Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/688035
JULY 2016 | NAILS MAGAZINE | 129 You can contact Dr. Stern with your questions via Facebook (Facebook.com/DrDanaBeauty) or Twitter (@DrDanaBeauty). Visit her website at www.drdanastern.com. Read previous "day in the life" articles by Dr. Stern at www.nailsmag.com/danastern. Y patients with onycholysis to infection, especially if they are immunosuppressed. When there is nail plate separation, it is important to avoid exposure to excessive moisture as well as chemicals. Gloves with wet work are advisable and avoidance of nail cosmetics during the treatment period is essential. Nail polish remover can be especially irritating to the underlying nail bed and can delay healing and re-adhesion of the nail to the nail bed. Are there ways to avoid these unwanted side efects? Cryotherapy is a relatively new treatment approach originally used to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy and now more and more commonly being used to prevent adverse efects from chemotherapy that afect the nail. Cold temperature applied to the hands before, during, and after chemotherapy reduce the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nail side efects. This efect is due to the fact that cold temperatures cause constriction of the blood supply in the fngers (vasoconstriction), which reduces the amount of drug reaching the nails, preventing toxicity at the nails. Additionally, while undergoing treatment, it is advisable to keep the nails short and to avoid cutting the cuticles. Your clients can maintain cuticle health with regular application of their favorite cuticle cream or oil. If you have a client who is a cancer patient and is fortunate enough to not be experiencing nail-related side efects from chemotherapy, you may be wondering if there are any special precautions you should take with regard to her nail care. First and foremost, your client should absolutely continue to enjoy a regular and well-deserved manicure and pedicure. A professional nail service can be therapeutic as it gives the patient a break and lets her pamper herself. Even 30 minutes can be a sort of zen-like salvation from the stress of being ill. However, cancer patients do not have fully intact immune systems and can be more prone to infection as a consequence. It is therefore imperative to take certain extra precautions when providing services for them at the salon: 1. Do not perform services on a client who has an open wound or active infection in the area the service focuses on, as this could put her at risk for developing a skin or nail infection. 2. Don't use whirlpool foot baths. Instead soak feet in a clean plastic, porcelain, or stainless steel basin or opt for a dry pedicure. 3. Don't use credo blades. 4. Avoid aggressive cuticle removal, both mechanically with cuticle nippers and chemically with topical cuticle removers. The cuticle is the nail's natural protective seal. It is an amazing anatomical structure that prevents infection from entering the nail unit. 5. As always, it's essential that tools are sanitized and disinfected properly.