electrolysis and HIV

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I did a search for this forum and didn’t see this topic addressed anywhere. I am HIV positive, MTF/trans, and have problems with unwanted facial hair.

  1. I live in Ohio, and called a couple practitioners about a consultation. I asked over the phone if there were any medical conditions that would preclude me from receiving treatment, and they both said they were unable to perform treatment on anyone who had an infectious or “venereal” disease. Where does that dated language come from, exactly? Is it a state law or what?

  2. Why is the presence of a sexually-transmitted infection a problem for treatment, necessarily? I have close female relatives who are positive for HPV (the virus that causes genital warts) and HSV-2 (the virus that causes herpes) and they have both had treatment. If you’re using a disposable probe that does not break the skin, and observing universal precautions (gloves, a mask, etc.), then where is the risk, exactly?

  3. If I am necessarily excluded from treatment, what are my options? Should I just get a home machine and try and practice on myself? I’m extremely uncomfortable about disclosing both my HIV and trans status, thus I imagine making an “electrolysis buddy” would be difficult.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

#2

There is a very real transmission risk to the practitioner although not to other clients, if proper sanitation is used.

The truth is, electrologists can not perform their job without risk of potentially blood drawing scratches, stabs and sticks from the forceps and the electrolysis probe/needle. We do a complicated motion that is not unlike a drummer spinning his sticks when we flip from insertion to epilation grips. This motion takes place hundreds of times per hour during treatment.

As a matter of fact, my doctor is always admonishing me to give up my profession, because of the frequency of my STD testing. One should test after every stick incident, and in the case of aids, every 6 months thereafter, and Hep-C has its own guide lines. I just get tested quarterly so that it is on a manageable schedule. After all, can I really trust all my clients to honestly tell me their correct health status? Furthermore, they don’t always know when I have scratched or stabbed myself with one of my implememts (unless it is really deep, or painful, my reaction is almost non-chalant it has happened so frequently)

The fact is that the probe will come in contact with bodily fluids including mucus, sweat, and blood, and if you poke or scratch yourself, there is a chance you may catch something.

I have scratched, and poked myself countless times and have not had more than minor infections behind it, but you can’t blame a person for being cautious about such a thing. Not everyone is as old as I am and still acts as bulletproof as teenagers do <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Your electrologist has to be someone you can trust, and who has your care and goals as a high priority. Good luck finding someone to help you achieve your goals.

#3

Hi:

I would hope you would be upfront about it, rather than risk infection to the practitioner and others.

I am not sure about electrolygists and their rules, but when you go for SRS they require an HIV test beforehand. The same goes for most surgeries now. Some SRS surgeons will work on HIV patients, some for a premium, and some not at all.

As James stated about pateints not disclosing, or perhaps even not knowing. I believe most electrolygists use advanced sterilization techniques on their forceps and equipment.

Alicia

#4

Any electrologist who is not re-sterilizing reusables prior to reuse is at the very least creating a situation where they could be charged with mal-practice, reckless endangerment, or in extreme cases, manslaughter.

Non-disclosure of health conditions should only put two people at risk, the practitioner, and the actual non-disclosing client.

In addition to the practitioner issues I have discussed, the client could be in a situation where the electrologist doesn’t give them the extra care they require due to the condition the practitioner doesn’t know about. Not knowing that one has a problem with blood clotting, or lower tolerance of infection, the practitioner may not dab a blood swell with tea tree oil during the treatment so that the tea tree can make its own clot, and work its anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal magic on it to safeguard the person ASAP.

#5

I did a search for this forum and didn’t see this topic addressed anywhere. I am HIV positive, MTF/trans, and have problems with unwanted facial hair.

  1. I live in Ohio, and called a couple practitioners about a consultation. I asked over the phone if there were any medical conditions that would preclude me from receiving treatment, and they both said they were unable to perform treatment on anyone who had an infectious or “venereal” disease. Where does that dated language come from, exactly? Is it a state law or what?

BG response: The language comes from state laws. I would be quite sure that they are not using “infectious” and “veneral” as one disease - I am sure that they mean OR. The trouble is - does everyone know when they have an infectious OR veneral disease?

  1. Why is the presence of a sexually-transmitted infection a problem for treatment, necessarily? I have close female relatives who are positive for HPV (the virus that causes genital warts) and HSV-2 (the virus that causes herpes) and they have both had treatment. If you’re using a disposable probe that does not break the skin, and observing universal precautions (gloves, a mask, etc.), then where is the risk, exactly?

BG response: Again it’s that WHO KNOWS thing. Did you know that over 3 million Americans have hepatitis C - and most don’t even know they have it… Actually, HPV could be transmitted from one site to another on one person. If they are having treatment in the affected area. There is also cross-contamination. How many other surfaces do we touch - even with gloves on? Some viruses die quickly without a live host - and other live for quite some time on surfaces.

  1. If I am necessarily excluded from treatment, what are my options? Should I just get a home machine and try and practice on myself? I’m extremely uncomfortable about disclosing both my HIV and trans status, thus I imagine making an “electrolysis buddy” would be difficult.

BG response: Electrologists have a conundrum here. If we are in a regulated state, our state law says that we do not practice on someone with an infectious disease, sometimes stating HIV as one of those diseases, however, there are also discrimination laws that include people with HIV. Then there is the scary fact that with a drop of blood, we could get an infection. It’s a tough one.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

#6

I worked with people with HIV from 1990-1995.I worked in a home health situation and I DID NOT contract the disease and that was when we weren’t as consirned with universal percautions. I have poked more people with needles than I can count and knock on wood I’m just fine.
The person with HIV should visit his/her Doctor before starting electrolysis to make sure they protect themselfs from possible infections. The Electrologist must be comfortable working with someone’s HIV status. YOU SHOULD TREAT EVERYONE AS THOUGH THEY HAVE A POTENTIALY INFECTIOUS DISEASE. YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR PATIENTS PAST. A 65 year old married woman with 3 kids is just as likley to have HIV as anyone else.
I’m sorry you live so far away. I know electrologists here that would love to have you!!
You’ll find your match!!

#7

There have been reported cases of people transmitting HIV and Hepatitis through acupunture, ear piercing, dentistry, tattooing but to date, I have never read about a single case of HIV or Hepatitis being transmitted via electrolysis.

This is an indication that the administration of electrolysis is not high risk in transmitting HIV or Hepatitis.

I am not intimating that electrologists slack off in adhering to universal or standard precautions nor am I suggesting that you start collecting used electrolysis needles and play voo doo with the living but I am suggesting that when you do discuss electrolysis with others, or you do go in for your electrology consultations, remind everyone of the very low risk of HIV and Hepatitis.

Um, we can spread some stuff though; the joy being hairless for those who desire to be so.

#8

I had to look this up. It might be interesting for you to know.

It’s called the Rule of Three. There are three viruses that are of major concern and can be contracted through a percutaneous exposure to blood. (Percutaneous means through the skin as in a puncture or scratch.) The three viruses are HBV, HCV and HIV. If exposed to HBV, you have a 30% chance of contracting the disease. If exposed to HCV, you have a 3% chance of contracting the disease. If exposed to HIV, you have a .03% chance of contracting the disease. Frequency of exposure, viability of the virus, and viral load all impact your risk of acquiring infection, if exposed.

Read more at:
http://ehs.unc.edu/training/self_study/bbp.shtml

I believe that it is also important to remember that millions of Americans have Hepatitis C (HCV) and many don’t even know they have it.

#9

HBV = Hepatitis B
HCV = Hepatitis C
HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Virus

#10

I have been viewing older posts.

Did you know that HIV has been cultered (grown in a petridish) from the skin particles launched into the air by lazer hair removal? This is a danger to the operator. I don’t know how long they float around with live virus cells. But I understant the virus is fragile and doesn’t live away from the body long. Can anyone confirm this?

#11

I just attended a continuing education workshop on HIV/AIDS so this information is still fresh in my mind.

You are correct to say that HIV is a fragile virus. Without the right amount of concentration of the virus in bodily fluids under certain conditions, it cannot survive and replicate in a human host very long.

It has been shown that the virus can survive for 15 days in a petri dish if there are high concentrations with stable temperature and humidity, but these controlled conditions don’t exist with skin particles launched into the air by laser hair removal. Heck,to get really gross, if an HIV infected food service worker cuts his finger and blood drips in the spaghetti sauce and you eat it, there is no way you can become infected. The hydrochloric acid present in your stomach to digest the food will make short history of the virus.

I check in and follow the information posted on the CDC’s website frequently. The Center for Disease Control is a federal agency,located in Atlanta,Georgia. It is the watch dog that moniters ALL infectious diseases in the U.S. Doctors are required to report infectious diseases to this agency. The CDC’s researchers/scientists have concluded that exposing HIV fluid to air dries the fluid and that alone will destroy and break up much of the virus quickly, reducing the viral amount by 90-99% within hours.

It is indeed a fragile virus so much so that soap, hot water, bleach, alcohol will kill it easily.

Fact based on research: HIV transmission is spread most commonly by having unprotected sex with an infected person, contaminated needles, risky behavior, mother to child during pregnancy and birth, breast feeding.

Blood transfusions and other blood products before 1985 were a problem, but today blood is screened with the HIV antibody test and go through a heat-treating technique to destroy the virus.

Fact, based on research: HIV cannot be spread by food, sharing food utensils, towels, bedding, swimming pools, telephones, toilet seats, mosquito’s, bedbugs, flies, bees, ticks, wasps and I’m pretty darn sure that dry floating skin cells that are stirred up with LASER is not a problem.
Again, HIV must be present in a high enough concentration and it has a deadline to meet to get in the bloodstream to survive and thrive.

Dee

#12

Good. Do you happen to have infor you can attach or the direct link to CDC so that I do not have to search?
I have never heard of any one getting HIV from lazer or electrolysis. And as stated many times on this site there are no documented cases. Operators still need to take self protective steps so that it never happens.

#13

I really meant to post the cdc address in the above post. Guess I got side tracked. Thanks for bringing that up.

www.cdc.gov Go to the search box and type in HIV or go directly to www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/transmission.htm

#14

Cultered in a petre dish yes a nice warm place like the human body great place for things to grow.
Thank you for the CDC address. Electrolysis is safe when handled with care.

Do you know that a used electrolysis needle does not grow a culter? The high heat of the needle destroys bacteria. This is not an excuse to not use desposible needle.

Use desposible needles. The small investment is worth it.

#15

I can definitely see why an electrologist might prefer not to work on a patient with an infection disease. After a 3 hour treatment session, when I look around, there are little blood-stained cotton balls and antiseptic wipes all over, especially when there are a lot of ingrown hairs to pick out. I have only noticed my practitioner hurt herself twice while working on me, once she leaned on a little pick that she had on the table, and once she stabbed herself with the tweezers I think, but as james says, who knows how many time she pricks herself and doesnt make a fuss zbout it…heaven knows she scratches me accidentally rather often :stuck_out_tongue: She’s self-employed and does not have health insurance, so even a non-terminal disease would be a huge problem for her. I definitely think that an HIV positive person should disclose that information and take the time to find a practitioner who is OK with it and who is informed so that he or she will know to be more especially cautious about not sticking themselves with the equiptment. Even if it’s not a huge infection transmission risk.

#16

Hi:

If you go for any kind of surgery these days they require you to take an HIV test. Some types of surgery they won’t even treat you, but in other cases they would probably take more precautions.

In the case of electrolysis, occasionally they draw blood while working on a patient. I think that it is up to the patient to inform the electrolygist if they have HIV. At the same time the electrolygist may not wish to work on the client since they do not feel comfortable in doing so.

I hope that all electrolygists use an autoclave on equipment which could get contaminated. I am going to discuss this issue with my technician just out of interest.

Alicia

#17

Prior to autoclaving or dry heat sterilization of the forceps/tweezers and some cases, probes, a practitioner should use an ultrasonic cleaner to loosen debri such as blood and sticky cellular material that builds up on these metals after a treatment. Of course, if your practitioner uses pre-packaged sterile probes that are discarded in a sharps container after each use, then cleaning and sterilizing probes would not be a consideration.

Testing the sterilizing equipment once a month with biological moniters assures that it is functioning well enough to destroy spores, gives further reassurance that one is working with sterile forceps/tweezers. It is most unlikely, if not impossible, that HIV could be spread under these conditions.

If a client were to contact a disease such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis B and the electrologist does not follow a cleaning and sterilization protocol for their instruments, a swift attorney could direct blame to the electrologist even though the electrologist is not to blame.

Some concerns are so overly exaggerated about what theoretically can happen, so we go way beyond what is really needed to protect clients from such a fragile virus and I guess that helps us sleep better.

Dee

#18

Sorry bug, if there are cottonballs of blood all other the place then your electrologist is doing bad insertions.

The best of electrologists will occassionally bring up blood. But not everyday. And sticking ourselves well that is pretty careless too. Insist on disposable needles.