Spa shut down after HIV scare from 'vampire facial'

Blood facial
The facial technique has been popular since Kim Kardashian underwent it in 2013. Photo credit: Getty

Clients at a spa in the US are concerned for their health after it emerged that a 'vampire facial' may have exposed them to blood-borne infections. 

The Albuquerque medical spa has been shut down after at least one woman developed an infection that may have resulted from the procedure. 

In a vampire facial, a clinician will draw blood, spin it in a centrifuge to extract the PRP, and then inject or apply it topically. 

The treatment "is used to improve skin tone and texture, smooth fine lines, and even promote hair growth," New York dermatologist Joshua Zeichner told Allure.

However officials are recommending that clients who sought the procedure at VIP spa get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C for free at the local medical centre

"I know if something is already in me, it's not like I can do anything about it," an anonymous woman told local news outlet KOB4.

Local media reports that an inspection revealed certain practices at the spa could spread infectious diseases. 

 "Once [the facial] is over, you get cleaned up and then the remaining blood, she gives it to you separately in a bag, so you can put it on the next two days," the woman said.

It has emerged the spa's licence expired back in 2013, but the owner has continued to practice the procedure.

She told KOB4 she gave health officials her client list, and is willing to cooperate with their recommendations. 

"I just talked to them today and if I have to stop doing it, or something that I have to change it, I will change it. Happily, I'll do it," said Luly Ruiz.

The vampire facial was made famous by Kim Kardashian back in 2013 after she got one on reality show Kourtney and Kim Take Miami. But according to a recent post on her website, Kardashian regrets the procedure. 

"A few years ago, I heard about a 'vampire facial,' and I was so intrigued," she wrote. However as she was pregnant, she couldn't use the recommended numbing creams or painkillers. "It was really rough and painful for me. It was honestly the most painful thing ever! It's the one treatment that I'll never do again."

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