Two former clients of a New Mexico day spa that offered trendy "vampire facials," or Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, were recently diagnosed with HIV, according to health officials.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH)
said in a Monday press release that two people who had "received injection-related procedures" at VIP Spa in Albuquerque in 2018 were diagnosed with the same strain of the virus. Both clients reportedly visited the now-shuttered spa between May and September of last year.
The spa was permanently closed on September 7, 2018, after an inspection by the NMDOH discovered issues with how needles were handled and disposed of at the facility that "could potentially spread blood-borne infections, such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to clients."
Typically, during a "vampire facial," a client's own blood is drawn from their body and spun in a centrifuge to extract platelet-rich plasma, which is then re-injected into the facial skin to "replenish" it and make it look younger.
The treatment was partially made popular by Kim Kardashian West in 2013 when she posted a bloody selfie on Instagram following her own "vampire facial."
She took to her beauty website in 2018 to inform her fans that she
regretted getting the procedure and would never try it again.
"A few years ago, I heard about a 'vampire facial,' and I was so intrigued," the star wrote.
"Before I got the procedure, I just found out that I was pregnant, so I couldn’t use numbing cream or a pain killer and both are suggested," she
continued. "It was really rough and painful for me. It was honestly the most painful thing ever! It's the one treatment that I'll never do again."
Anyone who visited the VIP Spa for injection-based treatments is urged to undergo free
testing services.
