GA Nail Technician key terms

A process that uses an EPA-registered, hospital-grade product to destroy most harmful microorganisms on hard, nonporous surfaces and implements, except for bacterial spores.

The complete destruction of all microorganisms, including bacterial spores, on an implement. In salons it is usually done with an autoclave using steam under pressure and is reserved for items that contact broken skin.

A basic cleaning step that uses soap, detergent, or water to scrub away visible dirt, debris, and a large number of germs from surfaces, tools, or hands before disinfection.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which sets workplace safety rules. Its Bloodborne Pathogen Standard requires salons to keep an exposure control plan, offer hepatitis B vaccination, and train employees.

Disease-causing microorganisms carried in blood and other body fluids, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. They can enter the body through cuts, needlesticks, or splashes to the eyes and mucous membranes.

A document supplied by a product manufacturer that lists a product's hazards, ingredients, safe handling and storage instructions, and first-aid steps. Salons must keep one for each chemical on site.

A safety approach in which all blood, body fluids, and broken skin are treated as potentially infectious. Gloves and other protection are used with every client, regardless of known health status.

A disposable item, such as a wooden stick, cotton pad, or one-time file, that cannot be properly cleaned and disinfected and must be thrown away after serving one client.

A small, sharp metal tool with curved cutting jaws used to trim hangnails, dead skin tags, and loose cuticle tissue around the nail. It must be disinfected between clients and used with care.

A metal tool with a small, spoon-shaped or looped end used to gently scrape debris, dirt, and dead tissue out of the nail grooves and sidewalls. It is disinfected after every client.

A light, gliding massage stroke that follows the muscles and is used at the start and end of a hand or foot massage. It warms tissue and helps move blood and lymph toward the heart.

A kneading and lifting massage movement that presses and rolls the muscles and soft tissue of the hands, arms, feet, or legs. It relieves tightness and is performed after effleurage has warmed the area.

The highest point of an artificial nail's surface, located at the stress area over the middle of the natural nail. It adds strength where the enhancement receives the most pressure and impact.

The portion of the nail near the free edge where the nail meets the fingertip and receives the most wear and impact. Artificial nails are usually built thicker at this point to prevent cracking.

A pre-shaped plastic extension with a notched well that is glued to the free edge of the natural nail to add length before acrylic or gel is applied over it.

The step of filing and smoothing the seam where a nail tip meets the natural nail so the two surfaces form one even, seamless line with no visible ledge.

A layer of acrylic, gel, or resin applied over the natural nail to strengthen it or protect it without adding length. It is also used to cover a wrap or repair a small crack.

A liquid applied to the natural nail before acrylic to remove surface moisture and improve adhesion. It is used sparingly, kept off the skin, and applied with a brush that never touches the monomer.

The sticky, uncured film left on the surface of some gel and resin products because oxygen in the air prevents those molecules from hardening. It is wiped away with cleanser before finishing.

A fungal infection of the nail plate and bed that causes thickening, discoloration, crumbling, and separation. It is contagious, so the client should be sent to a physician and tools must be carefully disinfected.

Inflammation or infection of the tissue around the nail, often from bacteria entering through a torn cuticle. Signs include redness, swelling, pain, and pus; the area should not be massaged or serviced.

The partial or complete separation of the nail plate from the nail bed, leaving a whitish gap. It can result from trauma, aggressive cleaning under the free edge, fungal infection, or certain medications.

A condition in which small white spots or lines appear in the nail plate, usually caused by minor trauma to the matrix. The spots are harmless and grow out with the nail.

Deep, horizontal grooves that run across the nail plate and are caused by a temporary interruption in nail growth from illness, injury, or severe stress. They grow out over time.

Commonly called an ingrown nail, this is a condition in which the edge of the nail grows into the surrounding skin, causing pain, redness, and swelling. A technician should never cut into the skin.

The habit of biting or chewing the nails, which damages the nail plate and surrounding skin and raises the risk of infection. The technician should avoid aggressive cuticle work on these clients.

The area of tissue at the base of the nail under the eponychium where new nail cells are produced. Its shape and health determine the thickness, shape, and growth of the nail plate.

The visible, whitish, half-moon area at the base of the nail plate where the matrix is thickest. It looks lighter because the cells there have not yet fully hardened and flattened.

The skin under the free edge of the nail plate where the nail bed ends. It seals the nail against dirt and infection and should never be cut or scraped by the technician.

The living skin at the base of the nail plate that overlaps the matrix. It protects the nail from infection and should be treated gently; it is often confused with the cuticle.

The pinkish tissue on which the nail plate rests, containing blood vessels and nerves. It extends from the matrix to the hyponychium and anchors the plate in place.

The liquid component of acrylic liquid-and-powder systems, usually ethyl methacrylate. It is picked up with a brush and mixed into the powder, where it links into chains to form a hard polymer.

The powder component of an acrylic system, made of long-chain molecules that, when mixed with monomer liquid, form a hard, cross-linked plastic used to build nail enhancements.

The chemical process in which many small molecules join into long chains and form a hard substance. It occurs when acrylic powder meets monomer or when gel is cured under a UV or LED lamp.

A scale from zero to fourteen that measures how acidic or alkaline a product is, with seven being neutral. Nail products such as primers, cuticle removers, and polish removers must stay within safe ranges.

The Georgia board, housed in the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division, that adopts and enforces the rules licensing nail technicians, salons, and instructors in the state.

The specific services and procedures a licensed nail technician is legally allowed to perform in Georgia. Working outside those limits, such as treating infections or cutting living skin, can lead to discipline.

The approval a Georgia shop must hold before it may offer nail services to the public. The salon must meet Board sanitation and equipment rules and keep its license current to operate legally.