Brits seeking a more youthful visage are being cautioned against using unregulated beauty clinics for so-called ‘vampire facials’ because of the risk of being given HIV.

The treatment, also known as a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, sees a patient injected with samples of their own blood that have been fed into a centrifuge to filter out the protein-rich plasma that aestheticians say can make skin look younger.

Kim Kardashian, her sister Kourtney and Ferne McCann are among those to undergo the treatments – but warnings are being aired after at least three women who also received them at a spa in the USA contracted HIV.

An investigation by the Centre of Disease Control (CDC) concluded that the women likely contracted the virus because ‘poor infection control practices’ at the New Mexico spa they attended.

They may have contracted the disease through the re-use of unsterilised equipment such as needles or vials used to store blood.

Kim Kardashian underwent a ‘vampire facial’ – known also as a platelet-rich plasma injection – in 2012 but later said she would not do so again

Kim’s sister Kourtney has also undergone the treatment, which involves injecting a patient’s face with their own filtered blood plasma

VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque (pictured in April 2017) offered ‘vampire facials’ and was closed in 2018 after two cases of HIV were linked to it. In 2023, a further three cases among prior clients were identified

The owner of VIP Spa, Maria Ramos de Ruiz, 62, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to five felony counts of practising medicine without a licence

Kourtney Kardashian gets a blood stimulating facial at the Dr

Aesthetician Sadaf Jaffari says anyone considering getting a ‘vampire facial’ should  make sure they use someone certified by a regulatory body such as the Care Quality Commission

Unlike other parts of the world, the UK does not have regulations on who can administer beauty treatments such as fillers, Botox and microneedling treatments such as injecting PRP.

Beauticians will typically be trained with college-level qualifications as such as NVQs – but there is no requirement for them to be registered.

Campaigners for regulation of the beauty treatment industry have warned that Brits seeking cut-price deals to improve their looks from so-called ‘backstreet’ practitioners could put themselves at risk.

Patient safety advocate Dawn Knight told MailOnline the safety issues raised by the CDC about the New Mexico spa were ‘all over the UK’.

‘I’ve heard about needle sharing, about not disposing of partially used fillers to use them for a second time, dogs wandering around premises – all unsafe and unhygienic practices,’ she said.

‘Today in the UK anyone can practise aesthetics without training, without a qualification. If you are a non-health professional you aren’t required in this country to even hold insurance for these treatments.

‘These people don’t understand the kind of damage they can do. There’s zero accountability.’

The UK is slowly stepping up efforts to regulate non-surgical cosmetic treatments after previous scares.

In 2017, Public Health England said it was made aware of three beauty salon staff in the north west being injured while ‘using the same needle microdermabrasion device’. All three had to be tested for viruses – thankfully testing negative.

The UK Government is currently mulling over how to impose a national licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England after the power to create one was added to the Health and Care Act in 2022.

Scotland and Wales have each previously consulted on imposing similar schemes under devolved powers.

But Ms Knight added that the work on the scheme was ‘glacially slow’ and would take years after its imposition to have a proper effect – while people continue to be blasted with social media ads for cut-price cosmetic procedures.

‘The influence of social media and the ads that people are being fed, because you can even do these treatments on (buy now pay later scheme) Klarna… there are no checks and balances whatsoever,’ she added.

Sadaf Jaffari, an aesthetician who has helped stars such as Blue star Duncan James work on their appearance, says people seeking beauty treatments should always do their homework before booking in with uncertified practitioners.

She said: ‘PRP has been made popular by Kim Kardashian and while it has its merits, it is crucial to consider the potential risks associated with this treatment.

‘One concern is the risk of blood contamination and infections that can arise from improper handling or administration.

‘These risks can be mitigated by ensuring PRP treatments are performed only at certified clinics by professionals registered with the Care Quality Commission.’

PRP is a form of microneedle treatment that sees recipients have blood drawn and fed into a centrifuge that separates out the platelet-rich plasma that can stimulate the skin’s natural healing processes.

The plasma is then injected directly into the face through tiny needle injections on the face.

Cosmetic practitioners say the protein-rich extracts help tighten up wrinkles and acne scars, giving those who get the treatment a more youthful appearance.

But because PRP uses the patient’s own blood, the success of any treatment will be dependent on their own health too.

‘The efficacy of PRP relies heavily on the patient’s lifestyle and diet,’ Sadaf Jaffari added.

‘Injecting components from their own blood back into the skin may not yield optimal results if the individual leads an unhealthy lifestyle or lacks proper nutrition.

‘In such cases, alternative treatments like meso therapy, medical needling, and exosomes offer promising options.’

Ferne McCann has also undergone a vampire facial, getting the procedure in 2016 to rejuvenate her face

Israeli model Bar Refaeli after getting a vampire facial. She got the procedure in 2013

Ashton Collins, director of Save Face, a government-approved register of beauty treatment providers, has warned that people could unwittingly fall victim to ‘cowboy’ practitioners who cut costs and corners by, for example, reusing equipment.

‘We have thousands of these practitioners operating in the UK, who often work from their own homes without inspection,’ she said in remarks reported by The Times.

‘Therefore, the risk to the public in terms of spreading blood-borne viruses or infection through sharing needles and unsterile environments is actually really, really high.’

Kim Kardashian is among those to have undergone the treatment in 2012 – but later said on her now-defunct personal blog that she will never get it again – because she had to undergo it without painkillers because she was pregnant.

‘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,’ she said.

‘Even though it wasn’t for me, I know it has so many benefits for your skin. Kourtney is a huge fan and I know a lot of other people that love it, too.’

But at least three women who used VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico to get the age-defying treatment came away from it with HIV, the CDC concluded in a new report.

The first woman tested positive for HIV in summer 2018 after getting a vampire facial. She had no history of injectable drug use, recent blood transfusions or recent sexual contact with someone with HIV.

The second and third women also received vampire facials in 2018. One was diagnosed with the earliest stage of HIV in 2019, and the other in 2023, when she was taken to the hospital with severe symptoms.

A separate woman and a man also tested positive for HIV. The woman was given a vampire facial at the spa, while the man contracted the infection through having sex with her. He never received any services from the spa.

The New Mexico spa’s owner, 62-year-old Maria de Lourdes Ramos De Ruiz, is serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Last year, the NHS launched a campaign encouraging people to get tested for Hepatitis C amid concerns that tens of thousands of people are unwillingly living with the disease after contracting it from unsterilised beauty equipment.

What are platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and what is the ‘O-shot’? 

Injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is used for several medical procedures.

NHS clinics already offer PRP injections to patients with injured knees or tendons to stimulate the healing process. It’s also used in the ‘vampire facial’ to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Gynaecologists are now using the healing powers of PRP on vaginas.

Plasma is dubbed ‘liquid gold’ for its yellow-ish colour and array of benefits. Platelets, meanwhile, are a type of blood cell vital for healing.

For the treatment blood is taken and put into a centrifuge — a device that spins blood at high force to separate the blood and extract the two vital components, creating a potent formula that is then injected to ‘rejuvenate’ the desired location.

This therapy is also marketed as the ‘O-shot’. For this samples of PRP are injected into the clitoris, labia and into the vaginal wall.

It’s said to enhance sensation, tighten vaginal laxity and help women experience mind-blowing orgasms.

Clinics also claim it stimulates collagen production, of which a natural decrease can lead to burning sensations, bleeding and pain during sex.