Nail technician allergy, irrritated eyes

[labas]

Hi. I am new here. I started doing nails ~2 years
ago on myself, last winter had low immunity(used three types of antibiotics to kill some ear skin infection) and developed allergy on legs. Red itchy skin rash. From this september started working as nail
tech in salon. Have ~20 clients per month. One-sometimes two per day.
I have simple table dust extractor. With bags, not much ventillation. Mix different brands, i do gel extensions and gel polish with overlays. I noticed often my eyes are very tired, i have to use light, its dark overwise. Also eyes get reddish, yellow pus in morning, then i started using protective glasses - eyes still tired, but no pus, less reddness. I am afraid this dust makes my eyes bad, and also did a researche that components in gels irritate my body, maybe thats why skin rash is still there. I don't want to give up on nails, thinking about possible solutions. Better dust extractor, maybe ventillation? Changing brand for gels i use? On march going to dermatologist, ill ask for patch allergy test... But until then... Please, share smth you know or any intake, maybe smth helped you, or dust extractors/gel brands/other things you could recommend Happy hollidaya

 

[Laylee84]

Hi, I’m a newbie nail tech but I’ve received loads of advice on here from reading old posts and asking questions too. So until someone more experienced steps in I could possibly help by suggesting that you don’t have sufficient ventilation and that your dust extractor isn’t sufficient either. It definately sounds like you’ve developed an allergy and from what I read from Bob Sweden’s posts once an allergy develops it’s for life. So the best thing you can do is reduce exposure and invest in proper ventilation and extractors.

I chose Ravair because they were recommended on here as one of the best. They do a bundle with the vapour extractor and dust extractor (with light) for around £395 plus VAT. But if you can’t afford to buy off their site new you can check eBay and Facebook marketplace for used ones. I got both from eBay for £290 and they had hardly been used so still in great condition with filters.

Also wearing the glasses sounds like a good shout if it’s cleared the puss. Do you also wear a mask? I’m planning on wearing a black surgical mask when I start, even with the dust extractor on my desk just as extra protection, I’m not sure if it filters out dust but i’m guessing it’s better than nothing.

Also are you allowed to say what brand you’re using? If it’s not hypoallergenic could you look into investing in one or two hypoallergenic brands?

 

[labas]

Hi, I’m a newbie nail tech but I’ve received loads of advice on here from reading old posts and asking questions too. So until someone more experienced steps in I could possibly help by suggesting that you don’t have sufficient ventilation and that your dust extractor isn’t sufficient either. It definately sounds like you’ve developed an allergy and from what I read from Bob Sweden’s posts once an allergy develops it’s for life. So the best thing you can do is reduce exposure and invest in proper ventilation and extractors.

I chose Ravair because they were recommended on here as one of the best. They do a bundle with the vapour extractor and dust extractor (with light) for around £395 plus VAT. But if you can’t afford to buy off their site new you can check eBay and Facebook marketplace for used ones. I got both from eBay for £290 and they had hardly been used so still in great condition with filters.

Also wearing the glasses sounds like a good shout if it’s cleared the puss. Do you also wear a mask? I’m planning on wearing a black surgical mask when I start, even with the dust extractor on my desk just as extra protection, I’m not sure if it filters out dust but i’m guessing it’s better than nothing.

Also are you allowed to say what brand you’re using? If it’s not hypoallergenic could you look into investing in one or two hypoallergenic brands?

Thank you for response!
I have read many posts allready, people know so much here, i really am impressed. I found someone recommend SPA REV Salon Pure Air Revolution - Air Impurities Removal Systems , and look, the price is twice higher than Ravair, so i am doing my research which one is actually better. I think i love doing nails so much that am willing to invest, cause eventually you invest to any business you start doing...
I use glasses, and if you watch one of tje videos that arr in thin link that i've sent, they measure the ammounts of particles in air with and without extractor. Also they recommend still be using glasses and mask and gloves alongside with extractor. I am also checking hypoallergenic brands, its a tough deal cause many things are called hypo but actuay they are not so again, this is something to dig deeper...
I use fpp3 mask, the surgical mask wong protect you from dust particles, though they are a bit bulky and not so comfy... I actually am from Lithuania, living in Iceland, so i have many different brands from there and there and some from Uk, basically a biggest mix ever
About the allergys i reserchead a lot yesterday, amd found some nail techs that had allergys and patch tested some sort of acrylates to be allergens, but theh stopped any contact with it and after few years did patch test again and it didnt show allergy anymore. So i kinda believe you can heal, maybe need to stop contact, detox, build immunity What kind of gloves do you use? Longer than ussual?

 

[BobSweden]

Hi Iabas,
Are you using an e-file? If so, these especially create both visible and invisible dust. The invisible dust will hang in the air of the salon like pollution, increasing with every service, until the salon air is completely changed (i.e. opening all windows to create a through-draft (wind)).

Cheap table top filters (the type found on Amazon etc) only capture the visible dust. So the invisible dust will still be breathed in (COPD and asthma risk) and also land on the skin - this is why if the product is not fully cured, some people develop reactions on neck and under eyes.

I have not tested the RAVAIR, but it looks competent and is a budget price for what it seems to offer. Most other professional dust filters cost more than 800€. Alternatively, you can use an extraction hood system (like a kitchen extractor over a hob), that extracts all air from your working zone to the outside. But this needs to be installed and is only economically useful if a salon has more Nail Techs and the tables stay in the same position.

When choosing a dust filter, ensure that it has both F8 (or equivalent) filter for visible dust and HEPA-12 or better (i.e. HEPA-13) filter for invisible dust. If you also want to filter chemical vapours (i.e. monomer especially), these filters need to be followed by an active carbon filter that is at least 2.5 cm deep.

About hypoallergenic. Yes, now many brands make such claims - as allergies became so common. As there is no legal definition of "hypoallergenic", it only means lower allergy risk, it is possible for even HEMA-free products that contain other high-risk allergens, to claim this.

But for those brands who actually cared about allergies from the beginning and dedicated themselves to creating safer products, it means that their hypoallergenic products do not contain any ingredient used in a dermatologists standard methacrylate patch test, or any ingredient. known to cause allergies when used in nail products.

 

[Laylee84]

Thank you for response!
I have read many posts allready, people know so much here, i really am impressed. I found someone recommend SPA REV Salon Pure Air Revolution - Air Impurities Removal Systems , and look, the price is twice higher than Ravair, so i am doing my research which one is actually better. I think i love doing nails so much that am willing to invest, cause eventually you invest to any business you start doing...
I use glasses, and if you watch one of tje videos that arr in thin link that i've sent, they measure the ammounts of particles in air with and without extractor. Also they recommend still be using glasses and mask and gloves alongside with extractor. I am also checking hypoallergenic brands, its a tough deal cause many things are called hypo but actuay they are not so again, this is something to dig deeper...
I use fpp3 mask, the surgical mask wong protect you from dust particles, though they are a bit bulky and not so comfy... I actually am from Lithuania, living in Iceland, so i have many different brands from there and there and some from Uk, basically a biggest mix ever
About the allergys i reserchead a lot yesterday, amd found some nail techs that had allergys and patch tested some sort of acrylates to be allergens, but theh stopped any contact with it and after few years did patch test again and it didnt show allergy anymore. So i kinda believe you can heal, maybe need to stop contact, detox, build immunity What kind of gloves do you use? Longer than ussual?

Hi, I couldn’t see any links for videos you sent? And I use black nitrile exam gloves.

And wow, FPP3 is a serious mask! It sounds like you are really careful and it would be a case of getting the right products with the info Bob suggested and hopefully you’ll start to get better.

Also, if using a dust extractor like the Ravair desktop dust extractor would I still need to wear an FPP3 mask? Or would a surgical one do? It’s really just being cautious. I only work with gel, not acrylics.

And thank you Bob for the info!

 

[labas]

Yes, i am using e-file.
I am very interested in something portable cause the salon is not mine and you never know if you will not need to move somewhere else. So now i have thesw options:

Beauty Line Filter Gel

nagelgiganten.se

There is no info in the website, but i contacted them and then will be able to compare with others.

SPA REV Salon Pure Air Revolution - Air Impurities Removal Systems

Built for effective removal chemical vapors and dust from a variety of salon and spa operations.

www.airsystems-inc.com

Ravair Vapour and Virus Extraction Unit Combo Deal

Ravair Vapour and Virus Extraction Unit Combo Deal

ravair.co.uk

VODEX SalonAIR 1002 Extraction Unit | Beauty Treatments | VODEX Ltd

SalonAIR SA1002 - A Popular Extraction Unit for Beauty Technicians. Buy Online - VODEX Ltd | 01489 899 070

www.vodex.co.uk

I saw in other post you wrote about Sweden that for more than 10 years they have requieremnts to have 3filter extractors in the salons mandatory. Here in Iceland there is even no profession as nail tech, its crazy, it is totally uncontrolled...
Which one do you guys would go for?

 

[labas]

Hi, I couldn’t see any links for videos you sent? And I use black nitrile exam gloves.

And wow, FPP3 is a serious mask! It sounds like you are really careful and it would be a case of getting the right products with the info Bob suggested and hopefully you’ll start to get better.

Also, if using a dust extractor like the Ravair desktop dust extractor would I still need to wear an FPP3 mask? Or would a surgical one do? It’s really just being cautious. I only work with gel, not acrylics.

And thank you Bob for the info!

The link of extractor REV in the first reply of mine. You open it and there are pictures. One of them is video.
So what i imagine, the dust extractor air purifier vapour collector ( : DD ) will never collect everything. So in this case to protect even more i would wear that mask, fpp3 I know its crazy, but the surgical one will not stop the tiniest unvisible particles to get through
It is same like people and me (at the beginning) care only about visible dust. And ow i have this table dust collector and it collects just enough... But it is not like that... There are more things going on...

 

[labas]

Also any intakes you might have ? One cost 700 other 1500 ... Why do you think there is such a price difference?

 

[Laylee84]

I honestly don’t know. I’m not qualified to answer and can’t comment on any of the extractors because I only have Ravair, sorry! Other people on here in busy salons might be able to help as they probably have come across things like the REV. I’m going to be in a tiny room that I’d be sharing with a brow tech so I need space to put her bed down and the REV would take up too much space. I also like the idea of being able to easily move my extractors if I want to do appointments for friends and family at home, so the Ravairs portability was great for me.

As for masks, if using hypoallergenic products does it still matter as much? I’ve invested in Ikon.IQ which is Bob’s company, and they don’t contain any of the allergens that are tested for in the dermatologists test as Bob has said above. Would this help protect you also? As I say I’m new so am still learning!

I’ve never seen anyone in the U.K. use an FPP3 mask. Do any techs on here wear one? I was gonna offer surgical masks to clients too. But could never afford to offer each one an FPP3! But thank you, your points are worth considering! I didn’t know about the tiniest particles being able to get through.

 

[Ambermist]

I just wanted to add that Ravair have a January Sale on right now with many units at half price! www.ravair.co.uk