Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safe Work Practices
The sanitation ladder
Infection control in esthetics is a sequence, not a single act: clean to remove soil, then disinfect to kill most pathogens on nonporous surfaces, or sterilize to destroy all microbial life including spores when required. Most esthetic implements are noncritical and need cleaning plus an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant with the label claim for the organism of concern. Porous items such as cotton, wooden sticks, and sponges are single-use.
Safe work practices
- Wash hands before and after each client and after glove removal. Use hand sanitizer only when hands are not visibly soiled.
- Wear gloves for waxing, extractions, and any contact with blood or body fluids; change between clients.
- Keep clean and dirty implements separate. Never return a used implement to a clean tray.
- Disinfect after every client using the labeled contact time. Do not top off old disinfectant.
- For blood exposure, stop, glove, clean the area, disinfect with a tuberculocidal hospital disinfectant, and discard contaminated single-use items.
- Label secondary containers, keep safety data sheets available, and ventilate for fumes.
Worked example
An esthetician extracts a comedone and a small amount of blood appears. She wipes the extractor with an alcohol pad and puts it back. Why is that wrong? Alcohol is not a hospital disinfectant at that step, and the implement is contaminated. Correct procedure: place it in the dirty tray, finish safely, clean with detergent, then soak in the labeled disinfectant for the full contact time. Alcohol may be used on skin, not as the final step for a contaminated implement.
Traps
- Calling a wipe sterile.
- Using one disinfectant for every item without reading the label.
- Double-dipping wax sticks or reusing disposable spatulas.
- Skipping handwashing because gloves were worn.