At least three women were infected with HIV during “vampire facial” cosmetic procedures at an unauthorized spa in Albuquerque, federal officials said Thursday. It is the first time HIV transmission through cosmetic injection services has been documented, they said.

The three were part of a group of five people who shared very similar strains of HIV, four of whom had undergone a procedure called platelet-rich plasma microneedling at the spa. The fifth individual, a man, had sexual relations with one of the women.

Researchers still do not know the exact origin of the contamination. A 2018 HIV diagnosis in a client who reported having no behavioral risk factors prompted a public health investigation when the woman said she had received a cosmetic needling treatment, called a platelet-rich plasma microneedle facial.

An inspection of the spa found unlabeled tubes of blood on the kitchen counter, others stored with food in a refrigerator and unwrapped syringes in drawers and trash cans.

The facility also appeared to be reusing disposable equipment intended for single use, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report comes on the heels of an announcement by health officials earlier this month that they are investigating a number of illnesses linked to counterfeit or improperly injected Botox that contains high amounts of botulinum toxin, which is used in small doses to soften the wrinkles.

“If people are concerned (and some friends have asked me, ‘What would you do?’), the first step is to check that your provider is licensed to provide cosmetic injection services,” said Anna M. Stadelman-Behar, an epidemiologist at CDC and lead author of the HIV report.

“If they are licensed, then they have received infection control training, know the correct procedures, and are required by law to follow proper infection control practices.”

In general, he noted, the risk of infection during cosmetic procedures is usually low. “If you have any concerns, get an HIV test,” Dr. Stadelman-Behar said. “CDC recommends that all adults ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once as part of routine health care and know their status.”

So-called vampire facials involve taking the patient’s own blood, putting it in a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma, and then using short, very fine needles to pierce the skin.

This is said to cause the skin to produce elastic and collagen, and creates openings for plasma, which is applied topically to help with skin repair. The procedure is promoted to reduce signs of aging, acne scars and sun damage.

The New Mexico Department of Health, which was notified of the unusual HIV infection in 2018 when the first woman was diagnosed, opened an investigation into the spa. Over time, officials identified four former clients and one sexual partner who had received HIV diagnoses between 2018 and 2023, despite reporting few risks associated with infection, such as injection drug use, blood transfusions or sexual contact. with a new partner.

The spa closed in fall 2018, shortly after the first unusual infection was identified. But the investigation, as well as attempts to notify clients and former clients who may have been exposed to HIV, were hampered by the spa’s poor records.

Eventually, the researchers managed to gather a list of names and phone numbers from consent forms that clients had signed, handwritten appointment records, and phone contacts. They identified 59 clients who were at risk of infection, including 20 who received “vampire facials” and 39 who received other services, such as Botox, between the spring and fall of 2018.

Public health investigators also reached out to the community about the risks to former spa customers. In total, 198 former spa clients and their sexual partners were tested for HIV between 2018 and 2023.

Five people carrying very similar viruses were confirmed to have cases linked to the spa. But two of them, a woman who had been a client and her male partner, had advanced HIV disease that researchers said was likely the result of previous infections, before their spa treatments.

The report said two people in the group had tested positive in rapid HIV tests taken when they applied for life insurance, including one who was tested in 2016, before receiving treatment at the spa, and another in the fall of 2018. .

However, only one had been notified of the positive test result and a primary care provider confirmed the diagnosis in 2019.

Investigators said they never identified the exact route of contamination at the spa during the spring and summer of 2018.

“When we did the inspection at the spa, it was clear that needles were being reused and also that blood samples were being reused,” Dr. Stadelman-Behar said. “We found unlabeled vials, no date of birth, no date of collection, that had been punctured several times.”

He advised people receiving these types of cosmetic procedures to ask providers to open the syringes and vials in front of them and to make sure that when their blood is drawn, the vials are properly labeled with their name, date of birth and date of collection. .

“But the most important takeaway is that licenses are very important,” he said.