Thursday 6 September 2018

Three BIG red flags that your nail salon is not hygienic

             




You're visiting your local nail salon to have yourself looking the business for going out later that night. The two nail salons that you usually got to are fully booked up. Whilst cursing yourself for not booking in advance, you're also getting stressed; you're pressed for time because you only have a few hours before meeting your friends. What do you do? Well when all else fails, Google! (or so you think) A nail salon comes up on your search. You haven't seen it before but it's apparently a 5 minute walk from your house. LIFESAVER! You rush to this newly discovered salon, not knowing that you're about to get a lot more than you bargained for........




Let's fast forward........ The night was a success, you drank probably a bit too much, but other than the tender hangover you nursed over the weekend, the night was one of flowing drinks, drunken embraces and an infinite amount of selfies. However, on Monday morning getting ready for work, you notice that your thumb and index finger are quite sore. You think nothing of it. You get to the office, and amidst all the busyness you forget about the soreness in your fingers. But then YIKESSSSS! Around 3pm you've noticed that your thumb and index finger have swollen up like oddly shaped mini balloons. By the time you've gotten to A&E there is puss oozing around the nails of your affected finger and thumb. DISASTER.




And a disaster that could have been easily avoided. Fungal infections like the one above can be easily spread in nail salons and can be hard to get rid of. Many of us have been in situations where we have booked nail treatments in a hurry. In those hurried moments, we often don't pay enough attention to the salon environment around us. Keeping your eye out for the red flags below could save you from nasty infections!


1) The salon looks like a war zone

First impressions sure do matter and if you've walked into a salon that looks dirty at first glance, that should be your cue to leave. Grime on the floors or walls, funny smells, nail clippings, streaky mirrors, overflowing bins. Salons are perfect breeding ground for bacteria if they are not kept clean. Chances are if the environment isn't sanitary, then neither is the equipment that is going to be used for your treatment!





2) Your nail technician's hygiene sucks
Your technician is literally going to be handling your nails; if thy haven't kept on top of their personal hygiene, then this increases the risk of you coming into contact with harmful bacteria. Things to look out for are badly stained uniform or clothing. Is your nail technician cleansing his or her hands after treating every customer? Is your technician wearing gloves? If they are wearing gloves, are they putting on a new pair after each customer? Are they properly paying attention to the customer they're servicing? A lack on points like these can aid the spread of harmful bacteria when getting nail treatments. If they're getting carried away with conversation or any other distractions, this increases the chances of making a number of errors such as failing to adequately sterilise equipment or discard disposable tools.






3.) Equipment is not cleaned and replaced properly
Adequately cleaning and/or replacing equipment goes a long way in helping to stop the spread of harmful bacteria. Products such as Glass Bead Sterilisers and UV Cabinets can be used to disinfect  nail salon equipment. Here at Genus, we recommend the use of Autoclaves as they go beyond disinfecting equipment. Autoclaves fully sterilise and kill bacteria making them more effective than disinfection products such as Glass Bead Sterilisers and UV Cabinets, which may not kill all bacterial spores on tools. Again, it is HUGELY important to observe whether the nail technician in question is disinfecting equipment after EVERY customer.  Equipment in salons can become unsterile very quickly and if left unattended can increase the risk of cross-contamination and the spreading of harmful bacteria and infections. You also want to avoid a nail salon that does not use disposable tools where necessary. For example, some salons reuse things like metal files. BIG NO- NO. It is imperative that single use buffers and files are used for every customer. Best practice is for all disposal tools to be safely discarded immediately after use.




These are just a few issues that we have identified, but bear in mind that this list is not exhaustive! Remain vigilant when getting your nails done, especially when visiting a new salon. If you feel uneasy or concerned about something, then ask! You're a paying customer and deserve to be treated safely and with respect.






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Three BIG red flags that your nail salon is not hygienic

              You're visiting your local nail salon to have yourself looking the business for going out later that night. The t...