This article warns about the risk of contracting HIV from "vampire facials," a cosmetic procedure that uses microneedling with platelet-rich plasma. The CDC believes this is the first documented case of HIV transmission through this procedure. The investigation traced HIV diagnoses in four women and a partner to a spa that may have reused needles during facials. The article explains what vampire facials are and the dangers of unsterile injection practices.
Updated: 7:32 AM PDT Apr 22, 2021 Maggie Krajewski Digital Media Manager The former owner of a now-closed spa is facing 24 felony charges after an investigation found that at least two clients contracted HIV after receiving a Vampire Facial. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the indictment Wednesday charging Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz with a slew of charges including practicing medicine without a license, racketeering, fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.The VIP Salon closed in September of 2018 after an inspection found practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections such as HIV and hepatitis B and C to clients. In April 2019, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that at least two clients who had received a Vampire Facial at the salon had tested positive for HIV. The clients had received the injection-related procedure between May and September of 2018. In a Vampire Facial, a small amount of a clien