'Vampire Facial'
Spa Shuttered After
Blood-Borne Infection Fears The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) shut down the VIP Spa in Albuquerque. The NMDH conducted an inspection of the spa after a customer developed an infection possibly related to a treatment. The NMDOH advised
anyone who had
received injection-
based treatments — Vampire facials have been popularized by celebrities, including Kim Kardashian. The non-surgical
procedure involves a
blood draw and separation
of plasma in a centrifuge. The patient's face is prepared by either a minimally invasive microneedling or microabrasion procedure, after which the plasma is slathered across the face. Investigators' main concern is
the manner in which the spa handled
the needles used to draw blood. According to
the NMDOH,
VIP Spa is not even
licensed to draw blood. Michael Landen, NMDOH epidemiologist, via Science Alert
