Women become infected with HIV after cosmetic procedure in clandestine US clinic

Three women were infected with HIV after undergoing a cosmetic procedure at an irregular clinic in Albuquerque, a city located in New Mexico (USA). They went through the process known as “vampire facial”, a microneedling technique that is performed after removing the patient’s own blood to separate the platelet-rich plasma and “return” it to the person. with needle punctures.

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a US health agency, points out that this is the first time that HIV transmission has occurred through this type of aesthetic procedure.

The three cases mentioned by the regulator were reported between 2018 and 2023. “This investigation identified a cluster of HIV associated with the receipt of cosmetic injection services in an unlicensed facility that did not follow recommended infection control procedures or maintain client records,” the CDC reported.

The team investigating the case identified 59 clients at risk of exposure, including 20 who went through the vampire facial and another 39 who underwent services involving injections. The three HIV-infected women had considerably similar strains of the virus and belonged to a group of five people who had the disease.

“Five patients were identified, including four women and a man who was a sexual partner of one of the four patients and never received any services from the spa. […] Two patients had stage 1 disease and three had stage 3 disease at the time of diagnosis,” the center announced last Thursday (25).

An inspection of the clandestine clinic revealed multiple unsafe infection control practices. A centrifuge, a heated dry bath, and a rack of unlabeled tubes containing blood were located on the kitchen counter. Additionally, unlabeled tubes of blood and medical injectables were found in the kitchen refrigerator among the food.

At least 198 former spa clients and their sexual partners were tested for HIV between 2018 and 2023.

Investigators still do not know the precise source of the contamination. The place, however, closed in 2018.

“Women are infected with HIV after cosmetic procedure in clandestine clinic in the USA” was published first in Banda B.