Overexposure, please take it seriously

[Beautyline]

The exposure to dust and vapours are a health risk and the HSE provide guidelines to help minimise these and give advice.

 

[Bettierae]

I'm still getting over my overexposure problem. it took eighteen months to get my hands back to near normal. It started as an itch on my index finger, my brush finger, and that soon spread to my other fingertips and the rest of my hands, all the way up to my elbows on my left arm. I realised quickly that the fingertip problem was due to the monomer on my brush running onto my finger, but took me a while longer to realise the dust on my towel, paper, desk etc was causing the burning, itching maddening red rash up my arm, from where I was leaning on the desk. I managed to find a good combination of creams, cottim gloves, plasters and surgical tape (!) and got it under control.

The main thing to remember I think is to work clean, clean towels after every service, fresh clean desk too. Wash your hands straight after your service. My clients have been through this with me and are more than happy for me to go off half way through a service to was my hands if I need to, and are very understanding.
I still have and probably will have for ages a sore spot on my index finger, and sometimes I still wake up at night with the worst itchy hands you could imagine.
I wish i'd realised sooner what a problem overexposure could be. I have a trainee, and I can't stress to her enough now the precautions she needs to take so as not to suffer herself. hth x x

 

[Southerngirlspa]

Oh yuck. I think I am experiencing this now......

I came back to this thread because I have had little tiny blistery bumps appear on my arm from wrist to elbow in the last two weeks. I have a full sleeve tattoo, so at first I wasnt too aware of what was going on (cant really see my naked skin)..just kind of dry and itchy feeling, but hey, its winter and my skin gets dry. But it just kept getting worse and now its little blisters all the way up.

As far as I can recall I think it started the day that I took off my acrylic dip overlays on myself and put on brisa gel overlays. I think I filed away and got dust all over my arm, resting it on the tabeland stuff, and now Im afraid overexposure is what I am dealing with.

From my reading it seems like the Brisa has a low risk of allergy....but could be it....or I guess it could have been the acrylic dips.

I think Im just going to take off my gels and not mess with this stuff for a while......How long should I expect my arm to be a mess?

 

[del3]

Oh yuck. I think I am experiencing this now......


I think Im just going to take off my gels and not mess with this stuff for a while......How long should I expect my arm to be a mess?

Oh poor you.
If this is overexposure it's hard to tell how long this effect will last on your skin, I know that in the early days of 'finger itchiness and blisters' it would dissapear after a couple of days but after a few months it took a while longer to recover.
The trouble with overexposure is once the allergy is there it's not something that can be shruged off or igonred in the future.
Might be worth a trip to the docs to get it confirmed.

 

[DEBI-DEE]

Im gonna attempmt to add a photo, if this doesnt scare you into working carefully then nothing will.

 

[DEBI-DEE]

As you can see from my wee avatar i look nothing like this horrific picture. This picture was taken when i was getting better. I am always extremely careful now and take anti-histamines nearly every day. I wash my hands after ever client and NEVER touch my face while doing nails.

 

[del3]

As you can see from my wee avatar i look nothing like this horrific picture. This picture was taken when i was getting better. I am always extremely careful now and take anti-histamines nearly every day. I wash my hands after ever client and NEVER touch my face while doing nails.

OMG that is exaclty how my face reacts if I'm not careful.
Now I have to jump into the shower after work to make sure that there's no dust drift on my face or this is me the next morning.
:hug:

 

[del3]

Just bumping up the thread as there seams to be a few overexposure questions recently and a few more new techs just leaving collage
:hug:

 

[Jolicatellas]

Just bumping up the thread as there seams to be a few overexposure questions recently and a few more new techs just leaving collage
:hug:

Good idea Del. Just wondering something... if we done the masks, gloves etc. will our clients freak out do you think? Could you also give us (esp the newbies) some advice on how to explain the safety precautions to our clients?

Thanks :green:

 

[Perls Beauty]

I have pm'd you
:hug:

Hi
I am trying to avoid any further sensivity issues and would appreciate info on best, or 'most effective in your opinion' allergy tablets please

Thanks in advance
L xx

 

[del3]

Good idea Del. Just wondering something... if we done the masks, gloves etc. will our clients freak out do you think? Could you also give us (esp the newbies) some advice on how to explain the safety precautions to our clients?

Thanks :green:

Wel to be honest if your using safe working methods i.e. using adequate ventilation, dust extractor, using your brush to do the work ( less filing, less dust) I personally don't see the need to wear a mask.
If you are gettin sensitivity on your face, like I do, use a barrier cream.

As for wearing gloves, I have never had a client freak out at the sight of a pair of gloves :lol: I tell my clients honestly that I have been careless with my products over time and have now devleopd a sensitvity, I also add that I've been looking after their hands and neglecting my own :green:

Lozalan, I'm not medicaly trained to be able to tell you what you should be using.
The advice MY doctor gave to me was to use antihistamines and when I asked which ones he said 'just get some form the chemist' ( big help there)
I would advise you to see your own GP and ask his advice you may be using other medication that might be affected by over the counter meds so better to be safe and check first.
:hug:

 

[del3]

I have to share this with you all that's sufferd/suffering with overexposure.
I have just found something that works on those little stinging cracks that appear on the hands as the skin is goin through the healing process.
BLISTEX LIP RELIEF CREAM :idea:
I bought some the other day for my lips and thought 'hey it works on my lips why not try it on my fingers':lol: so I put some on before I went to bed and in the morning there was a huge improvment in my fingers....nothing else has worked so fast.
Who would have thought it ey :lol:

:hug:

 

[DEBI-DEE]

Hey, great news Del, hope it continues to work for you X

 

[brittone05]

Thanks so much for this thread Del I am a newbie soon to be a trainee and I worry as you don't hear many wonderful things about college courses and tutors ( although I am sure there are some amazing ones out there) I am going to be doing manicure, pedicure first and then enhancements after that.

I am lucky that I have this site to read and have some amazing resources for advice and help but not everyone has access to that.

Can I also add that for those of you who have been told to take standard anti-histamines from your GP, Home and Bargain sell allergy releif tablets for under £1 for a box if 6. I use these for my husband's animal fur allergy and they work just as good as the leading named brands

 

[sian1979]

i just think it worth bumping this thread up..... myself have been getting over exposure signs on my fingers. I feel i have had good training and thought i was being careful...obviously not careful enough. I have not had anything on my face like some but on both thumbs and 2 fingers on my brush hand, it seems a vicious circle to get it to heal......it heals a bit then skin peels off then its red raw again. i started wearing gloves but they get sweaty and seem to make it worse, i spoke to the pharmasist who was as helpful as a choclate tea pot as my mum said. i am gong to try the blistex. i have found that the best thing i have used so far is nappy cream.

 

[Perls Beauty]

i just think it worth bumping this thread up..... myself have been getting over exposure signs on my fingers. I feel i have had good training and thought i was being careful...obviously not careful enough. I have not had anything on my face like some but on both thumbs and 2 fingers on my brush hand, it seems a vicious circle to get it to heal......it heals a bit then skin peels off then its red raw again. i started wearing gloves but they get sweaty and seem to make it worse, i spoke to the pharmasist who was as helpful as a choclate tea pot as my mum said. i am gong to try the blistex. i have found that the best thing i have used so far is nappy cream.

I have found something that also works well, and really quickly for the skin under my nails - I get teeny tiny blisters, just on 2 fingers when I do my own nails with L&P or Gel. They appear just under the free edge around the hyponichium, they itchlike crazy and then eventually the skin would go all dry and then crack and peel off - uurrgghhhhh!

ANTHISAN, is an allergy and bit relief cream which is available over the counter at chemists - as soon as I have applied my own nails, I just rub a blob into the skin under the free edge, and hey presto, no more blisters, itching or cracking! Fabulous!

 

[del3]

i just think it worth bumping this thread up..... myself have been getting over exposure signs on my fingers. I feel i have had good training and thought i was being careful...obviously not careful enough. I have not had anything on my face like some but on both thumbs and 2 fingers on my brush hand, it seems a vicious circle to get it to heal......it heals a bit then skin peels off then its red raw again. i started wearing gloves but they get sweaty and seem to make it worse, i spoke to the pharmasist who was as helpful as a choclate tea pot as my mum said. i am gong to try the blistex. i have found that the best thing i have used so far is nappy cream.

Oh Sian I feel for you :hug:
Try this way of wearing gloves ( it's been trial and painfull error for me)...extreme, but it works and you may have to adapt how you hold your brush slightly.
Cotton manicure glove
thick latex glove
thinner latex glove.( to protect the thicker latex glove from being pierced by the files :green
In the case of latex sensitivity
cotton glove
2 layers of 'latex allternative'( the other glove that I can't remember the name of :lol

It got a lot worse for me if I didn't wear the cotton glove.
I use a clean cotton glove each time, so that I don't get any dust contamination and I am washing my hands more often than a surgeon.

Try E45 itch relief cream for the itching, I found it worked better than an antihithstian cream.
:hug:

 

[sian1979]

Oh Sian I feel for you :hug:
Try this way of wearing gloves ( it's been trial and painfull error for me)...extreme, but it works and you may have to adapt how you hold your brush slightly.
Cotton manicure glove
thick latex glove
thinner latex glove.( to protect the thicker latex glove from being pierced by the files :green
In the case of latex sensitivity
cotton glove
2 layers of 'latex allternative'( the other glove that I can't remember the name of :lol

It got a lot worse for me if I didn't wear the cotton glove.
I use a clean cotton glove each time, so that I don't get any dust contamination and I am washing my hands more often than a surgeon.

Try E45 itch relief cream for the itching, I found it worked better than an antihithstian cream.
:hug:

thanks del....i have been using nitrele gloves, they have not been too bad...but they do rip if caught with the file....i will try the cotten glove though. i have been using eurax cream that was given to me...i can see a marked improvment. the biggest prob loem i have had wth wearing gloves is how hard it is to fit a form without getting it stuck to you grrrrrrr!! lesson well and truely learned here I'd say.....i am just hoping that i have caught it in time before it being a full blown allergy.

 

[del3]

thanks del....i have been using nitrele gloves, they have not been too bad...but they do rip if caught with the file....i will try the cotten glove though. i have been using eurax cream that was given to me...i can see a marked improvment. the biggest prob loem i have had wth wearing gloves is how hard it is to fit a form without getting it stuck to you grrrrrrr!! lesson well and truely learned here I'd say.....i am just hoping that i have caught it in time before it being a full blown allergy.

whenever I have to fit forms I do 1 hand then glove up then take them off to do the other hand...a bit of a pain but it's the only way i can do it lol.
:hug:

 

[uniq12u]

Thanks for posting and sorry to hear you are having such pain and issues. Interesting I saw this thread today because I just read Doug Schoon's book that has a chapter about overexposure. I use resin acrylic dip system and I had no idea I was overexposing myself with the catalyst spray. Fortunately I have no symptons, but it opened my eyes. I've been in the habit of holding my client's hand while I spray their nails with the catalyst. So for 10 years now I've been spraying my hand over and over and over. It isn't easy to break a habit, but now I let go of their hand and then spray.

Yes, there should be more training on this and they should also inform us of ways to take care of our body and what our body will go through doing this kind of work.