PPIB PM Newsletter

Having insured the permanent cosmetics industry for 25 years now, our agency has seen the business evolve. This evolution of this industry might even be considered a revolution. In the early days it was only a select group of women that chose to consider permanent cosmetics. Typically women 40 and above who had money to burn. Those days are long gone. Many people from all walks of life, as well as all age groups see the benefit of having permanent cosmetics or microblading done. This changes the responsibilities of professionals in ways that everyone might not be aware of.

The majority of people who go to have permanent cosmetics performed presumably have good hygiene habits. Most respectable professional facilities have proper sanitation, sterilization and professional standards. Thus, it often comes as a total shock when a recent client comes back to the studio alleging they received a staph infection such as MRSA from this very sanitary and outwardly clean facility. The owner often goes into denial and assumes the claimant is lying. In fact, this is rarely the case.

People can get MRSA or other types of staph infections from many sources. One of the key places a person can pick up a staph infection is a medical facility. If they have an infection in their body, the permanent cosmetics will more than likely make it worse. This rather dormant infection becomes systemically worse from the permanent cosmetics, even though the studio did not in fact give the client the infection. If this happens, the odds on the studio getting a claim are huge.

Some insurers offer coverage for infectious disease, but those same insurers may exclude "communicable diseases", such as staph and MRSA.

Even if the carrier does include some coverage for "communicable diseases" that coverage may be limited. The goal of any studio should be to avoid getting these claims in the first place. That is not so easy.

The first suggestion we have for a permanent cosmetics studio is to be rigid in record keeping. Every single client that walks in the door should have a file - whether it be a paper file or scanned onto the computer. The client record should have a copy of their signed consent form, license or other picture identification, and any other information required from all clients of the shop.

The consent forms are most important to consider when the allegation of staph infection arises.

Their signed form should state they will follow all after care guidelines. If a person gets work done and then a couple of days later goes on say a motorcycle ride across a dusty, windy countryside, it could keep the procedure from healing in a proper manner and lead to increased risk of infection. Maintaining documentation that the aftercare guidelines were communicated verbally to the customer and that they were given a copy is also important.

It is not a bad idea for the studio to ask a few medical questions on their consent form to properly evaluate the client. One question to ask is if the person has been in the hospital or clinic for an overnight stay. Another question is to ask if they have any rashes or other skin breakouts anywhere on their body now or in the past 12 months. If yes, might ask if they have been previously diagnosed with any type of staph infection, including MRSA. If they have had an unidentifiable "rash" this is probably the time to send them out for a doctor's release or suggest they come back when it is healed.

Most studios have guidelines for station sanitization protocols and procedures. A good defense for an attorney or insurance carrier is that the permanent cosmetics professional was following all state health department guidelines and/or standards set down by OSHA.

It is critical the studio keep records of their equipment and autoclave tests in case something ever does come up.

Bloodborne pathogen training classes are a good thing, even when not required by law. This shows the owner is doing everything in its power to be sterile and sanitary. This can be a defense in the event infections are alleged by a claimant.

Finally, keep the work area as neat and clean as possible. If people come in for a procedure and somehow feel it is unclean, they are more likely to assume the infection or other problem was from the facility. A totally pristine looking environment can help to assuage any doubt that the person having permanent cosmetics done might have about the overall sterilization of the equipment.

Good rules for survival; Have thorough consent forms, maintain a clean, sanitary environment, and place your insurance with PPIB.

Permanent Pigments & Topical Anesthetics

Face & Body Professionals, Inc. has been serving the Permanent Makeup community since 1995 with a great selection of permanent pigments for brow, eyeliner and lips, in both basic and corrective tints; all proudly made in the US.   Please visit the Face & Body web site
www.face-body.com to look at our selection of pigments.

Face & Body also sells topical anesthetics for pre-procedure and during procedure numbing to the permanent makeup, microblading and body artists. All Face & Body's topical anesthetics are produced in the US and are highly regarded for their consistent results.

When choosing a topical anesthetic for Permanent Makeup and Microblading, Face & Body offers the following guidance: (Refer to our "Topicals Chart", to help choose the right products: https://www.face-body.com/pages/numbing-charts)

Brows: Prepcaine® or Super Trio®, when applied 20 to 30 minutes in advance, will provide up to 30 minutes of pre-numbing. Once the skin has been opened, you may apply Sustaine® to continue during-procedure numbing which may remain effective for up to 90 minutes.

Eyeliner: Face & Body recommends  Eyz-A-Blue™. This pre-procedure topical anesthetic is extremely thick and should not melt or run like many creams or liquids. It needs to be applied 15-30 minutes in advance and the artist must ensure the product is applied in-contact with the skin. If melting is not an issue, then  Prepcaine®, when carefully applied will work as well.

Lips: Super Trio®, when applied 20 to 30 minutes in advance, will provide up to 30 minutes of pre-numbing. Once the skin has been opened, you may apply Sustaine® to continue during-procedure numbing which may remain effective for up to 90 minutes. Sustaine®, which contains a small amount of epinephrine, is particularly good on the lip area as it helps reduce swelling and bleeding in this sensitive area. When working on a lengthy lip procedure, use Swipe® to extend the life of Sustaine® without adding additional epinephrine into the numb area.

Face & Body also recommends Liquidcaine, which is a short duration, 4% lidocaine only spray and is great for quick hits to calm aggravated nerve endings.

Products Face & Body Topical Anesthetic
product line-up.

Face & Body publishes the MSDS sheets on our website, so you will have a handy reference available at your finger-tips. For more information and to purchase products:
www.face-body.com or 1.800.613.5920

Please visit our web site www.face-body.com to look at our selection of pigments.

Permanent Cosmetic Insurance Solutions: ppibcorp.com or 415.475.4300.

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