AZ Nail Technician key terms

The first step in infection control: physically removing dirt, oil, and debris from tools, hands, and surfaces by washing with soap and water or a detergent cleaner.

Using a chemical product, usually an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant, on cleaned, nonporous implements and surfaces to destroy most bacteria, fungi, and some viruses.

A process that destroys all microbial life, including bacterial spores, on an implement; it is usually done in an autoclave with steam under pressure and is reserved for items that can cut skin.

A product with an Environmental Protection Agency registration number on its label, approved for killing germs on hard, nonporous surfaces in health-care settings; it must be mixed and used exactly as the label directs.

A manufacturer's document, standardized in 16 sections, describing a product's hazards, safe handling, storage, first aid, and spill response; it must be kept in the salon where employees can reach it.

Disease-causing microorganisms such as hepatitis B and HIV that are carried in blood and other body fluids and can enter the body through cuts, needlesticks, or mucous membranes.

An approach in which every client's blood and body fluids are treated as potentially infectious, so gloves and other barriers are used for all services, not only when a client appears ill.

The transfer of germs from one person, tool, or surface to another, for example when a used file touches a client's skin or an uncleanable porous item is reused.

A tool, such as a wooden stick, cotton pad, or porous file, that is designed to be thrown away after one client and must never be disinfected and reused on someone else.

A service for the hands and nails that typically includes shaping the free edge, caring for the cuticle area, light massage, and application of polish or a treatment product.

A service for the feet and toenails that usually includes soaking, cleansing, exfoliation, callus care, nail shaping, massage, and polish, with strict basin cleaning between clients.

The number printed on a file or abrasive bit that shows how fine or coarse it is; lower numbers mean larger, coarser particles and higher numbers mean smoother, finer particles.

A tool with a flat or spoon-shaped end used to gently push the living skin at the base of the nail back off the nail plate before trimming only loose, nonliving tissue.

A plier-style tool with sharp jaws used to trim hangnails, thick nails, or dead tissue; because it can cut skin, it must be cleaned and sterilized before reuse.

The liquid part of a liquid-and-powder enhancement system, usually ethyl methacrylate, which reacts with the powder to form a hard acrylic polymer.

The powder part of a liquid-and-powder system, made of small acrylic beads that dissolve in monomer and harden into the finished enhancement.

The balance of liquid monomer to powder polymer picked up on the brush; too wet or too dry a bead causes weak, discolored, or poorly adhering product.

A liquid applied in a thin coat to the natural nail plate before an enhancement to improve adhesion and reduce lifting; it should never touch the skin or soft tissue.

A disposable paper, foil, or reusable metal template fitted under the free edge to build a sculpted extension when no tip is used.

The zone where the free edge meets the sidewalls, which takes the most impact; the product is built slightly thicker here to prevent cracking and breaking.

A light-cured coating applied like polish that hardens under a UV or LED lamp and lasts longer than regular lacquer; it is removed by soaking, not by force.

A device that emits ultraviolet or light-emitting-diode light to harden gel products; bulbs and surfaces must be kept clean and replaced as the manufacturer directs.

A maintenance appointment in which the old enhancement is thinned, new growth is prepped, and fresh product is applied so the nail stays balanced and the apex stays in place.

A rotary handpiece with interchangeable bits used to shape and remove product; it requires training, the right bit, low speed, and a light touch to avoid damaging the nail.

The hard, translucent shield of keratin covering the end of the finger or toe, made of layers of dead cells produced by the matrix.

The pink tissue under the nail plate that contains blood vessels and nerves and attaches to the plate, so injury here can permanently change the nail.

The area beneath the proximal nail fold where new nail cells are produced; damage to it can cause ridges, thinning, or permanent nail deformity.

The whitish, half-moon-shaped area visible at the base of some nails, formed by the front part of the matrix where cells are not yet fully hardened.

The living skin at the base of the nail plate that seals the nail fold and protects the matrix from bacteria; it is often incorrectly called the cuticle and should not be cut.

A fungal infection of the nail that can thicken, discolor, and crumble the plate; it is contagious and should be referred to a physician rather than treated in the salon.

Inflammation or infection of the skin around the nail, showing redness, swelling, and pain; the area should not be massaged or worked on, and the client should see a doctor.

The state agency that licenses and regulates cosmetologists, nail technicians, salons, and schools in Arizona and enforces its statutes and administrative rules.

The list of services a licensee is legally allowed to perform under a given license; doing work outside that list is unlicensed practice and can lead to discipline.

The permit an establishment must hold to legally offer cosmetology or nail services in Arizona; it is separate from the individual technician's license and must stay current.

An official visit by the Board or its representative to check a salon's licenses, sanitation, and records; a licensee must cooperate and correct any violations found.

The conversation before a service in which the technician asks about health, medications, allergies, and expectations, then explains the plan and products to be used.

A written intake record of a client's medical conditions, medications, allergies, pregnancies, and past reactions to products, reviewed and updated before services.

A condition, such as an infection, open wound, or allergy, that makes a service unsafe or means it must be changed, delayed, or cleared by a doctor first.

A sensitivity check in which a small amount of product is applied to the skin and observed for 24 to 48 hours before the first full application.

Declining to perform a service when a client's health or nail condition makes it risky; the technician explains why, refers the client to a physician, and documents the decision.