For The Love of Gloves

During an eyelash extension, eyelash lift, or ombre powder brow session, we come in contact with bodily fluids. Blood, sebum, sweat, and even tears are bodily fluids that could transmit a disease or virus. Medical gloves are part of infection control and should always be worn during these for you and your client's protection. But there are may types of gloves. How do you know which to choose?

All medical gloves are disposable and should be discarded after each use. These gloves include

Examination, Surgical and Chemotherapy gloves. They are regulated by the FDA to ensure that they meet required specifications, as well as being leak and tear resistant. All gloves in the US must be clearly labeled on the package with information such as Name and place of manufacturer, material, country of origin, lot number, expiration date, quantity of items, caution statement and must also comply with language requirements. Powdered medical gloves have been banned in the US. Do not use these if you come across them.

Examination gloves are made with several types of materials. Latex, Vinyl, and Nitrile are the most common. Nitrile is the best option for Lash and Ombre Powder Brow services. They fit well, micropore tape doesnt seem to stick to the as much as vinyl, and you are able to grip the skin better when stretching for your permanent makeup services. Examination gloves are required for any of the services we teach at New York Lash and Brow Co. These are also the type gloves required by dentists for cleanings and fillings.

Surgical gloves are made of natural or synthetic rubber. They require higher standards for testing and must be sterilized to properly protect surgical wounds from contamination. This type of glove should be used during surgical procedures. There are many subcategories of surgical gloves that allow for different specifications. For example, dental surgeons gloves may be thicker than a standard surgeon's glove. A micro-surgeon's gloves allow for decreased thickness at the fingertips and Orthopedic surgeons gloves may be larger, thicker and more resistant to tears. You may notice that these gloves will list the thickness. You may pay more for a thicker material. Surgical gloves are not required for any services we teach New York Lash and Brow Co, but are acceptable to use if you prefer.

Food Grade gloves are not the same as medical gloves and should never be worn to perform services on a client. Although these gloves are regulated by the FDA, they are only used to prevent contamination to food and are not safe to use for human to human contact. They have not undergone any testing that medical gloves require . They do not require testing of leak and tear resistance.

Cleaning gloves are not regulated by the FDA and should under any circumstances be used for client services. They do not undergo any testing required for safety.

Before you glove up, always wash and dry your hands thoroughly. Make sure your gloves are well fitted and comfortable. Discard and change your gloves if you notice a tear. Never reuse or try to sanitize them.

To remove the gloves safely, pinch the cuff of one glove between your thumb and pointer finger. Pull glove off so it ends up inside out. Place that glove into the other gloved hand. Now, with your clean thumb, reach inside the cuff of the other glove, being careful to only touch the inside, and pull the glove off so it is also inside out. The other glove should end up inside the one you just pulled off and now you should only be able to touch the inside of your glove. Now you can safely dispose of them without contaminating your skin. Wash your hands after removal.

For more information visit www.fda.gov