Over the years, I’ve been amazed at the extreme measures some people go through just to enhance or preserve their appearance. The most common measure is some form of cosmetic surgery.

According to one source, there were 17.7 million cosmetic procedures performed in the US in 2018. Of those, 1.8 million were surgical procedures and 15.9 million were minimally-invasive procedures. The top surgical procedures were breast augmentation, liposuction, nose reshaping, eyelid surgery and tummy tucks. The top five minimally-invasive procedures were botulism toxin type A injections, soft tissue fillers, chemical peel, laser hair removal and microdermabrasion.

In a society that is geared on looks and physical appearance, there are millions of people who are unsatisfied with their appearance or seek to remain as young looking for as long as possible.

I understand that some cosmetic surgeries are necessary to repair an injury or scarring left by a disease and more. But, there are also some who go to extremes and end up regretting it. I recall hearing about a woman, a couple years ago, who tried to sue her cosmetic surgeon after she was left facially disfigured. It turns out that against the surgeon’s advice, the woman demanded he perform well over a dozen surgeries on her face.

Botulism injections are by far the most popular form of cosmetic treatment, accounting for 7.44 million procedures in 2017.

Health spas are always looking for new things to offer their clientele and one of these is a procedure that has the gruesome name of vampire facial. What is a vampire facial?

According to one source:

“…the treatment begins with venipuncture (a blood draw) to obtain the blood. But, contrary to popular belief, it’s relatively painless — aside from the first needle pinch.”

“Typically, the process includes the initial blood draw, then running the blood through a centrifuge to isolate the platelets. You’ll then receive microneedling or microdermabrasion just before your PRPs are slathered across your face. This can be accompanied with or without radio frequency, too. ‘It sounds gory and mysterious, but in fact, it is central to our evolving understanding of the physiology of the skin and advanced techniques with which to improve the quality of the skin,’ says Shamban.”

“As for recovery, it might take a day or two of downtime before you’re ready to hit the streets. Shamban says recipients may need one or two days, depending on how aggressive the microdermabrasion was on your skin. You’ll emerge from treatment a bit red, almost like a sunburn, which means post-procedure sunscreen is highly recommended. Applying makeup, though, is discouraged.”

The procedure sounds and looks gruesome, but most say it is safe and doesn’t hurt all that much. However, before you rush out to have a vampire facial, you need to do your homework about who you intend to go to as two people will tell you.

They went to the VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico to have the vampire facial. According to the New Mexico Department of Health, both of these two individuals contracted HIV as a result of the procedure and now face a lifetime of suppression therapy.

Once the HIV diagnosis was confirmed and linked back to the spa, the Health Department and Licensing Department pulled the spa’s license and closed them down. When they inspected the facility, they found a number of instances of unsafe practices that are believed to be why the two people ended up contracting HIV. It was also discovered that the VIP Spa was not certified to perform the vampire facials.

Before trying anything like a Vampire facial or getting injections of the deadly botulism toxin, ask yourself is the price of beauty and vanity worth the risk? Many have no problems, but there are those that do have serious problems as a result of their desire for eternal youth and beauty.