Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/120653
ascp and you: news notes Are Long Nails Appropriate for an Esthetician? Several members have asked Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP) for feedback on wearing their nails long���whether artificial or natural. Our general advice is that shorter is better, for several reasons. Most skin care professionals who are also massage therapists follow the latter profession���s habit of keeping nails short. But even if massage is not a major feature of your treatments, most esthetic services involve fingertips on a client���s skin. Hand and nail self-care should be part of each esthetician���s routine. The most obvious risk of long nails is accidentally scratching or poking the client, perhaps even causing an eye injury during brow, facial, or lash services. Even if there is no injury, nobody likes to be poked! Less obvious, but at least as serious, is the impact on hygiene. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends nails should be kept short and the undersides should be scrubbed with soap, water, and a nailbrush whenever the hands are washed. According to the CDC website, www.cdc.gov, fingernails ���may harbor dirt and germs, and can contribute to the spread of some infections, such as pinworms. Longer fingernails can harbor more dirt and bacteria than short nails.��� If these arguments aren���t enough to make you bring out the clippers, it���s also worth remembering that long nails are seen as unprofessional by many employers. If there is a job interview in your future, short, well-kept, natural nails will make the best impression on employers in almost any skin care field and are a must when interviewing with a more clinically focused employer. Nail Lamps and Skin Cancer A study published in January 2013 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology shows that the lamps used in spas and salons for drying nail polish do not significantly increase clients��� risk of skin cancer. The study states that 87 percent of nail salons use an ultraviolet (UV) nail lamp, and regular manicure clients are typically exposed to the lamps one to four times per month for 6���10 minutes at a time. Researchers measured the amount of UV radiation from three typical lamp models and found that a client would need to have a manicure once a week for approximately 250 years to add up to the same amount of UV exposure that is used in just one round of phototherapy sessions. Name Change for CEA Cosmetology Educators of America has officially changed its name to Career Educators Alliance (CEA) in order to better represent the diversity of roles in beauty and wellness education that the organization represents. This year, CEA holds its annual convention at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 19���22. It will include an educational track specific to skin care, with hands-on demonstrations of treatments such as high frequency, LED, microcurrent, and waxing ethnic skin. For more information, visit www.beautyschools.org. 38ASCP Skin Deep May/June 2013