Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1263242
find your dream career! ascpskincare.com/career-toolkits 27 WEAR FACE MASKS PROPERLY If worn properly, a face mask helps block respiratory secretions produced by the wearer from contaminating other persons and surfaces. Important point: wearing a face mask reduces risk to your client, not you. If you have access to surgical face masks, these should be used once (a new one with each client) and then thrown away. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before putting on the mask and after throwing it away. Surgical face masks are in short supply, and it is unlikely you will have easy, affordable access to them. Cloth face masks are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Again, wash your hands before putting on the mask, leave it on during the entire treatment session without touching your face or the mask, remove it after the client has departed, and wash your hands. Just like the surgical face masks, the cloth mask should be considered a contaminated item; after you've said goodbye to your client, take it off and place it in a paper bag for laundering. Given that I'm recommending using a different cloth face mask for each client, you will need to have a reasonably large supply. It is my opinion that we should abandon the idea of the pretty face mask. No one looks good in a face mask. Like many people, I've been at home clumsily sewing ill-fitting face masks that evoke nose itching the entire time I have them on. (However, I scored a 10-pack of fabric masks at Target the other day that fit both me and my 7-year-old so comfortably that we can wear them for hours without discomfort.) Each night, you should launder the cloth masks with soap and hot water for reuse. CLEAN AND DISINFECT All surfaces (counters, chairs, doorknobs) and nondisposable equipment used for client services should be cleaned and disinfected between clients according to manufacturer's instructions and facility policies. First, pre-clean using soap and water; then disinfect using an EPA-certified disinfectant. Overall, I'm afraid that "windowless treatment room" and "safe" don't really live in the same sentence with COVID-19. However, the five suggestions above should reduce exposure from respiratory droplets and virus suspended in aerosols in the air and on surfaces. Notes 1. Karen Kormuth et al., "Influenza Virus Infectivity Is Retained in Aerosols and Droplets Independent of Relative Humidity," Journal of Infectious Diseases 218, no. 5 (September 1, 2018): 739–47, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy221. 2. Parham Azini et al., "Estimating the Nationwide Transmission Risk of Measles in US Schools and Impacts of Vaccination and Supplemental Infection Control Strategies," BMC Infectious Diseases, accessed May 2020, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-16529/v1. 3. Perry Santanachote, "What You Need to Know About Air Purifiers and the Coronavirus," Consumer Reports (May 5, 2020), www.consumerreports.org/air-purifiers/ what-to-know-about-air-purifiers-and-coronavirus. A HEPA purifier can help reduce the risk of virus transmission.