Do you know what a “vampire lift” is? Under this horror-worthy name lies a cosmetic surgery technique to, in theory, rejuvenate the face and fade scars. The cosmetic surgeon draws the client’s blood, separates the red blood cells from the platelets, then injects platelet-enriched plasma into the face. At a spa in Albuquerque, United States, some treatments went wrong. Five people, as well as the partner of one of them, contracted HIV following a vampire lift before 2018, reports the Washington Post.
Reused blood
The report reveals that the spa in question did not respect certain basic rules of hygiene and sterilization. Single-use disposable material would have been used several times. Tubes of blood were found scattered throughout the facility. Beauty products were kept in a refrigerator… next to the food. The spa also did not have a sterilizer. Worse, some vials of blood could have been injected into several people.
According to a report from the Centers for disease control and prevention, this is the first time people have caught HIV via aesthetic treatment. Health investigators ruled out the possibility that the victims could have fallen ill otherwise. The virus is believed to have been transmitted through microneedles used to inject plasma into the face.
