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Scleroderma NZ on Salons Offering Nail Services

Scleroderma New Zealand media release on Salons Offering Nail Services

Scleroderma New Zealand is concerned at the findings of the recently released Regional Public Health report Survey of Knowledge and Infection Control Practices in Salons Offering Nail Services. Some people with scleroderma are unable to cut their finger nails. There is no health profession with a scope of practice that includes cutting finger nails. When some people with scleroderma have sought health care for their finger nails, they have been advised to go to nail salons. Scleroderma New Zealand says it is unacceptable that people in need of health care are having to go to the unsafe and unregulated nail salons described in this report. Scleroderma New Zealand calls for there to be a health profession with finger nail cutting as a scope of practice.

Staff in nail salons need to be educated and aware there are clients with medical conditions, like scleroderma, where their nail cutting/services may be contraindicated.

Scleroderma is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that can affect many organs of the body. It is associated with excessive inflammation, fibrosis and vascular disease and causes hardening and restriction of the skin and internal organs such as the lungs and kidneys, sometimes progressing rapidly to death. It affects people of all ages.

Some Scleroderma patients have clawed fingers which makes it impossible to cut their own finger nails. Some patients can also have ulcerated finger tips and dry cracked skin around their nails and knuckles which can take many months to heal. For these reasons it is of utmost importance that sterile equipment is used when nail cutting is performed to avoid infection.

It is likely that about 1,000 people in New Zealand have scleroderma.


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