmetic injections should implement effective infection control methods to avoid the spread of HIV and other blood-borne infections.

The hazards of cosmetic injections have lately received attention due to an ongoing CDC investigation into counterfeit and mismanaged Botox injections. The FDA identified 22 women who had adverse reactions to the injections, such as slurred speech, difficulty breathing, and blurred vision. As of last week, there had been eleven hospitalizations reported.

Six individuals were treated with botulism antitoxin due to fears that the injection’s toxin had gone beyond the site of administration.