Several women contracted HIV after facial injections

Three women were diagnosed as HIV positive, that is to say infected with HIV, in the United States, after having undergone a “vampire lift” or “vampire facial”, cosmetic injections to the face which would make the skin younger and more smooth.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published this Thursday, April 25, these are the first documented cases of people having contracted the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles.

A spa and treatment establishment is accused of being the source of the contamination of three women with HIV due to the reuse of needles and blood vials.

The spa closed its doors in the fall of 2018 as soon as the investigation was opened. According to the Washington Post, its former owner, a woman now 62 years old, is serving a three and a half year prison sentence.

She pleaded guilty in 2022 to five counts: illegal practice of medicine, extortion, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.