In the last couple of weeks I have noticed a little epidemic happening. Although I often explain- we, as nail techs can only work on healthy skin and nails, somehow, some people think that their situation is special.
Sure, life happens, knife is too sharp, the hangnail looks too tempting not to be picked and you end up sitting at my table hoping for a miracle. So not to disappoint you, my dear client, I’m here to explain what can, and can’t be done about this.
If you have a red, swollen, possibly slightly bleeding or oozing area around the nail (yes, gross) and your appointment is coming up…. WE CAN:
- Sympathize with you (yes, it sucks!!)
- We can work on the other nails leaving the sick one alone and after the area around the nail heals (usually 2-4 days) you can come back so we can work on that nail (it will take about 15 min) and we won’t even charge you for that 1 nail!
- We can offer a mental support in this tragic situation and even hold your hand (the good one)
- We can put a band-aid on it
- Call 911
- If you absolutely cannot live with 1 nail that looks different from the others, please call and we can CANCEL the appointment and rebook when the area around the nail is healthy.
WE CANNOT work on a skin that is broken, red, inflamed, BLEEDING (duh!) even though you say “oh, it’s fine” “don’t worry, I’m OK”. WHY?
Because…
- Clients cannot sign a waiver or give the nail technician a verbal permission to disobey Health Canada rules and regulations scroll down to #6 e.
- The rules are set in place by Health Canada to protect you- the client, protect me- the service provider and protect the other clients (“Practice Safe Nails” people!!)
- Nail products should never come into contact with broken skin- unless you want to develop allergy/overexposure and then you say bye-bye to ever having your nails done. Especially when having gel polish done. As Katrina Lassey points out “When you soak product off, it breaks down in the acetone and alllllll the issues you can have with overexposure from fresh gel polish, come right back again with the old gel polish as it breaks down. Add an open wound and you’ve got a recipe for a bad time…”
- I’m not risking my reputation. “Working on a client with an existing condition isn’t just a risk for potential damage to her nail, it’s a risk to your reputation when she posts a photo on Instagram the next day saying “xxx did my nails – aren’t they great?” And boom, center stage is a paronichial infection.”- Katrina
Who would want to lose a finger? - I don’t want to get sued.
- It’s gross and I do have a weak stomach (otherwise I would be a doctor probably, considering my smarts)
So please, sitting down at my table thinking you’re going to trick me into dealing with a sick finger because you a) drove here 100 km b) you huff and puff c) you are unhappy d) you are special- is not going to work. Acting like a spoiled brat is only going to have you lose that “Excellent Client” status 😉
#PracticeSafeNails #NonInvasiveManicures
