Recently, two clients who had received “vampire facials” at a VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico have tested positive to HIV. This development has prompted health officials to advise everyone who had patronized the Spa to get tested for HIV.
The Spa was closed down for business in September 2018 after being inspected by the representatives of the Barbers and Cosmetologists Board, the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, and health officials. During the inspection visit, evidence of corrupt practices of injectable procedures was discovered.
The second infection wasn’t detected until the early months of this year which increased the possibility of more cases among previous clients of the Spa.
The services offered by the spa include “vampire facial” which involves the extraction of platelets from the client’s blood before being injected into the client’s face through microneedling. The facial treatment procedure became viral after Kim Kardashian, and other celebrities underwent the procedure.
The procedure isn’t harmful in itself but placed its recipients at the New Mexico Spa at risk because it was being administered through unsafe practices. This has put the clients at risk of contracting Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV among other infectious diseases.
According to the deputy director for Board and Commissions, the attending aesthetician at the Spa was not licensed, and the “vampire facials” procedure is beyond her scope of duty as an aesthetician. The Spa owner, however, argued that she only uses disposable needles.
