Vampire Facials Are Being Linked to Presumptive HIV Transmission

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As the quest for more youthful skin becomes more and more popular, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) facials, better known as "vampire facials," are being touted as the new fountain of youth. But this week, the CDC has opened an investigation after three women were presumptively infected with HIV after receiving a vampire facial at a now closed unlicensed spa, VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This would mark the first time HIV was transmitted through cosmetic-injection services.

In 2018, an investigation into the spa was opened and it was shut down after "the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) was notified of a diagnosis of HIV infection in a woman with no known HIV risk factors who reported exposure to needles from cosmetic platelet-rich plasma microneedling facials (vampire facials) received at a spa in spring 2018," according to the CDC documents. The investigation identified four former spa clients, and one sexual partner of a spa client, who received HIV-infection diagnoses between 2018 and 2023 and reported low behavioral risks associated with HIV acquisition.

The PRP facials received the eerie nickname vampire facials because of how bloody they are. The treatment combines microneedling and PRP and involves taking a sample of your own blood, extracting the plasma, and injecting it back into the face while puncturing the skin. It purports to stimulate cell repair and boost collagen in the skin, making it more radiant and firm. Vampire facials started to become popular a little over a decade ago after Kim Kardashian got the treatment done on her show Kourtney & Kim Take Miami. She later admitted that she regretted getting it done on her old blog.

This is the second time this month that the CDC has opened investigations into issues related to unlicensed spas. The safest place to get any type of cosmetic procedure, including PRP facials, is at a licensed spa by a medical professional.