What Makes a Manicure Near Me Safe?
Health and safety literally go hand in hand when it comes to manicures. If there could be anything positive that came out of the pandemic era it’s personal awareness of health safety and individual precautions. When your patrons ask, “Where can I find a safe manicure near me?” we need to be especially aware of ways to be the one to perform that nail treatment.
Health awareness in the most relaxing environments like nail salons really was an afterthought until recently. Now though it seems everyone has become conscious of the risks of infections even from the most basic personal care services including manicures and pedicures. From Martha Stewart to the CDC more and more sources are offering tips and guidance on how to receive a manicure safely.
Fungal Infections are a Manicure Risk We can Protect Against
Fungal Infections Still Happen in Some Salons
First let’s look at the risks, fungal infections are the primary source of risk in salons and during the manicure and pedicure processes. While fungal infections are not necessarily new to salons, they are becoming more common, and more intense. The same with bacterial infections, which can cause a wide range of symptoms that if untreated can spread beyond just nails, fingers and toes.
According to the Mayo Clinic nail fungus is a common infection called onychomycosis (on-ih-koh-my-KOH-sis). It begins as a white or yellow-brown spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the fungal infection goes deeper, the nail may discolor, thicken and crumble at the edge and can even spread to as far as the areas between your toes and the skin of your feet. In most instances you can self-care the problem, but if it lingers for mare than a few days you may need treatment from a dermatologist. If not properly treated the infection is prone to return.
Strict Rules Protect a Safe Manicure
Salons know the source of the infections and are required to follow some very strict rules set by each state’s boards of health or licensing regulator that are intended to protect clients of salons. And while most salons follow these guidelines, that doesn’t ensure each safety step is followed to the letter of the law. There a lot of tools used by technicians to do the job right and get the results you expect, most of which are reused with each client; files, nail clippers, scrapers and more. those items are required to be sanitized after each use. The tools used to hold the various types of nail coatings, the powders and gels that cover a prepared nail coat, are the primary sources of infection.
Why Infections Still Happen
Each salon uses a different tool technique for the distribution and application of nail coatings. Disposable plastic cups are a common site in many salons; however, they are the most vulnerable to retaining and transmitting infections. They offer salons and nail tech’s a cheap way to hold materials but in addition to being high infections risk they create an environmental problem. Plastic cups aren’t recycled and add to the global plastic waste crisis. Another common choice is shot glasses, which can be cleaned and reused time after time. They are more cost effective than plastic cup, are more green than plastic but require sanitizing just like metal tools. Simple soap and water do not kill bacteria and fungus.
Dr. Shari Lipner, a dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, explains that when salons reuse files, clippers, or other tools and don’t sterilize them thoroughly, they put their clients at risk of developing infections like warts and nail fungus.
The Safe Manicure Solution
The solution is easy and available to technicians, salons and consumers and best of all is incredibly inexpensive. It’s the Dapping Cup. A patented medical grade surgical steel cup that protects everyone from transmitting and contracting infections. The Dapping Cup is designed to only hold enough material for one job to eliminate wasted nail cover product. The slotted cup design allows excess material to vacate the cup which reduces waste.
Most importantly the cup is made of medical grade stainless steel, the same material high-tech surgical instruments are made of. This keeps the cup safe and free from bacteria, infections and diseases, plus, its easily sanitized and can last a lifetime. Using a Dapping Cup not only protects clients from exposure to all kinds of nasty things but safeguards the nail technician and the entire salon from exposure to those invisible little bugs.
One More Thing…
One more thing. If your nail tech and salon doesn’t offer you a Dapping Cup, listen to the advice of Dr. Lipner. Bring your own nail kit. Not only will this let you choose your own non-toxic products, but it will also ensure that any tools that come in contact with your nails aren’t spreading infection. “I recommend bringing your own equipment to salons — file, clippers, buffer,” says Lipner. “All metal equipment can be boiled in water after each use.”