The fingernail police!!

Published

I knew it was coming,but...the hospitals around here are "outlawing" fake nails and/or overlays. I can see their issue with bacteria, etc..under the nails..

but it bothers me that they are dictating what I can or cant have on my own body. For instance, if nails are dirty - what about jewelry, earrings, etc.,where do you draw the line? Does it not make sense that anyone who goes to the trouble of having nice nails would also take the time to wash under those nails. Im not talking about 6" long tiger nails - but any length, nomatter how short,isnt allowed. I am a nail biter - if I dont have overlays, I will be biting my nails all day - how sanitary is that? I was just wondering if this was a local thing or country wide.

The nurses with fake nails aren't reading the links those of you have posted about the harmful bacteria they harbor because they are too busy clicking on the acrylic nail links at the bottom of this page! :rotfl:

Fake nails=bacteria=patient infection=careless nurse, now how hard is that?

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

"I wonder if some who defend fake nail on nurses turn around and condemn other nurses for smoking?"

Actually, I was wondering if those who are castigating acrylic nail wearers smoke around their kids, or give up smoke breaks while at work. Oh, never mind, when the smokers take breaks, we can smell it when they return.

FYI, I had mine soaked off on Friday, had a good manicure and light polish applied. Within 24 hours, I have chipped polish to repair. NEVER had chipped polish to repair on the short, thin, can't-tell-they-re-"fake" acrylics. I plan to keep a chronicle of how my nails fare with this: won't bore you with it, but I know from about 45 years of experience with my nails prior to having my acrylics put on what to expect, and it ain't pretty, OR healthy.

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Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Washing hands all that time isn't going to keep fake nails any cleaner.

fake nails+ microscopic 'lifting'=perfect place for water and bacteria to pool and grow.

Just because you don't see the acrylic lifting off of the nail does not mean that is hasn't!

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furthermore, i wash my hands around 20x/day....after every contact i have with pts., equipment...

so those of you with overlays; do you scrub those 'nails' meticulously every single time, as it sounds time-consuming. often i use the hand cleaners, which wouldn't clean those nails.

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When I had the infection or whatever it was that I referred to in an earlier post (that we cannot find any reason for other than the acrylic nails) do you think I didn't wash constantly trying to get rid of the itching?

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[/img][/size] :rolleyes: i also wore acrylics for years, wanted pretty nails, mine have always been weak and easily broken. but, when i got a fungal infection under one nail, and the nail tech wanted to put on a new fake nail and cover it with acrylic, i was grossed out. this was before nursing school. i took off all the "fakeness", started putting cream on my nails daily, and buffing them while i watch tv at night, and i have felt so liberated from the cost and fakeness of it all. i am so proud of my clean nails, i would never resort to being fake again.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Like Gompers, we see some kids that have infections rates...and usually those moms have fake nails! We had one mom that refused to take hers off and her kids had pseudomonas and staph and other heebie jeebies. Finally she decided to take them off and the kid eventually became infection free!

We had a run of post op infections and it was found that the one peds OR nurse had arcrylics. Just takes one.

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Specializes in L&D all the way baby!.

Well I don't know about anyone else but after reading this thread I took my nails right off! I was going to do it anyway for nursing school but I honestly thought that the reasoning behind the rule there was just due to the scratching factor. After hearing all this bacteria discussion I won't risk it... no thanks!

Despite all the flaming that had gone on here .. it has been informative.

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If research shows that fake nails are implicated in spreading deadly infections to our patients, why would anyone who has taken Flo's hippocratic oath of safety choose to wear them? If you are spreading the infections to your patients, what makes you think that your kids and family at home are safe? I don't even wear my scrubs past the garage, let alone even consider wearing fake nails that pick up coolymung everywhere that I go!!! I wear my natural nails a little long, just past the ends of my fingers. I notice crap under them every day, not to mention what might be under my cuticles.

Irregardlesss, the point is evidence based practice and evidence shows that fake nails spread disease!!!

PS, if you have weak nails and want stronger ones, try using a horse hoof product. Horses hooves are made of the same proteins our nails are made of and healthy hooves is paramount to healthy horses. This is not a joke. Drug stores sell a product called 'Hoofmaker'. It is a lotion and if you spread it on your cuticles, you WILL get rock hard nails!!!

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If research shows that fake nails are implicated in spreading deadly infections to our patients, why would anyone who has taken Flo's hippocratic oath of safety choose to wear them? If you are spreading the infections to your patients, what makes you think that your kids and family at home are safe? I don't even wear my scrubs past the garage, let alone even consider wearing fake nails that pick up coolymung everywhere that I go!!! I wear my natural nails a little long, just past the ends of my fingers. I notice crap under them every day, not to mention what might be under my cuticles.

Irregardlesss, the point is evidence based practice and evidence shows that fake nails spread disease!!!

PS, if you have weak nails and want stronger ones, try using a horse hoof product. Horses hooves are made of the same proteins our nails are made of and healthy hooves is paramount to healthy horses. This is not a joke. Drug stores sell a product called 'Hoofmaker'. It is a lotion and if you spread it on your cuticles, you WILL get rock hard nails!!!

I have never worn fake nails, and I have also never taken any kind of oath, Flo's hippocratic or otherwise.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

The horse hoof stuff didn't work for me, but then again, doing 5 minutes scrubs in betadine 8 times a day, then stuffing my hands in rubber gloves doesn't help.

But my nails are clean, dry, short, and bare.

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