ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Customers of a New Mexico spa who got a “vampire facial” — we’ll get to what that is momentarily — should be tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C, state health officials warned after identifying practices that “could potentially spread blood-borne infections.”
New Mexico regulators ordered the VIP Spa in Albuquerque immediately closed after the inspection, which came after a client developed an infection that may have resulted from a spa procedure.
“It is very important that anyone who received a vampire facial or other injection related service 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, the New Mexico Department of Health’s cabinet secretary, said in statement.
So, what’s a vampire facial?
Simply put, a vampire facial uses “your own blood to help promote the healthy activity of your skin cells,: Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Allure magazine.
First, blood is drawn from the patient and placed in a centrifuge to extract platelet-rich plasma, which is then layered on top of the face and reinjected in the skin using what’s called a micro-needling pen, a tool with ultra fine, miniature needles that create tiny punctures in the skin.
Vampire facials are often done in combination with microdermabrasion, a procedure involving gentle sanding to remove the thicker, uneven outer layer of skin.
There’s no risk to exposure to blood-borne infections when the facial, also known as a plasma-rich protein facial, is properly done, experts told CNN.
“As long as proper protocols are followed and there is no sharing of equipment for patients, then it should not be an issue,” Dr. Kenneth Mark, a certified dermatologist in New York and assistant professor at New York University Langone Health, told the network.
That would include disposing of or sterilizing the micro-needle tips and syringes between facials. Exposure could also occur if another person’s blood is used in the facial, Dr. Eshan Ali, who wasn’t involved in the New Mexico case, told CNN.
Patients who get the facial need to make sure practitioners open new syringes to draw the blood and change the micro-needling pen before performing the procedure.
“Just make sure you’re seeing everything being done in front you,: Ali said. “Make sure that the place is using new equipment, changing the tips and needles.”
It’s also important to make sure clinics offering vampire facials are certified, Dr. Michael Dobryansky, a plastic surgeon trained in the treatment, told CNN.
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