ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (NEWSnet/AP) — Three women who were diagnosed with HIV after receiving “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa.

It marks the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Investigation into the clinic from 2018 through 2023 showed it apparently reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use, CDC said.

Many cosmetic treatments, , such as Botox, are delivered with needles. A “vampire facial,” or platelet-rich plasma microneedling procedure, involves drawing a client's blood, separating components, then using tiny needles to inject plasma into the face, to rejuvenate the skin. 

New Mexico Department of Health began investigation the spa in summer 2018, after it was notified that a woman tested positive for HIV, even though she had no known risk factors. She reported exposure to needles through the procedure at the clinic.

The spa closed in fall 2018. Its owner was prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license.

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