TOPIC:

I've become paranoid about ever getting infected again - with anything. After hepC, enough is really enough. I have zero risk of infection that I can think of EXCEPT - maybe the hairdresser. You know those hand-held electric trimmers they use? People do get nicked with them now and again, or with scissors, or even scratched with a sharp comb. Ears usually, cos they stick out I suppose. I've never asked a hairdresser if they sterilize their equipment. I'm vaccinated for hepB but HIV and HCV are still out there (I should know).

So do you think there is a real risk at the hairdresser, or is my concern just the riba getting to me?
Thanks
dt

Here's an example of recommended best practice for hairdressers:
www.craigavon.gov.uk/media/images/storie...essers%20leaflet.pdf

I'm just not sure that I trust them to be strict about doing this every time. And no point in asking because if they are busy and sometimes cut corners then they are hardly likely to admit it to a customer.
dt

Hey DT - I was sitting in a queue at the hairdressers pre Christmas thinking exactly the same thing as they zoomed through the Christmas rush, Can't say I saw much cleaning of utensils inbetween customers I must say ....

I am terrified of Nail spas. I worked in SE Asia in the early 80's and had regular mani pedi and they often clipped my cuticles so close I bled. Those spas are everywhere these days what sort of regulations are there and how stringent are they...I have been doing my own nails since diagnosis out of respect for others. Thanks for the info about hairdressing etc.

Hi and thanks to the mod who moved this thread to the Q&A.

Ariel, I do my own nails too. Since diagnosis I've been super careful about not infecting others. But as I hopefully move towards SVR, the possibility of getting reinfected has been creeping into my thoughts.

LG, thanks for your observations. Very helpful.
I've had a good look at the guidelines I posted and the thing I am least happy about is the electric hair clippers - "Potential for blood borne virus transmission". It says that these things "cannot withstand immersion or sterilisation". The instructions are to wipe over with damp cloth containing detergent and water or alcohol. I don't think that's good enough to kill HBV or HCV. Scissors and combs are cleaned easier so I'll take my chances with them but I'm going to tell my next hairdresser not to use the clippers. I might even get my own to do a tidy up after getting a haircut. I'm also going to be a lot more careful about the hairdresser I use, including not going at a busy time.

dt

Good topic to bring up

I would suggest to be weary of nail parlours as well, there has been a crack down on them here in New Zealand due to infection control practises. many of these type of "Beauty" boutiques can operate unregulated.

I do my own nails and eyebrows as I am worried about transmission to others.

Interesting point on the hair clippers. The blades can be removed via screws but of course the whole unit cannot be cleaned/immersed. I have been cutting my own hair with them since the 80s and there hasn't been one time that I've drawn any blood - maybe hairdressers/barbers aren't as careful I dunno. You do tend to go a lot slower with DIY though lol

I'm also going to be a lot more careful about the hairdresser I use, including not going at a busy time.

Me too, especially local cheap ones who don't charge much and are always packed.

Ariel - I know exactly what you mean from previous travel abroad

Oh I never thought of this, when J gets his hair cut, they use those electric clippers to tidy up the neck etc.
Quite a horrible thought......

Its a good point Cindi, I only use my clippers with the plastic gauge combs, never the bare blades alone. There could be a risk however small if they aren't cautious.

Also a thought, when my husbands gone to Thailand, ( he likes to try new things) he one time did this thing where you put your feet into a pond of tiny fish that nibble on your feet, removing dead skin I presume (yuck! ) that can't be hygienic?? & possible risk of HCV ??

I reckon he likes to do things to get a shock out of me, like telling me about the grose stuff he eats there.
Like spiders & cockroaches they cook on the street carts on the side of roads.

..but fish biting at your feet/? possible contamination there? also sounds pretty creepy to me.

CJ wrote: Oh I never thought of this, when J gets his hair cut, they use those electric clippers to tidy up the neck etc.
Quite a horrible thought......

That has concerned me since being diagnosed. I have been very conscious of being nicked and having to self report even though where I go use special small clippers with removable cutting head for that bit and disinfect between cuts, but how good is their disinfection process? It hasn't happened or even felt close so seems reasonably safe.
What does scare me is the old and once very common method of dry shaving the neck with a straight razor. I wonder how often that was responsible for unexplained infection before we knew better.

I think it is sometimes hard to know what is unreasonable paranoia and what is just good common sense in the light of what we know about blood-borne viral infections. Everybody has to draw their own lines I guess. The principle is that blood-to-blood contact is a no no.

So, common sense dictates to stay clear of another person's blood wherever it might be found, and that goes triple if you have any open wounds on your own body. So for the fish in Thailand I'd be asking myself - could the person before me have bled into the water? Did they change the water between people and disinfect the pool? How long could the various viral infections live in the water? These questions have answers, so asking them and staying informed on the answers is the best defense.

It has often been asked if mosquitoes can spread HCV, but to my knowledge there is no evidence to suggest that they can. I have heard it suggested that contact sports where blood is drawn by both parties, can be a risk. If blood-to-blood contact occured then I would reason that that is a possibility. Trying on somebody else's earrings or piercings might also be a risk. Any accident situation where somebody is bleeding, no matter how small, is an automatic risk, especially if there's broken glass which could cut you.

I'm no authority on this subject. I'm just trying to step up my thinking about it in a way that I admit I never used to think before being diagnosed.
dt

UK News : Dentist not using stringent hygiene procedures - 4 patients tested positive for HepatitisC :

metro.co.uk/2016/01/19/patients-test-pos...al-practice-5632968/

I'd be more worried about dentists than hairdressers.

Dentists suspended in Sydney for unhygienic practices:
www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-02/dental-he...ct-thousands/6588534

Melbourne doctor infects 54 women with HepC during abortion procedures:
www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-27/doctor-wh...compensation/5921786