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TIPS OF THE WEEK 
by Vicki Peters
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TIP OF THE WEEK #15

OVEREXPOSURE By Vicki Peters

Athena Elliot (who just did a fabulous cover for Nailpro) asked me to address  the subject of overexposure of nail products in the salon and I thought it  was a good idea. Some of the recent posts about burnout made me think about  overexposure as well. I know when I have been sitting over nail liquid all day my eyes dry out and I cannot focus as well. I believe this has to do 
with overexposure and burnout from being in the salon so many hours per day. And even though I don't do nails on a regular basis I am still around it and have been for 20 years not. It is in my house, in my suitcases when I travel, at the shows I go to every weekend, at the companies I consult for, at Nailpro photo shoots, it is everywhere. 

Always cover your open liquid and throw away your paper towels that you wipe on and cotton balls soaked in polish remover, into zip lock bags or a metal trash can. Plastic trashcans do not hold the smell even if they have a cover and your trash is the culprit of most of the smell in your salon which contributes to over exposure. The dust on your hands will contribute to over exposure as well. I know when I am done with filling a client and I sit and talk to her and lean my hand on my face, my face where my hand was gets red and itchy. One reason I used to wash my hands before and after each client. My first experience with overexposure was when I put a set of acrylics on a friend of mine who was a dental hygienist back in 1982. She immediately broke out in the "itchies" around her cuticles and up to her 1st knuckle. The tips of her fingers were red and swollen by the next day and I did not know what to do. She was also a red head, which most have thin skin, which did not help because they are more sensitive. So I soaked her nails off and that was that. Years later I found out what caused the problem. The fact she was a dental hygienist was the clue - she worked with MMA all day long and when I put it on her nails (I used EMA) her body said there was enough in her body already and she could not take anymore. Overexposure for sure and back then I am positive I was pretty sloppy with my application; in fact I know I was.

First of all, overexposure from acrylics is about getting the skin wet with monomer as you work. It is not about the product. Constant exposure of liquid on the skin will eventually cause the skin to stand up and say "I can't take any more" and they have a reaction. If you never get the skin wet you will most likely never have a problem. So take responsibility here. I am also not saying that there is not one client out there that cannot wear acrylic nails, they are the exception, we are causing most of the problems. Some acrylic liquids you will find can cause more sensitivity and others less. MMA for sure causes more reactions that any of the EMA liquids so, that is a fact. MMA has smaller molecules than EMA does and can penetrate the skin more than EMA liquids do. 

So here are a few tips to make sure you do not overexpose your clients:
1. Use a pointed brush with a good tip for the small areas like the sidewalls and the cuticle areas.
2. Use the tip of the brush when applying near the cuticle and sidewalls instead of the belly. If you use the belly of the brush the tip of the brush is over the edge of the nail on the cuticles. If you use the belly of the brush for patting the center of the nail that is ok, but watch where the tip 
is and that your not touching the skin. The skin will be shiny if you do so pay attention to see if your doing that. 
3. Use the very tip of the brush to wipe your smile lines and make sure you re-dip your brush and wipe all the liquid out and bring the brush to a good point before doing so. Wiping the liquid out completely will keep the little amount of liquid left in the brush to keep it's shape from running all over the nail.
4. Never re-dip your brush in the liquid thinking you can make the ball of product you just put on the nail wetter. Once the ball of product starts to harden - which is immediately - you cannot add liquid. It cannot absorb added liquid and will just run down the nail folds onto the skin.
5. Use size 5-9 nail brushes. 

This is a common problem and we need to make sure we are careful when applying product. I see many top gun competitors juice up the cuticles of their models all the time in competition when applying product, and if they are doing that imagine what we are doing?

DISCLAIMER
Any products mentioned in the "Tip Of The Week by Vicki Peters" is not an 
endorsement of any kind.

Vicki Peters 
"When you stop learning your career ends and your job begins"
Visit my new web site: http://vickipeters.com 

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