Client with cancer

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brightbeauty

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I have a new client on Thursday for nail extensions and pedicure, she has cancer and I'm wondering if anyone has experience of working with clients who have cancer - is there anything i should avoid or any adjustments i should make to the treatments?
 
Is your client undergoing treatment? I would check with your insurance what they are happy for you to do but generally I would say no massage as this obviously stimulates the lymphatic system.
Rhiannon x
 
I will be doing full consultation with her on thursday so will find out everything at the appointment. It's the 3rd time shes had cancer, she mentioned shes had chemotherapy in the past not sure if shes having it right now. i'll ring my insurance company now and find out some info - thanks hun
 
I would also recommend getting a doctors letter just to be on the safe side :)
 
My sister in law has just finished all her cancer treatment and during it she didn't have anything on her nails as they suffered badly and her hair fell out. So I guess it depends what stage of her treatment she is at and the current condition of her nails.

She was desperate for her nails to be done so about 3 weeks after treatment finished i did her nails with Gel polish (Orly gel fx) & she usually gets 3-4 weeks (one my rare ones!) but after about 7-8 days we took them off as her nails were still so weak underneath they were splitting and then taking the gel off with them. They seemed fine at the time but clearly wasn't ready but a nice mani & pedi tidy up and relax is most definitely still a worthy treatment! Just thinking that you might need to prepare incase they don't last.
 
Thank you minnie27 - I will keep that in mind and inform the lady that they may not last, she's having the treatments done for her sons wedding on saturday so i think as long as the treatments last for the wedding i think she will be happy with that, but i will make sure that she understands they may not last as long as they normally would. Also, best wishes for your sister and a speedy recovery x
 
I have a client who has just finished chemotherapy, not sure if you are aware but towards the end of treatment the fingers and toes can be affected and the nails can fall off and become very sensitive and sore.
 
I'm thinking of offering my services in mani/pedi to a local charity that supports cancer sufferers (they have counselling, reflexology all sorts at their centre) but I'm wondering if nobody does mani/pedi there because of the above reasons. I intend to phone this week to talk to them to find out but thought any kind of pick-me-up would be welcomed? Need to do my research on this one!
 
Hi I know the risk of infection for the client would be very high, especially if the client is having chemo. I would avoid any cuticle work in case you were to nip the skin, also if you use a foot spa I would avoid this too. Hope this helps you xxxx
 
Thank you Nadine. :))
 
Thanks everyone for your replies, all good pointers to keep in mind - much appreciated x
 
Some chemo makes nail more sensitive amd mine came away from my nail bed during my cancer treatment.
 
Hiya, I do manicures, pedicures and other treatments at a local hospice. We're not allowed to use any metal tools and we have to file rather than cut the nails. The main problem concerning clients having chemotherapy is peripheral neuropathy causing numbness and pain in the extremeties. We do massage but have all been on adaptive massage courses to work with cancer patients. Massage doesn't spread cancer but there are other considerations that need to be taken on board such as pressure and duration. Hope that helps.
 
Yeah that's great - thanks to you both! So much to consider, once i find out everything from the consultation i'll be able to make a better judgement of what to do for her. Feel a bit apprehensive haven't been in this situation before.
 
I'm sure there was a great article in jan scratch about nail treatments for someone who has gone through all cancer treatments, will did it out & let you know the advice given x
 
I regularly work with oncology patients at a local hospital.

With the pedicure I use the Belava foot bath in which I use disposable liners. This means each client has a new and clean liner so no cross contamination.

I also use wooden cuticle sticks as again these can be discarded after use.

I do however use toe nails clippers if necessary but I soak all of my tools in barbicide.

I would suggest that you do not use a hard skin file on the heels, the skin is ultra sensitive so this is a no no. With regard to exfoliating I usually use exfoliating gloves, again these aren't to harsh and again one use per client.

With regard to massage I do do a very light massage, just enough to ensure the product has been absorbed.

If the nails are in an ok condition I paint them too.

All I would say is be prepared to adapt your treatments to a particular client and their needs, ask them about themselves and what they want. Just use your common sense if you have any reservations don't do it.

I don't have any experience doing nail extensions however I do manicures.

Nails can be in all sorts of conditions so again talk to your client.

I hope this helps.
 

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