Plea to 'vampire-facial' clients over virus fears

People who underwent so-called "vampire facials" treatments at a beauty salon are being urged to get tested, after concerns were raised about a risk of them contracting blood-borne viruses.

The risk to clients of Olivia's Aesthetics Wolverhampton (OAW) having contracted the likes of hepatitis B and C or HIV was low, but testing was recommended as a precaution, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

The UKHSA added its concerns were raised after it identified that there had been inadequate cleaning of equipment used for the treatment.

OAW said the treatments were offered "for a very short period of time" and, after finding out about the infection risk, bosses stopped offering it.

The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) procedure involves taking blood from the client before PRP is then injected or penetrated into the person's face, scalp or lower body area.

Anyone who had the treatment at OAW has been advised to arrange free blood tests through the UKHSA West Midlands Health Protection Team.

People who underwent other treatments at the firm are unaffected and do not need to seek advice.

The agency said itself, City of Wolverhampton Council and Black Country Integrated Care Board had identified inadequate cleaning of equipment at OAW.

UKHSA West Midlands said effective treatments were available, which was why "it's important to identify anyone who may have been put at risk of infection so that testing and treatment can be offered if needed".

The investigation related specifically to OAW's Wolverhampton branch and not to any other businesses of the same name elsewhere, the agency stressed.

OAW provided the treatment when it was based in Lloyd Hill, Stourbridge Road, Wolverhampton, and it has since moved.

The firm said it had offered these facials for a very short period of time and "only treated a handful of clients".

It added that as a conscientious practitioner in the beauty industry, it contacted clients immediately to alert them "to this possible serious side effect, and urged them to get tested, just to be on the safe side".

The business said it would never knowingly offer any harmful treatments to any clients and it had invested heavily in "procedural training and ongoing development".

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