Bill to reduce the amount of education for cosmetologists and barbers in Virginia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Head's Up. Corporate salons are lobbying in Virginia to get the number of hours required to get a license reduced from 1500 to 1000 for Cosmetologists and 1100 to 1000 for Barbers. Barbers have already had their hours reduced recently.

It's hard enough to find competent stylists, reducing the amount of training by 33% for someone who is mixing chemicals for you hair seems like a bad idea for both the professionals and the public. Safety and sanitation are important, not to mention diseases of the hair, skin, and nails they should be able to recognize so as to not inadvertently hurt anyone or spread diseases.

No one is graduating from cosmetology school thinking they have too much education.

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB514
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB915

https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/

1,000 is basically 20 hours of training a week for a year. That’s a lot of training.

Beauty school is a commitment. It’s a year full-time or two years part-time and about $40,000 for tuition, books and supplies.

That's a racket. Cosmetologists are going to have a hard time paying off a loan that size at their salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A Woman Got A Nasty Foot Infection From A Pedicure - What You Need To Know

Getting a pedicure is often a delightful way to relax, but in some unlucky cases, it can also be a health hazard. Stacey Wilson of Benton, Arkansas got a post-pedicure foot infection that landed her in the hospital, she told KATV. "It feels like you're sitting too close to a fire and you just cannot get away from it," she said.

Wilson went to the nail salon on Saturday, February 6. All was well until the spa employee cut the side of Wilson's foot and beneath her pinky toe when sloughing skin away with a pumice stone. "She knew she had hurt me a little bit," said Wilson. Her symptoms soon showed that there was something more serious going on than a scrape, she told KATV.

By Sunday, her ankle was painful and red, by Monday, it hurt even more, and by Tuesday, she couldn't put any weight on it to stand, the redness was spreading up to her knee, and she had a fever of 102 degrees.

Wilson went to the emergency room where doctors informed her she had cellulitis, a bacterial infection that's most common on the lower legs, according to Mayo Clinic. She spent four days in the hospital and plans on filing a complaint with the Arkansas Health Department when she's released.

Although it's a worrisome story, there are ways to avoid the same fate. Here's what you need to know to prevent this from happening to you.

1. Cellulitis can enter the skin through a small opening.
It happens when bacteria, usually streptococcus and staphylococcus, access your system via a cut or crack on your skin, according to Mayo Clinic. While cellulitis is usually treated with antibiotics that target both types of bacteria, staphylococcus can manifest as a harder-to-treat infection known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

2. Pedicures can also result in other kinds of infections.
Beyond bacterial ones, improper pedicures can cause fungal infections, when the nail yellows and begins to rise off its bed, and viral infections that show up as plantar warts, according to Cleveland Clinic.

3. Typical pedicures aren't the only ones that can put you at risk.
Fish pedicures, when you submerge your feet into water full of small fish that eat off the dead skin, can seem like a fun novelty. In reality, they're rife with issues. More than 10 states have banned the procedure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The main concern is sanitation, as the tubs can't be properly disinfected with fish inside them, and of course the fish themselves can't be, either. A 2013 case study in the journal Infection even reported a patient who got MRSA after a fish pedicure. Also, according to the CDC, another alarming factor is that the fish need to be starved in order to eat the dead skin.

4. To avoid issues, find licensed salons and technicians.
Mayo Clinic recommends only going to salons that display a current state license somewhere visible, and that you ask to make sure the actual technicians are state-licensed as well.

5. Find out how they sterilize tools.
There are various signs a salon is—or isn't—working with customers' health in mind. First, the nail technicians should be using new tools on each client instead of reusing the same ones on various people, podiatrist Joy Rowland, D.P.M., tells Cleveland Clinic. All tools should be disinfected with a process called autoclaving, which calls upon pressurized steam to kill any potential infection-causers, according to UC San Diego's Biosafety resources. And when it comes to pedicures, Rowland says the foot baths should each get treated with a hospital-grade disinfectant in between clients.

6. Go to the salon first thing in the morning.
The American Podiatric Medical Association's (APMA) reasoning is that salon foot baths are usually at their cleanest earlier in the day as opposed to after they've been through multiple customers. If you can only go later, in addition to asking how often they clean the baths, ask whether they filter them between clients as well.

7. Don't let anyone cut your cuticles.
That goes for both your hands and feet! The cuticles are there to protect nails from infection, says the APMA. For that reason, you should never let anyone cut them, as they can accidentally nick you and give bacteria easy access to your system. Even if you don't get cut in that moment, without that layer of protection, your nails are more vulnerable to infection until your cuticles grow back.

8. Shave after you get a pedicure, not before.
Bacteria can enter through any small shaving nicks, even if you don't realize you cut yourself.

9. Skip the foot razor and ask the technician to be gentle with the pumice stone.
Foot razors, also known as credo blades, are entirely too rough for your feet. Using them can cause infection or even permanent damage, according to the APMA. Instead, opt for something like a foot file or pumice stone, but know that simply choosing the better tool doesn't completely protect you (as in Wilson's case—her technician was using a pumice stone). Speak up if the technician is being too rough or does something that hurts, and don't worry that doing so is offensive. As a customer, you're well within your rights to express what makes you feel most comfortable, especially when your health could be on the line.

https://www.self.com/story/a-woman-got-a-nasty-foot-infection-from-a-pedicure-what-you-need-to-know

You can't use extremely unusual cases to set general policy. No amount of training is going to make a salon maintian hygiene. Only regular inspection can do this.

[Anonymous]

Does this affect nail salons though? I thought VA operated under an apprenticeship model which only requires the head person to have a license? Personally I hate it - I don’t go for pedicures anymore because the ignorance of the techs freaks me out!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Head's Up. Corporate salons are lobbying in Virginia to get the number of hours required to get a license reduced from 1500 to 1000 for Cosmetologists and 1100 to 1000 for Barbers. Barbers have already had their hours reduced recently.

It's hard enough to find competent stylists, reducing the amount of training by 33% for someone who is mixing chemicals for you hair seems like a bad idea for both the professionals and the public. Safety and sanitation are important, not to mention diseases of the hair, skin, and nails they should be able to recognize so as to not inadvertently hurt anyone or spread diseases.

No one is graduating from cosmetology school thinking they have too much education.

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB514
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB915

https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/

1,000 is basically 20 hours of training a week for a year. That’s a lot of training.

Beauty school is a commitment. It’s a year full-time or two years part-time and about $40,000 for tuition, books and supplies.

That's a racket. Cosmetologists are going to have a hard time paying off a loan that size at their salaries.

Not "are going to." Actually do.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/business/cosmetology-school-debt-iowa.html

It is a terrible racket.

[Anonymous]

I can’t get over what these cosmetology schools charge and the way they’ve lobbied states to require so much training. It seems to me like most of the hygiene and safety issues could be covered in days or a couple of weeks —don’t burn people, don’t cut people, keep tools sanitary. The licensure does nothing to ensure quality, anyway.

[Anonymous]

Ask your barber or stylist what they think of this proposed law and get back to us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:'Why is the state in the business of licensing hairdressers and barbers in the first place?

+ a million.

This is a disgrace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:'Why is the state in the business of licensing hairdressers and barbers in the first place?

+ a million.

This is a disgrace.

I'm as left wing as they come, with with you this. The worst that can happen is a customer winds up bald. Not ideal, but not worth 40K and 2000 hours of training either. Plus, I wonder how many barbers/stylists actually get licensed? I suspect a lot more would if the barrier wasn't so high. That would be a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:'Why is the state in the business of licensing hairdressers and barbers in the first place?

+ a million.

This is a disgrace.

I'm as left wing as they come, with with you this. The worst that can happen is a customer winds up bald. Not ideal, but not worth 40K and 2000 hours of training either. Plus, I wonder how many barbers/stylists actually get licensed? I suspect a lot more would if the barrier wasn't so high. That would be a good thing.

I’d argue death or amputation are worse. You’ve probably been seeing properly trained professionals which is why you don’t appreciate all the training professionals go through. Professionals need to be aware of the worst case scenarios and make sure they don’t hurt anyone or spread disease. Unfortunately, people choose unlicensed providers based on price rather than paying more for licensed, insured, sanitary providers who pursue advanced training.

***
Nail salon infections are all too common. Customers enter into a nail salon and are often exposed to seriously unsanitary conditions which can result in significant injuries. Many times technicians at nail salons are not properly trained and fail to keep clean certain tools which they use. In certain circumstances this can lead to more than just a minor infection. Some clients can contract dangerous infections such as MRSA which is permanent and harmful. Other infections can require long term antibiotics to treat or more evasive procedures to correct.

Amputations from a nail salon can occur when the infection is aggressive and spreads without proper treatment. Generally these infections can occur when the technician performs and aggressive exfoliation of the feet or hand. This will leave the skin thin and more likely to spread causing bleeding. In other cases customers have reported that surgical type tools/equipment have been used to perform the procedure. As a result serious cuts resulted, which were exposed to certain unsanitary conditions at the nail salon causing the infection to spread. If the region of the skin becomes severely infected it may be required that an amputation take place. Certain infections are so dangerous that no amount of antibiotic or penicillin can cure. Many times treatment will not be available immediately and the infection has already spread. As a result doctors may be forced to amputate the infected area to avoid it from spreading.

https://downtownlalaw.com/medication-errors/amputation-caused-by-nail-salon-infections/

[Anonymous]

I'm one who believes that occupational licensing is necessary to protect the public interest. I would not want an unlicensed physician operating on me. I would not want an unlicensed architect to design my house. And I would not want an unlicensed barber using scissors and razors on or near my head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:'Why is the state in the business of licensing hairdressers and barbers in the first place?

+ a million.

This is a disgrace.

I'm as left wing as they come, with with you this. The worst that can happen is a customer winds up bald. Not ideal, but not worth 40K and 2000 hours of training either. Plus, I wonder how many barbers/stylists actually get licensed? I suspect a lot more would if the barrier wasn't so high. That would be a good thing.

I’d argue death or amputation are worse. You’ve probably been seeing properly trained professionals which is why you don’t appreciate all the training professionals go through. Professionals need to be aware of the worst case scenarios and make sure they don’t hurt anyone or spread disease. Unfortunately, people choose unlicensed providers based on price rather than paying more for licensed, insured, sanitary providers who pursue advanced training.

***
Nail salon infections are all too common. Customers enter into a nail salon and are often exposed to seriously unsanitary conditions which can result in significant injuries. Many times technicians at nail salons are not properly trained and fail to keep clean certain tools which they use. In certain circumstances this can lead to more than just a minor infection. Some clients can contract dangerous infections such as MRSA which is permanent and harmful. Other infections can require long term antibiotics to treat or more evasive procedures to correct.

Amputations from a nail salon can occur when the infection is aggressive and spreads without proper treatment. Generally these infections can occur when the technician performs and aggressive exfoliation of the feet or hand. This will leave the skin thin and more likely to spread causing bleeding. In other cases customers have reported that surgical type tools/equipment have been used to perform the procedure. As a result serious cuts resulted, which were exposed to certain unsanitary conditions at the nail salon causing the infection to spread. If the region of the skin becomes severely infected it may be required that an amputation take place. Certain infections are so dangerous that no amount of antibiotic or penicillin can cure. Many times treatment will not be available immediately and the infection has already spread. As a result doctors may be forced to amputate the infected area to avoid it from spreading.

https://downtownlalaw.com/medication-errors/amputation-caused-by-nail-salon-infections/

All that bacteria is present on the skin of those people to begin with. It didn't come from the salon. It came from those nasty-ass people.

[Anonymous]

Beauty parlor stroke

[Anonymous]

In October 2000, we investigated the first known outbreak of Mycobacterium fortuitum cutaneous infections acquired from whirlpool footbaths, also called footspas, at a nail salon in northern California (1). Over 100 pedicure customers had prolonged boils on the lower legs that left scars when healed (1,2). In the investigation, we swabbed the area behind the screen of the recirculation inlet in each of 10 footspas at the nail salon and recovered strains of M. fortuitum from all 10.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320319/