Three women in the US contracted HIV from contaminated needles during cosmetic treatment

NOS News•today, 10:04 PM

At least three women in the United States have contracted HIV through the use of contaminated needles during cosmetic treatment. The CDC, the American counterpart of the RIVM, established this after research. It is the first time that the disease has been found to have been transmitted during a cosmetic treatment involving the use of needles.

It happened at a clinic in New Mexico. After a woman who had been treated there was diagnosed with HIV in 2018, the CDC launched an investigation. This showed, among other things, that the clinic materials that should have been thrown away after one use were reused.

The clinic was closed in 2018 after suspicions of the infections. It later became clear that the clinic did not have the correct permits to carry out the treatment. In 2022, the former owner of the clinic was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.

The three women underwent a so-called ‘vampire facial’, a popular treatment in which platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is injected into the skin. In this way, wrinkles and other imperfections in the skin can be eliminated.

It is known that HIV can be transmitted when using non-sterile needles, but it is the first time that it has actually been established that this happened during a cosmetic treatment. Many popular cosmetic treatments, such as Botox and fillers, are performed with needles.