Some women love to wear nail polish regularly to make their hands look great. Once they start to wear nail polish regularly, it’s harder to be without that. So it feels weird to be without nail polish or acrylic nails. But before surgery, the surgeons ask the patients to remove the nail polish. Do you know why? Read this article to know more about the reason why you can’t wear nail polish during surgery.
First, you should know whether you can wear nail polish for surgery or not. Most of the time your doctor advises you not to wear nail polish or acrylic nails during your surgery. They ask you to remove the nail polish and artificial nails before the surgery. But nowadays, you don’t have to completely avoid nail polish and acrylic nails. So removing these things is completely based on you.
You are going to know everything here. But now let’s see why your doctor always asks you to remove your nail polish during surgery.
Why can’t you wear nail polish during surgery?
When your doctor asks you to remove the nail polish, you are often confused about what problem with my nail polish? But actually, there is nothing wrong with your favorite nail polish and acrylic nails.
Before you undergo surgery, you should remove your nail polish and acrylic nails. During the surgery, the surgeons often note your oxygen level. It is very important to note this for surgery. But what does it have to do with nail polish?
Well, To read the oxygen level of your body during surgery, the surgeons will place a probe on your finger. This probe is mainly designed to read your oxygen level in blood. Suppose If the oxygen level of your blood dropped low, automatically your fingernails would turn blue. This is the key here. Now, the surgeons will understand that the oxygen level in your body is becoming low with the help of your nail color.
This is the reason why your doctor advises you to remove your nail polish and acrylic or artificial nails before the surgery. If it is not removed before the surgery, it will be hard for the surgeons to read your oxygen level. Then this will lead to medical complications.
Apart from this, there is another reason behind not wearing nail polish and acrylic nails. At the time of surgery, the surgeons will keep a track of your heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level in your blood. And the surgeons will mainly use Pulse Oximeters to check the level of oxygen in your blood.
Like I said before, this instrument works by emitting light in your fingernail by absorbing the light particles. This will help you to know the level of oxygen in the blood. If it emits more light, then it means your body has an adequate level of oxygen.
But the recent research at the University of California concluded that wearing nail polish will not disturb the reading of Pulse Oximeters. Not only nail polish but also artificial and acrylic nails will not disturb the work of Pulse Oximeters. However, still many surgeons ask the patients to remove the nail polish and acrylic nails before the surgery.
The next thing that comes to your mind is If there is no problem with nail polish and Pulse Oximeters, Is it okay to wear nail polish?
Still, the answer is no. There is a backup method to check the level of oxygen in your blood other than a Pulse Oximeter. Then just check the color of your nail bed. If your nail bed starts to turn blue, then it means your oxygen level is dangerously low. So they will note it and take care of that. This is why you need to avoid wearing nail polish. Because it will mask the color change and it is hard to see it with the naked eye.
There Is A Risk Of Chemical Contamination
The surface of your nails is porous, which means that it absorbs chemicals from the products you use on it. This can lead to chemical contamination when you’re in an operating room where sterile procedures must be followed. The risk can be high enough that hospitals often ban all cosmetics during surgeries, including makeup, as well as nail polish and other cosmetic products.
If You Have Any Allergies Or Sensitivities, Your Reaction May Be Worse Than Usual
There are many people who have allergies and sensitivities to certain chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products. Those with allergies might even react more severely than usual if they come into contact with something they’re allergic to while in an operating room. If this happens, it could pose a risk not only to you but also to those around you — including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who may need immediate treatment if they’re exposed to something they’re allergic.
Nail polish can interfere with the accuracy of a pulse oximeter.
The reason for this is because of how those fancy new pulse oximeters work. Pulse oximeters are a device that uses light waves to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood. These devices are used during surgeries and procedures to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure. They are also used as an alternative to traditional blood pressure cuffs.
During this time, most people’s hands will be exposed so that these devices can be placed on them for monitoring purposes. However, if you have nail polish on your nails then it can interfere with the accuracy of these devices! This is because they cannot accurately read through the thickness of your nail polish and determine what color your tissue underneath might actually be (which makes sense).
Other Modern Equipment
Like I said before, not every hospital asks you to remove the nail polish and acrylic or artificial nails. Because they use some other modern equipment to note the oxygen level. But nail colors like navy, deep purple, and black will make it harder for the machine to read the oxygen level in the blood.
If you love nail polish more and you don’t want to remove it. Then there is a favorable message for you. The Pulse oximeter is positioned only in one finger. So you can remove nail polish in that particular finger alone. So totally you can just remove nail polish and acrylic nails in two fingers. It won’t ruin your nail look and also it won’t cost you much to replace the nails.
Wearing Clear nail polish during Surgery
Now you know the reason why your doctor asks you to remove the nail polish and acrylic nails. They just want to see the color of your nails during surgery. So here we can conclude that the color of the nail matters.
So as long as your surgeon can see the real color of the nail, there is no problem with wearing nail polish. So you can wear clear nail polish. In some cases, even French nails are allowed.
Wearing nail polish on Toe during Surgery
Some people may spread misinformation like wearing nail polish on Toe during Surgery is dangerous. But the fact is your doctors don’t even check your toenails. So without any doubt, you can wear your favorite nail polish on your Toenails.
Apart from these, a study reveals that wearing black and brown nail colors will alter the readings of Pulse Oximeter. But they are also saying that placing a pulse oximeter in the side to side direction in your finger shows accurate results even If you wear those dark-colored nail polish. So they are suggesting the surgeons set the probe side to side rather than the normal top to the bottom position.
Finally, It is revealed that you can wear clear nail polish If you want. Suppose If you don’t want to remove your acrylic nails, just remove the nail polish and artificial nails from only one finger. This won’t cause any problems. However, always listen to your doctor’s advice. If needed, remove the nail polish.
Conclusion
There are a few reasons why you cannot wear nail polish during surgery. First, it is a potential choking hazard if it were to come off and be inhaled by the patient. Secondly, it can interfere with the monitor readings and make it more difficult for the medical staff to monitor the patient’s vital signs. Lastly, nail polish can harbour bacteria which can cause infection. We hope this article has helped to clear up any confusion you may have had regarding this matter.
FAQs
- Can I wear nail polish during surgery?
Yes, you can wear nail polish during surgery. However, it is important to remove any polish from your nails before the surgery so that the medical staff can properly monitor your vital signs.
- Will my nail polish interfere with the surgery?
No, your nail polish will not interfere with the surgery. However, it is important to remove any polish from your nails before the surgery so that the medical staff can properly monitor your vital signs.
- Will my nail polish be a safety hazard during surgery?
No, your nail polish will not be a safety hazard during surgery. However, it is important to remove any polish from your nails before the surgery so that the medical staff can properly monitor your vital signs.
- How long should I await to remove my nail polish before surgery?
You should remove your nail polish at least 24 hours before your surgery. This will allow the medical staff to properly monitor your vital signs.
- What are the risks of wearing nail polish during surgery?
There are no risks associated with wearing nail polish during surgery. However, it is important to remove any polish from your nails before the surgery so that the medical staff can properly monitor your vital signs.