We all know the terms 'wash hands', ' clean' and 'disinfect'. These are terms that PMU specialists deal with on a daily basis and are sometimes used interchangeably. But in which situation do you have to deal with cleaning, cleaning or disinfection during the mapping process, and how do you prevent cross-contamination?
During a PMU treatment, abrasions are created in the skin. In a healthy person, this triggers a natural defense response of the body and ensures that body fluids are released in the form of wound fluid and blood. A wound or skin defect can also arise when mapping and epilating the eyebrows. This can be done with an epilation blade, but reusable eyebrow scissors and tweezers can also cause wounds and skin defects. In the event that the tweezers or scissors are not adequately disinfected and it creates a wound, the customer runs the risk of contracting a bacterial infection, among other things. Practicing good hygiene in the studio is therefore very important to prevent these situations and it actually starts with applying hand hygiene.
Wash or disinfect hands?
Hand hygiene is simply a collective term for washing the hands with soap and water or disinfecting the hands with hand disinfectant (eg
Sterillium). The ultimate goal is to inactivate or remove the transmissible micro-organisms on hands, regardless of the natural skin bacteria.
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Some tips
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Wash hands with soap and water before and after a client or treatment, after eating, after going to the toilet, after touching animals, after cleaning, after coughing, after sneezing or blowing the nose (also when using tissues).
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Disinfecting your hands in between with a hand disinfectant (such as Sterillium) is allowed as long as your hands are visibly clean and do not feel sticky.
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Wear gloves during, among other things, performing activities where you can come into contact with blood and wound fluid. So also when mapping the treatment area where you use sharp objects.
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Do not wear artificial nails, nail polish and hand and wrist jewelry (including watches) during a PMU treatment.
- Do you use materials that are recycled, such as scissors and tweezers? Make sure they are properly cleaned and then disinfected before using on the disinfected treatment area.
Pro tip: Read
here more details and requirements from RIVM about hand hygiene and see
here an illustration about applying hand hygiene in practice.
Cleaning and disinfecting the treatment area during the mapping process
Preparing the skin for a PMU treatment involves cleaning and disinfecting and, where necessary, shaving the skin prior to tattooing (RIVM, 2022).
As a PMU specialist, you can clean the skin with a ready-to-use green soap solution or diluted green soap concentrate that is suitable for use on open skin. Practice shows that some PMU specialists use the product Sterillium to disinfect the eyebrows or lips.Due to the liquid composition, Sterillium is only suitable for disinfecting the hands.
To disinfect the skin you can use, for example, Dettol Wound Spray. It is important to observe the reaction time of the liquid. This is usually stated on the label. If not, wait for the skin to dry to continue the process.
Some tips
- Check the treatment area whether it is clean (including make-up free) and free from signs of infection, allergy, dermatitis, (cuts) wounds and skin rashes.
- Never touch the cleaned and disinfected treatment area with your bare hands.
Pro tip:Click
here to check whether the products you use to cleanse and disinfect your skin are allowed and approved.
"By following these tips you ensure a hygienic mapping process in the studio."
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