Nail fungus advice

[kathymarie]

hi, a friend of mine was recently diagnosed per a dermatologist with a nail fungus. he has her on 2 different antibiotics to start treating. how long before its safe to give her a manicure without worry of spreading to other clients? should i wait until her nails are completely new growth and we can be sure the fungus is gone? shes okay with waiting.

 

[kathymarie]

i have a few questions specifically for a dermatologist. (need help with a client who was recently diagnosed and started treatment for a nail fungus)

 

[Podlady]

I've maybe come along a bit late to this thread but here goes - are you sure your friend has nail fungus? The treatment for nail fungus isn't antibiotics, and certainly not 2 different ones.
Podiatrists treat patients with nail fungus regularly but we autoclave our instruments at 134deg after every treatment to destroy the fungal material. Assuming she has got a fungal nail infection you can still treat her provided you can autoclave the instruments/tools as I mentioned or be prepared to throw them away. Nail varnish should not be applied as it 'seals' the fungus into the nail.
What does your training say about this issue and disposing of infected material? Maybe that is where you should start.?

 

[kathymarie]

so it may not be an antibiotic but I know her dermatologist put her on two different meds to treat it. I feel like everything i see says “you cannot diagnose they must be seen and treated by a dr” lol which doesn’t help me at all. I’m hoping her dermatologist will give her the go ahead when it’s okay to polish her again

 

[RosieR]

Hi kathymarie,
You are right in assuming that we cannot provide a nail service to clients with fungal nail, It's just not what we can do as manicure/pedicurists. Podiatrists/chiropodists can but we can't. They are the experts in foot care......and I have often referred clients on. However you are trained in the US so check exactly what is allowed.
One of my clients had it on her toe nails and she did not paint her toes for a full year whilst on the anti-fungal medication. It worked well and her nails have never looked so normal. I have never seen it on fingernails however.
Cuccio make small one client use disposable mani/pedi packs.... so that cross contamination is avoided if you need to look into something for the future.
Hope that helps.

 

[Cindy2021]

She needs to wait until her dermatologist confirms that it’s completely clear before you can treat her again.

 

[Ora]

i have a few questions specifically for a dermatologist. (need help with a client who was recently diagnosed and started treatment for a nail fungus)

Hi Kathy Marie,
In the state of Florida it is forbidden to provide any service to a nail with fungus. ( although most people without a licence do it ).
There are several different kinds of fungus and nail problems, including cancer that we as nail technicians do not know about it.
In order to avoid any chances of either promoting contagion, or making the situation worse, the professional thing to do is wait until her doctor allows it.
Remember, that not only your clients but a medical professional can bring a complaint against you to the authorities.