is this the end for me???

[extensionten]

thanx will do.... although keeping away from l&p ... sticking to the gel and fibreglass I have decided now. If anyone reading this thread has experienced how painful and uncomfortable a chemical reaction is, then you would understand.
Looks like, lately there have been quite a few of us who are suffering! x

 

[sandy12b]

thanx will do.... although keeping away from l&p ... sticking to the gel and fibreglass I have decided now. If anyone reading this thread has experienced how painful and uncomfortable a chemical reaction is, then you would understand.
Looks like, lately there have been quite a few of us who are suffering! x

exactly, Kirsten, so maybe the product makers or chemists should take note and try and do something about it, otherwise we will all be affected and no more nail technicians and no more beautiful nails :irked:

sandy x

 

[meggie]

oh blimey geeks this thread has opened my eyes a bit! I am going to the doctors this afternoon myself as I have red swollen itchy fingers, swollen hands and a rash that has gone right up to my elbows! The skin around my eyes is also red and swollen. I had an idea a while ago that it might be the dust from filing gels because everytime I filed a set off my fingers would be dry and sore, but just lately it has got so much worse, my hands and arms look dreadful. I too work safely and am aware of over exposure etc, but of course you cant avoid the dust unless you wear gloves all the time can you? And unfortuneately I get eczemz and psoriasis on top af all this and gloves dont do those conditions any good! I did wonder when I started training if this might happen, I just HOPED it wouldnt! I will just have to see what the doctor tells me this afternoon but I already know what he's going to say really.
Meggie x

 

[x.rochelle.x]

reading this thread made me think...
when im using L&P i get a slight headache n sometimes go lightheaded...
switch to odourless? or will it make no difference whatsoever?
x.

 

[kitkat68]

Just a thought, I really don't know, but could you possibly do gel enhancements instead of L&Ps? Also you could try the odour free formulas, perhaps the chemical compounds in those would not bother you as much? Good luck, I hope you can find something that works. That stinks that you put so much time into your training only to find this out. Best of luck! :hug:

 

[glitterxdust]

Have i got the same??? i get exactly the same. i did mine last night and my fingers are starting to itch! so keep applying bepanthon or something like that
and it calms the itching.

i want to be able to do nails without getting this awful reaction but i just think i want to do nails so i carry on and carry on getting the rash. i know its bad bt i remembered oh crap i get a rash from acrylic! halfway through my first hand!

How did you fins out what it was??? will we always be allergic to it?!

xx

 

[Mariska]

I am very allergic to all gels and also most of the acrylic. I now use Odyssey and wear NeoTouch gloves when doing my clients or even myself (cut off the finger tops of the glove) and have no reaction at all.

A pair of NeoTouch gloves can only be used for approx. 6 hours, after this time the chemicals can get through. Maybe this can help you out?

 

[dionne1]

Do you wear any rings on your fingers? i'm asking this because 9ct gold contains nickel which i'm allergic too.

 

[nenee]

Hi ya

I feel for you I do, like you I spent thousands and I mean thousands on my nail business had lots of regulare clients and very good feedback and thought id found my career for life was so excited and had lots of plans for the future then bam, started waking up sneezing with a runny nose etc and it carried on through winter. I realised it was the vapours of the acrylic so had to stop gutted:cry:

Iv tried chemical masks and goggles (even thought i looked hidious) and it did nothing:irked:

Its taken me a long time to over come the feeling of what if all the time, i am now doing beauty therapy and loving every minute of it, i have also been trying brisa gels and seem to be much better but not sure about the glue used for the tips so trying to gain experience in sculpted more. does anyone know of a hypoallergenic nail glue?

But I had fab nails with the brisa in fact they lasted just as long with no lifting whatso ever, they dont go yellow, stay shiny and are strong I love them creative are fab. I honestly dont think your clients will know the difference you just need to be well practised in gels to make sure they do what they are supposed to do hun.
best of luck
nenee:hug:

 

[amurphy105]

The same thing happened to me. I was looking through a vietnamese friends nail mag and saw an article in english...
Are you allergic to your job?
It said to wear Nitrile gloves. They are purple and can be purchased at department stores, but they are usually one size fits none... you can get get them in S M or L if you shop at medical supply stores.
It made a difference.
But what worked best for me was switching products. I found I was highly allergic to odorless monomers. But the brand that my salon uses now doesn't seem to affect me. I'm also allergic to the primer. So I still have to be careful.
I can use Backscratchers products. I can use Solar Nails and there's another... ANS? maybe. What my salon uses is 5000 mixed powder. I'm not sure if that's available to you? We get it from Baton Rouge.
I tested it by just touching ONE TINY bit of my finger to the product and if I had a reaction later I left it alone and switched to something else. Fortunatly I had friends who let me borrow their products so I didn't have to buy all this to figure it out.
I hope I've helped. Sorry it's so long...
Amy From Louisiana

 

[nailadee55]

You have to push gel to sell it because most people have not ever heard of it. I started doing gel 5 years ago, and now my clients brag to others they have gel on. The gel colors are so much fun, and when clients find out they can leave with no nicks or dings to worry about, they're totally sold.

Make the market, wear them yourself. Pick 2 or 3 really forgiving clients and use them for training purposes if you need to . Let them know you may need to tweek the work some as you learn about it. Once it's done and you've learned how to do it, the clients themselves will help make it popular because they're going to tell their friends.

I also charge more for gel coz I'm the only one doing them in our little 'burg'.

 

[StangGal]

Lots of great advice for this problem I see . As a paramedic my hands also were constantly being exposed to lots of irritants (not to mention yuky stuff:irked, and using gloves was mandatory for my protection and my patients- ( I recommend Nitrile brand - the silly purple ones :lick:LOL). Gloves are always the best idea for everyone using chemicals anyway, but use powder free ones for best allergy reduction, and also because powdered gloves can contain cornstarch which will allow bacteria to grow. If you've worn gloves, then you know how sweaty your hands can get in them, so,.... warmth plus cornstarch plus bacteria is just what the little buggers love to play and thrive in ! Now, along with my using gloves at work, there was also all the necessary handwashings during my shift and often using alcohol based ntimicrobial gels/lotions which could further irritate my skin. Luckily I never had any significant problems, but my partner developed an allergy to latex, and had to be extremely careful, and contact dermatitis was quite normal for most of us in this line of work.

:!:An FYI - Once your body sensitizes to an irritant, repeated/continued exposure can sometimes exacerbate a previously annoying condition, into a life threatening one! And you will not have any warning as to how your body will react with the next exposure- it could remain the same as prior exposures, it could be a bit worse symptomatically, or it could go into full life threatening anaphylactic crisis. If at any time you ever feel any trouble breathing or swelling in your mouth/throat- :Scared:get to the ER immediately by ambulance. This is no time to call Mum or Hubby, or <shudder> drive yourself anywhere--- anaphylaxis is D E A D L Y and F A S T and not the time to putz around! Better safe and maybe overreact than dead!

The fact that working with nails generates product dust, is a major contributing problem in the industry. Because even if you do wear gloves and your hands are protected, still ANY other exposed skin (and membranes of the eyes and nose), can and will transfer the irritant directly into your system, as will also inhalation of the dust and fumes/gasses. Basic transport into the body is accomplished by 1)absorption 2)inhalation and 3)ingestion --and you undoubtedly, uncontrollably and unwillingly, are victimized by all three when you are not wearing protective equipment and using a proper work station. Therefor please :hug: ---minimize your risk by at least wearing a long sleeved smock with a high collar or neckline to cover up as much skin as possible, mask and goggles, and have good ventilation/dust management. IF you are already sensitized- then also a proper work table (designed to draw away the dust and fumes and also filter the exhaust air) is the only way to safely proceed. I know... it's not a perfect world and you often have no control over your environment, ( I can imagine your eyes rolling right now LOL)- just please try to do the best you can... cause no ones gonna look out for you ...but YOU!

As for the symptoms of irritated skin, (along with eliminating the irritant duh :oLOL ),you can use over the counter topical cortisol creme to help heal-- get the highest percentage available ( 10 % ), as well as antihistames, for a flare-up of allergic skin. Bathing or soaking your hands/arms in a colloidal oatmeal soak like Avena can't hurt either ( or just add oatmeal to the warm water, but that's a little messier... but still good). There are also lotions with this in them for after the soak, also made by Avena. There is a product called DermaShield that medics swear by--- it stays effective as a skin barrier through repeated washings, isn't sticky or nasty at all, and even has added moisturizers or antimicrobial additive, or just plain barrier -depends on what you want. This is what we all did if it wasn't bad enough to warrant a Dr. visit.

More about this DermaShield ---I can personally attest that this product is a good avenue to investigate. I discovered it at a trade show well over 10 years ago when it was new, the rep put some on his hands and actually dripped hydrochloric acid into his palm and the stuff protected his skin! Me being a disbeliever :twisted: , asked if I could test to see if it was really acid he used, so he let me drip it onto a soda can---trust me,it was real acid! So then I asked if I could try the same demo on me, ( thinking if this was bogus he's not gonna risk a lawsuit LOL---but, he said "sure"---so I nervously applied the DermaShield and he put about 5 drops of acid into my palm----after about 30 sec I could feel the heat from the acid, but my skin was not damaged at all! I was amazed, and convinced- so much so I bought a case of the stuff ( back then, all we had for protection were the standard hospital issued latex gloves that sucked and were always tearing and ripping:irked: grrrrr). And since I was working in a very uncontrolled environment on the streets (vs a stable Hospital ER )---- I wanted and needed to protect myself as best I could against Hepatitis and HIV and all the other nasties out there! Well, that case lasted me 1 day, cause everyone I told about it wanted it, and I was badgered into selling my co-workers my "stock" LOL. We even put it on our faces, arms, and any exposed areas our uniform didn't cover. I even put it on my knees because we were always stuck having to kneel in something we didn't intend to!!! You weren't even aware of it once it was applied, even the guys use it gladly. Anyway, it passed the Medic trial test ( and we're a pretty tough lot LOL), and finally our Department started stocking it for us, after a lot of badgering from us. But that took a long time, in the meanwhile we ordered it out of our own pockets- like I said- nobodies going to look out after you ---but you! Heck -it's gotta be good if we spent out of pocket for it LOL! Here are the Links for you to check it out, if your interested. Bonus for you Brits---I just noticed the UK site has a "risk-free trial"

UK--- Derma Shield - Derma Shield; the ultimate skin protectant™

USA--- Skin Problems? DermaShield USA 800-844-2568

OMG---LOL--sorry this got so long, guess I really got into this :o, well... hope it helps someone!!! My best friend left today for LONDON for a month to visit family, guess I'm lonely LOL. Cheers from sunny Florida everyone!