New Mexico spa-goers who got ‘vampire facials’ are urged to get tested for HIV and hepatitis after one was diagnosed with a blood infection
- VIP Spa in Albuquerque was shut down after a client reported a blood infection
- Vampire facials involve extracting a person’s blood, processing it, then injecting it back in with microneedles
- The owner claims they perform all facials with disposable needles
- New Mexico health officials insist clients should not take chances and should get tested
Clients at a New Mexico spa have been urged to get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C amid fears that their ‘vampire facials’ were contaminated.
A vampire facial, popularized by Kim Kardashian, is designed to rejuvenate a person’s face by extracting their blood, and injecting a purified form of it back in using micro needles.
It has been marketed as a simple procedure that you can squeeze into a lunch break, but at least one person who got such a facial at VIP Spa in Albuquerque claims they subsequently developed an unspecified blood infection.
Health officials have now shut down the spa, and are urging all clients to get tested for all blood-borne infections immediately.
A vampire facial takes platelets out of your face then puts them back. Health officials have now shut down VIP Spa in Albuquerque and are urging all clients to get tested for all blood-borne infections immediately (file image)
The spa’s owner insists that the only ever use disposable needles.
But New Mexico Department of Health cabinet secretary Lynn Gallagher urges clients not to take any chances.
‘It is very important that anyone who received a vampire facial or other injection-related service at the VIP Spa in May or June of 2018 come to the Midtown Public Health Office for free and confidential lab testing and counseling,’ she said in a statement.
The vampire facial, or Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), involves extracting a vial of a patient’s blood from their arm and spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the plasma – the fluid part – from the red and white blood cells.
The concentrated plasma, which is rich in platelets – the part of the blood rich with growth factors – is then injected into the face.
The procedure claims to remove wrinkles, dull skin, acne scarring and more and can be performed on any age group.
Kim Kardashian got one done on her reality TV show in 2013, and the procedure promptly became a must-do across the US, and around the world.