Salon Fundamentals
TM
Esthetics
s k i n c a r e c e n t e r e c o l o g y
103
much smaller than bacteria but cause more
serious diseases, such as herpes, influenza and
other respiratory and gastrointestinal infections,
chickenpox, mumps, measles, smallpox, yellow
fever, rabies, Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis and polio. Viruses
cannot live on their own. They need "host" cells in
order to survive.
Personal Service Workers (PSW), such as nurses,
doctors, teachers, cosmetologists and estheticians
should take precautions against all viruses, but in
particular, two that are life-threatening: Hepatitis
B Virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV). The human Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
is a highly infectious disease that affects the liver.
HBV is now preventable through vaccination.
Vaccination is usually recommended for
professionals whose work may cause them to be
exposed to HBV, such as dental hygenists. Check
with your local health agency or doctor to determine
whether you are a candidate for this inoculation.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),
is a highly infectious disease caused by HIV (or
a variant of HIV, called HIV-1), which interferes
with the body's natural immune system and
causes it to break down. Scientists have gained
a great deal of knowledge about HIV, including
information about its transmission and
prevention. HIV is spread when blood or body
fluids from an infected individual enter the body
of an uninfected person and are absorbed into
the bloodstream. The fluids from the infected
person must contain sufficient amounts of the
virus in order for the disease to be transmitted.
Fluids known to contain sufficient amounts of
HIV include blood, semen, vaginal fluids and
breast milk. Infectious fluids can enter through
sexual intercourse, childbirth, cuts, sores or by
sharing needles to name a few.
Since you will be exposed to openings in the skin
during the extraction process of most facial
procedures, you should consider being
vaccinated against HBV as a preventative
measure. Gloves and eye protection are essential
during the extraction process to protect yourself
from exposure to clients' blood or body fluids.
The National Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) assign estheticians to the category
titled "Personal Service Workers" (PSW).
Watch for the initials PSW, since information
that may pertain to you is released from a local
center and mailed to your skin care center.
4
For computers, the word VIRUS really is
an acronym for "vital information resources
under siege." Though the names and types
have changed over the decades, computer
viruses really originated in the 1960s and can
cause losses in the billions of dollars for any
company. A VIRUS is designed to enter your
computer and infect your files by attaching
itself to, overwriting or replacing another
program--ironically similar to what happens
in the body!
