Nail fungus, do you wear gloves?

[aj1]

I am freaking out about nail fungus lately and it's really scary. I mean how easy is it to be spread especially to us the tech's?

Do you wear gloves when doing mani's or pedi's with a nail fungus? For those of you that do wear gloves do you think the client would find it offensive?

I have one out of three clients with this problem and I never wear gloves, I am terrified to pass a fungus to others or to myself.

I have read all recent threads on fungus and have done several searches, someone put some ease in me!
I use bleach to disinfect my files ( the disinfectable ones with the plastic inside) is this enough, after scrubbing with a brush and anti bacterial soap?
I sanitize the implements and then soak in barbicide, but need the assurance about the disinfectable files.
Thanks,

aj

 

[Classy Claws]

I used to have to wear gloves as I cant touch most of the mani/pedi products as they contain parabens and my skin reacts to them.. but yes I had problems with it.. well not me clients.. lol even when I explained it was for MY SKIN they thought I was treating them as leppers... solution for me.. stop offering them. no help to you but thats the reaction I got from some ppl.

 

[littlegrohl]

Isnt it funny but i have never come across a fungus infection ever.. Maybe i havnt been doing it long enough.. I dont wear gloves.. I dont like the feel of them on my hands.. but i wash my hands all the time and have come to depend/love/rely on my Cool Blue!
If i had a client with a fungus infection ((although for some reason i am remembering something about fungus and bacteria being confused here )) I would use my oldest files and then throw them away after.. just to be safe!

 

[Lana]

I never serviced a clients with any type of bacterial infection.I refer them to a doctor, period.

 

[marketing-geek]

This just stresses the reason why good hygiene is essential.

Don't just rely on anti-bacterial products. Look for products that are fungicidal too (as well as bactericidal and ideally viricidal).

Clients must wash their hands thoroughly before a treatment (as must you) and both client and tech should use a hand sanitiser (alcohol based) prior to treatment too.

Files and other tools should be thoroughly disinfected in between clients as should work surfaces - again with broad spectrum products - fungicidal, bactericidal and viricidal.

Gloves are great - but should be changed for each client.

 

[michelle g]

i think to be honest they should be refered to a dr.
or do you mean a bacterial infection?

 

[Sassy Hassy]

If clients are concerned about their toe nails then I advise them to see a doctor ( or here in Spain the pharmacist). But if I didn't work on a client who had a suspectd fungal infection I'd never have done a pedi yet since being here in Spain, everyone seems to have it! However my sanitation for pedicures is meticulous to ensure there is no cross contamination.

(Little Grohl, the confusion with fungal and bacterial is usually to do with finger nails - greenies are bacterial not fungal HTH)

 

[jenny]

Hiya

Ive had quite a few people in with bad nail infection from other salons abuse

Simple
1. wear gloves
2. remove old product
3. prep as normal
4. i use all of Mundo salon protection (fingers crossed never had a problem passing on any nail infections)
5.sanitize after use any nail tools
6. advise client to see doctor if your not happy with the infection
Do not apply fresh product if skin is open or weeping/sore and swollen
look up infection on this site...loads and loads of info in the past


Jenx

 

[Marlise]

But if I didn't work on a client who had a suspectd fungal infection I'd never have done a pedi yet since being here in Spain, everyone seems to have it! However my sanitation for pedicures is meticulous to ensure there is no cross contamination.

Are you saying that a lot of people in Spain have fungal infections or have I misread :lol:


Marlise

 

[samlamb]

is this not a contra-indication?

 

[littlegrohl]

If clients are concerned about their toe nails then I advise them to see a doctor ( or here in Spain the pharmacist). But if I didn't work on a client who had a suspectd fungal infection I'd never have done a pedi yet since being here in Spain, everyone seems to have it! However my sanitation for pedicures is meticulous to ensure there is no cross contamination.

(Little Grohl, the confusion with fungal and bacterial is usually to do with finger nails - greenies are bacterial not fungal HTH)

YES!! I went through some of my old notes to try and work out what was bugging me!! ((but unfortunately i am a very disorganised note taker.. and couldnt find what i wanted!))
thanks Sass

 

[Ethlinn]

I find it really weird to read that clients dislike gloves. I live in Belgiu m and everyone who does a pedicure wears gloves, fungus or not. It's just normal here. I also wear them all the time when doing nails.

 

[elizabethnails]

I ha e never had this problem before however it is a good idea to use gloves since nail fungus can spread very easy.

 

[JudithW]

I'm also in Spain and am the same as Sassy. If I refused to do pedicures on people with fungal toenail infections, I would have very little work! However, I 've been doing it for 5 years, never use gloves and have never caught anything.

I do the same clients regularly and they don't seem to have caught anything they didn't already have so i've come to the conclusion that it's not as infectious as some people may think. Just observe good hygiene and there shouldn't be a problem. I have had a fungal infection in my own toenail for years and it has stayed in the one nail and not infected any of the others.

However, I've just been to a chiropodist who recommended a great product for getting rid of fungal infections so i'm now using that. If you want to recommend it to your clients with fungi, it's called Nail Mycosis and is produced by a company called Imperial Feet at

Imperial Feet

You have to use it every day for about 6 months to clear up the infection.

 

[VHunter]

My clients have never had a problem with my wearing gloves.
I simply explain that I don't want my hands covered in whatever solution/lotion etc I'm using, and getting it under my nails. (example: I use callus eliminator lotion, let it set for 5min, and get the foot rasp out to slough away calluses. I wear gloves during this procedure. That solution is SLIPPY stuff! and since I don't have calluses on my hands, dont need it on my hands LOL)

It's also to protect them, the clients.
They're fine with that, and appreciate that I'm taking every precaution necessary to protect them and me.

:hug:

 

[izzidoll]

is this not a contra-indication?

A fungal infection on a fingernal is a contra indication....and they should be referred to a doctor.
I have seen a fungal infection on a fingernail once, in 9 years of doing nails!!
On a fingernail the fungal infection is usually trapped in the layers of the nail and a topical cream cannot reach it, an oral medication needs to be prescribed , it will get into the bloodstream and get to where it is needed. Still a long process, can take months!!!

A fungal infection on a toenail is a whole different ballgame, as it is normally on the surace of the nail, topical creams and treaments can be effective(Tea Tree Oil is fab).

If you are working in a sanitary manner it is quite safe to carry out a pedicure on a toenail with a fungal infection. Fungal infections are difficult to spread from toenail to toenail, and is is rare to go from toenail to fingernail.
HTH

 

[The Geek]

You will not catch a fungal infection working on an infected toenail as long as you are not working on something mega-freaky and you practise good professional hygiene (and a dash of common sense!).

The reason being that the hands are crappy environments for fungal spores to grow on (hence the reason fungal infections are next to impossible to get on the hands). Fungal infections of the hands and fingernails are so freaking rare that I have never seen one in person in 14 years of doing nails. When you consider that an average of 60% of toenails have some sort of fungal infection and the amount of pedicures that are done each and every day...

Pedicures are actually beneficial for fungal infections as pedicures remove much of the matter that fungal organisms 'feed' on. Clean, healthy, pedicured toes/feet have much fewer infections than those that are not