[Question #3425] HIV Transmission Massage

89 months ago

I recently had a new tattoo done. About 9 days after it was completed I had a massage done in Mexico at the resort while on vacation. I asked the massage therapist not to touch my arm since my tattoo was still new but during the massage and before I could stop her, she had rubbed over my new tattoo several times. This is a very large tattoo on my bicep and I was worried that there may be a possibility of HIV infection since I guess it classifies as an open wound?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

89 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.

At 9 days, most likely your tattoo was sufficidently healed that there would be no risk, even if there were direct contact with HIV. "Open wound" as a risk for HIV generally is believed to require a freshly acquired, bleeding wound. On top of that, it is statistically unlikley your massage therapist had HIV.

But even if she were infected, contact with skin, even with open sores or inflamed skin, does not transmit HIV. If you think about it, in the 3+ decades of the world wide HIV/AIDS pandemic, there must have been millions, perhaps billions, of episodes of skin contact by HIV infected persons in the presence of skin inflammation or sores: pimples, healing cuts, inflamed skin rashes, and even healing tattoos. But no known or even suspected HIV infections have been acquired by massage.

So no risk, no worries, and certainly no need for HIV testing on account of this event.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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89 months ago

Thank you Dr Handsfield! There is so much misinformation out there that it’s very hard to determine what is a risk and what is not.

Your response make me feel better!

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

89 months ago

Indeed, there are no controls on web content. You can reduce the noise of unreliability if you limit searching to professionally run or moderated sites, like this one and those run by academic institutions, public health, and nonprofits without a political or social ax to grind. And especially avoid ones run by and for persons with or at risk for HIV or other health problems.

Thanks for the thanks. I'm glad to have helped.

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