Consumers in Albuquerque Spa Who’ve Undergone ‘Vampire Facials’ Will Have to Test for HIV Says Health Department

Health officials at the New Mexico Department of Health announced on Tuesday that the clients who have received a “vampire facial” or any type of injection-related service at an Albuquerque spa in New Mexico need to get tested for HIV and blood-borne infections as that specific facility was following unsafe practices.

For those wondering what a “Vampire Facial” actually is, it is a procedure where your own blood is used for the facial. The procedure appears pretty whacky and it’s surely not for the faint-hearted. The blood is drawn and then stored in a centrifuge machine where it is spun at a high speed. The next step is to extract the Plasma which consists of all the nutrients and protein that helps to stimulate new skin and collagen. The plasma is layered above the skin and a tool called the micro needling pen is used to create tiny punctures in the skin with miniature fine needles.

"It is very important that anyone who received a vampire facial or other injection-related services 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," Lynn Gallagher, Cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health, said in the announcement.

When the concerned Spa was inspected on Friday, officials found that the Spa was not practicing safe methods and in turn risking the lives of several innocent customers. Consumers have or could have easily become victims of dangerous blood-borne diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The spa was forced to close down operations. One can fathom the mental turmoil and fear; these consumers are now going through.

Precautionary methods

According to Dr. Ali, the equipment such as the micro needling Pen has to be properly sterilized or disposed of off before it can be used on the other patient. He advises patients to make sure that the practitioners are using new equipment. New syringes should be used to draw out blood. "Just make sure you're seeing everything being done in front you," he said. "Make sure that the place is using new equipment, changing the tips and needles."

As patients, we must make sure that the practitioners have undergone specialized training on Vampire facial surgery. All the places must be vampire certified. Not only the organization should be certified but maintenance of certification is required for the practitioners to continue the practice. Dr. Dobryansky who is not involved in the New Mexico case said that "If you as a consumer look for that, you're likely to end up in a reputable place.”

Kim Kardashian’s Tryst with Vampire Facial

Kim Kardashian is one of the top celebrities who underwent the procedure. It was way back when Kim was a simple reality star. She had to do the procedure for an episode of Kim and Kourtney Take Miami in 2013. Kim Kardashian surprisingly reveals that ‘Vampire Facial’ was one of her biggest beauty regrets because the procedure was very painful. Since she was pregnant at that time she couldn’t even use a painkiller or numbing cream. “My show was also filming the treatment, so I felt I couldn’t chicken out," she shared. "It was honestly the most painful thing ever!” She also revealed that many celebrities swear by the procedure, albeit it never worked for her.

Without a doubt, many beauty service providers are not doing enough to ensure that infections aren’t spreading to their consumers. Stringent action needs to be taken against these service providers who don’t value the precious lives of their consumers. Now, we can only hope and pray that these Albuquerque consumers escape unscathed.