MARCH 6, 2024

HIV Cluster Traced to Vampire Facials in New Mexico

By Marie Rosenthal, MS

Anyone who is going to receive any cosmetic procedure that involves needles should make sure the procedure is done by a licensed esthetician who practices good infection control. This advice was given at CROI 2024, held in Denver, by an epidemiologist who reported a small cluster of HIV cases traced to vampire facials.

Cosmetic platelet-rich plasma microneedling, or vampire facial, is a procedure of which an esthetician takes a blood sample, centrifuges it to separate its