Three women “likely” contracted HIV from needles used at a beauty spa in the US which gave them “vampire facials”, health officials have confirmed.
Two were diagnosed with early-stage HIV, while the third had gone on to develop AIDS — the most severe form of the disease — by the time the illness was caught.
It’s the first time US officials have recorded cases of people catching the bloodborne virus from dirty cosmetic injections, The Sun reported.
The VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico, closed its doors in September 2018 after two clients tested positive for HIV following the procedures.
An investigation into the clinic found three women between the ages of 40 and 60 “likely” picked up the virus through “poor infection control practices” at the spa.
All three women had received vampire facials and developed HIV soon after, according to experts from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH).
HIV is spread via direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, according to the NHS.
The most common way to catch it is through unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who is infected but it can also be passed on to an unborn baby during pregnancy, by sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment.
It is thought that HIV could have been spread via shared needles used by the spa.
Two of the women were diagnosed with stage 1 HIV in 2018, a few months after their respective beauty treatments.
This phase of the disease, also known as acute HIV, happens about two to four weeks after the virus enters the body and can feel like the flu.
The third woman received her diagnosis in 2023, four years after her facial – by which point the HIV had developed into stage three HIV, also called AIDS.
Having AIDS means the immune system is very damaged.
The vampire procedures – popularised by stars including Kim Kardashian – involve blood being drawn from the body, usually the arm.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is then separated from the blood using a centrifuge before being reinjected into the client’s face.
The facials are not recommended for those who have hepatitis C, HIV or AIDS, blood cancer, skin cancer, or diseases that require taking a blood thinner.
The procedure typically costs between $1,000 (AUD$1,530) and $3,000 (AUD$4,590) and promises to reduce wrinkles, dull skin, and acne scarring by stimulating new collagen production.
The owner of the VIP Spa pleaded guilty in June 2022 to five counts of practising medicine without a licence.
According to the report, more than 59 former salon clients were tested as part of the investigation, 20 had received vampire facials.
A total of five HIV infections were identified, but only three were directly linked to the salon.
A previous investigation into the spa revealed unwrapped needles scattered in the salon and unlabelled blood tubes.
This story originally appeared on The Sun and reproduced with permission