nicked at the hairdresser, harmless or medical attention ?

April 25, 2006 6:54 AM

Went with friend went for a haircut; got nicked (twice) by the hair stylist. Back of the neck. Not sure if it was because it was a brand new clipper or a really old (rusty?) one -- Is he paranoid in worrying about it or is it something that should be taken care of immediately? Guy, and this is the Bubbles salon if that matters.
posted by cusecase to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Boy do I get nicked at the barber shop all the time, occassionally by the shavers they use to get a clean shave off my neck. If you go to an authentic barber shop, you're almost guaranteed to get nicked by a straight blade.

I'm unfamiliar with Bubbles, but I would only be worried if they don't run a clean operation (i.e. they don't sanitize their blades and razors between customers).
posted by onalark at 7:05 AM on April 25, 2006

Tetanus or HIV? Is that what the worry is? If it's tetanus, go back and look at the clippers, or call the salon. If it's HIV, tell your friend he's being silly. There's never been anything even remotely close to HIV transmission by that route. Wash the nicks with antiseptic, put a bandaid on them if they're bleeding, and go on with life. It'll stop hurting in a day or two.
posted by mediareport at 7:29 AM on April 25, 2006

You would be very unlikely to get tetanus from a rusty set of clippers, unless they had been left on the floor of a barn for a while. And they would probably need to actually stab you with them.
posted by smackfu at 7:35 AM on April 25, 2006

Yeah, either one is a ridiculous worry, but I was trying to come up with something that might calm the paranoia anyway.
posted by mediareport at 7:54 AM on April 25, 2006

He's fine. Has he never been nicked before?

Snark: He should be paranoid about the fact that you've publically outed him as someone who gets his hair 'done' at a beauty salon named 'Bubbles'.
posted by unixrat at 8:15 AM on April 25, 2006

You and he (and the rest of you clowns) should keep up to date on your tetanus shot anyway. It's cheap and there's no downside to getting it a little soon. If you're brought into the emergency room and cut up you'd likely get it just as a pre-emptive measure since multiple vaccinations aren't risky.

I'm not sayin you should make it a weekly thing, but if you got it every year at your checkup there'd likely be no negative result beyond the standard site-soreness.

Tetanus isn't exclusively a rusty metal thing; it's found all over in many mediums and you can get it from all kinds of cuts and punctures; even splinters.
posted by phearlez at 8:35 AM on April 25, 2006

Tetanus shot is good for 10 yrs, so yearly would be overkill.

Tetanus needs to be inoculated deep into the tissue with a puncture wound to infect you. It's associated with rusty nails not bc of the rust (phearlez is right, tetanus is EVERYWHERE), but because the nail is a great way to get a puncture wound.

A shallow wound isn't going to give you tetanus, or anything else I imagine.
posted by selfmedicating at 9:06 AM on April 25, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks all, for your comments.

unixrat, im sure he doesn't know yet, so its good-- although I did burn up my one question for the week.
posted by cusecase at 9:22 AM on April 25, 2006

MRSA? (next to last post).
posted by TimeFactor at 10:22 AM on April 25, 2006

so... was it at least a good haircut?
posted by ab3 at 10:50 AM on April 25, 2006

Tetanus shot is good for 10 yrs, so yearly would be overkill.

I apologize for expressing myself unclearly - I meant to just make the point that you should not fail to get the inoculation because you may not be a full 10 years out. If you are at all unsure if you're current, get current.
posted by phearlez at 11:38 AM on April 25, 2006

He should also go back and complain about the two nicks, if he hasn't done so yet.
posted by Carol Anne at 5:56 AM on April 26, 2006