Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Gloves - To Wear or Not to Wear

I find it amazing on the different chat rooms and boards that there are still estheticians out there who are not wearing gloves for all procedures where there may be a risk of exposure to OPIM (other potentially infectious materials). Microorganisms are too small to be seen with the naked eye, or even a traditional magnifier. Portals of exit or entry are how microbes get out of one person's skin and into another's. They too are so small they cannot be seen. They can occur from a recent manicure, injury, exfoliation, extraction or waxing. When microbe transfer occurs there is a potential for infection or the transfer of disease.
Some technicians complain they can't feel the skin when they wear gloves. Surgeons probably said the same thing when glove wearing was introduced. Now medical staff won't touch you without having a glove on. Its a learned skill and it is important to protect both the client and technician. It is not an option.
Did you know that if your state doesn't specifically call out glove wearing they may have it buried in a statement like it is the responsibility of the technician to do what is necessary to protect the client. Per federal CDC guidelines, if the state does not call out glove wearing guidelines, the CDC guidelines must be followed. Bottom line - wear gloves. Protect yourself and your clients.
If you want great tactile feel, choose nitrile over vinyl. It has a better feel and is far more environmentally friendly. Did you know there is only one country in the world that will allow the manufacture of vinyl within their borders... China. Every bit of vinyl made is made in China and their air quality is suffering from it. 
Yes, nitrile is still more expensive than vinyl, but the price is coming down.  The more people using nitrile, the more its price will drop. And, its available in fun colors like pink or purple.  

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