Three women contract HIV from dirty “vampire facials” at unlicensed spa
arstechnica.com
Five patients with links to the spa had viral genetic sequences that closely matched.

I never went as far as to defend Gwyneth Paltrow, but after her Hot Ones appearance I created a post (which I will link in the comments) where I suggested that she’s done no more harm than male grifters and that the dislike of her as a person was primarily due to misogyny. That’s before I learned about her promotion of these unproven “vampire facials”. Now an unlicensed clinic performing this procedure has given at least three women HIV. You guys were right and I was wrong.

  • @jordanlund
    58•2 months ago

    I mean, yeah, she’s to blame for promoting an obviously batshit crazy process, but she was NOT involved with any of the facilities distributing HIV. That’s a bit of a stretch.

    It would be like, I dunno, blaming your favorite tattooed celebrity because you got hepatitis c from some back alley artist.

    • @[email protected]OP
      55•2 months ago

      I see what you’re saying, but the treatment is unproven even under sanitary conditions and she probably helped make people aware of it using her largish social media platform. I say she deserves at least some of the blame.

      • @[email protected]
        -10•2 months ago

        So? When done safely perhaps it offers no benefit and very little risk - kind of like a tattoo

        Maybe it does work. We don’t know.

    • @Ledivin
      29•2 months ago

      Tbf, it’s more like the tattooed celebrity was promoting back alley artists. It’s a weird middle ground

      • @[email protected]
        -6•2 months ago

        I understand that she said it was a good and helpful procedure.

        I don’t think it’s at all fair to say she told people to go to unlicensed places