Tips for providing an antiseptic environment, proper use of instruments and ensuring safe procedures.
- Always use sterilized equipment (cuticle nippers, files, orange stick) when cutting of skin is involved to avoid infections. Create same clean, antiseptic environment as in a doctor’s office and your patrons will be impressed.
- Never mix clean, sterilized tools with used ones.
- Tools that cannot be sterilized (nail-buffer blocks, nail brushes, emery boards) should be thrown away immediately after being used.
- Always have your technicians wash their hands with anti-bacterial soap between each procedure.
- Drain and disinfect foot spas in between every use.
- Do not trim cuticles too closely. When you cut too closely, you remove the protection provided by nature.
- Use sharp, adjusted instruments. Rough edges and nicked blades can cause serious injury.
- Do not push cuticles back too hard. You can bruise the tissue which can result in a damaged or infected nail.
- Always check nail beds for signs of discoloration/infection before doing acrylic fill-ins to avoid severe infection in patron.
- Do not use razors (credo tools) for the removal of hardened callused feet. Soaking the feet and use of pumice stone will avoid infections. Refer patron’s callus removal to a podiatrist if needed.
- Do not purchase bulk chemicals from companies outside the US (outside FDA control) (i.e. powder to form acrylic nails). The resulting infections can be severe.
- Avoid haste and carelessness. A nail treatment is a meticulous task that requires time and patience.