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.