Manicure and pedicure treatments hygiene standards

Last updated: 01 October 2004

Introduction

A nail technician can carry out a variety of different procedures. Some procedures can penetrate the skin, or have the potential to penetrate the skin, while other procedures may cause contact with broken or infected skin/nails. Minimum hygiene standards should at least be adopted for all scenarios. The following recommendations are made to help achieve these standards.

Salons and other premises

All nail enhancement, manicure and pedicure salons that carry out skin penetration procedures including paraffin treatments must be registered with the local council. The register is to be made available for public viewing.

• The premises must be kept in a clean and hygienic condition at all times.
• The construction of the premises should meet with local council requirements.
• The finish on all surfaces within the salon should be made of materials that are impervious and can be easily cleaned.
• Treatment areas such as benches and foot spas/baths should be cleaned between each client and/or a clean covering placed over the treatment surface.
• Adequate lighting is recommended.

• a hand basin with hot and cold running water and mixer with single outlet. It is recommended that the hand basin be located in the treatment area
• soap or another hand cleaning substance is required to be at the hand basin - pump action liquid soap is recommended
• soap containers should be disposed of when they are empty and not refilled
• paper towel or other single use hand drying equipment is required to be at the hand basin.

Personal hygiene

• Nail technicians should wash their hands before and after attending a client.
• A clean garment or overcoat should be worn during any treatment.
• A clean gown or apron must be worn for skin penetration procedures.
• If a beautician has a cut or open wound on their hands or fingers especially, they must cover it with a waterproof dressing.
• When carrying out a skin penetration procedure, single use gloves must be worn. The use of gloves does not negate the requirement to wash hands between each client.

Equipment

• All equipment must be cleaned between each use with warm water and detergent.
• If equipment is used to penetrate the skin, or the equipment has the potential to penetrate the skin, it must be sterilized before it is used and maintained in a sterile clean condition (eg. cuticle cutters, corn planes, etc.)
• All necessary equipment should be set up just prior to proceeding with the treatment.
• It is recommended to use single use equipment wherever possible.
• aAl single use equipment should be disposed of appropriately immediately after use using appropriate containment methods, eg. sharps containers.

Procedures

• Towels (disposable and cloth) and other types of linen used for covering or protection during the procedure must be clean at the start of each treatment.
• Paraffin, creams, oils and artificial nail chemicals should be dispensed using a single use applicator or, dispensed into a separate container for each client.
• Nail technicians should wash their hands if a procedure is interrupted.
• All necessary equipment should be set up prior to the procedure. (Preferably in front of the client).
• The sterile packaging should only be opened when ready to proceed.
• Foot spas (baths) should be cleaned after each client using a mild detergent and warm water followed by swabbing with a household grade disinfectant. After each days usage the foot spa (bath) should be thoroughly cleaned with a proprietary spa bath cleaner which contains a disinfectant and solvent to remove accumulated body grease and then draining until dry.
• The skin area to be treated should be cleaned with a skin antiseptic (eg. client washes hands prior to procedure).
• The sterile part of equipment that penetrates, or has the potential to penetrate the skin should not be touched.
• Where possible use single use equipment, such as razors. These items should be disposed of appropriately immediately after use in an appropriate sharps container.
• Cover spray bottles with disposable plastic covers.
• When using paraffin, regardless of the type used, it must be thrown out after it has been used.
• Nail files, emery boards, and buffers (manual or machine) must be cleaned between each client.

After treatment

• All equipment/instruments must be cleaned after a procedure.
• Single use gloves should be disposed of immediately after the procedure.
• Single use equipment/instruments must be disposed of after use.
• Single use sharps must be disposed of into a sharps container.
• Re-usable sharps must be immediately removed to the dirty utility area and sterilized before reuse.
• Details of the sterilization process must be recorded.
• All waste should be bagged appropriately and disposed of daily. It is illegal for sharps to be disposed of in the general waste stream.

Sterilisation

Ultraviolet Light Cabinets do not sterilise instruments/equipment, therefore, operators who perform procedures that penetrate or have the potential to penetrate the skin must sterilise their instruments/equipment in a benchtop autoclave.

Related links

• Guidelines on skin penetration  http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/resources/publichealth/environment/general/guidelines_skin_pen.asp
• Skin penetration code of best practice  http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/resources/publichealth/environment/general/code_of_practice.asp