Blood transmitted diseases from razor cut - at the barber's place

[milanisimus]

I couldnt find a thread to post this question, so i open this thread.

I went to a barber this morning for a shave. During the shave I got a cut. Prior to the shave, I noticed that the barber changed the razor blade in the shavette, that is a good thing. After the cut he used septic stick and paper to stop the bleeding, and later finish the shave.

I feel concerned now. Was googling for some time, and seems that getting HIV is unlikely (it says that it dies on open air). More concern was raised for HPV Hepatitis variants.

Does someone have some experience to share on this matter? I will do the tests obviously, but from what I read, it says that it might take few months to show if certain viruses are in our blood/body.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I suspect you mean the barber used a styptic stick. I am no expert here but it is my opinion that you are worrying over nothing especially as the barber had changed the blade. It is my understanding that the reason why barbers in some areas were required to desist from using straight razors and to use shavettes instead is precisely because of concerns such as this. You say that you will 'obviously' do tests, but with respect that is not obvious to me at all and I certainly would not do so. If a cut or nick from a barber necessitated medical testing for HIV/Hepatitis then nobody would visit the barber for a shave and they would not be allowed to offer them. My advice, as someone who is not medically trained, is to forget about it unless it becomes infected and if you cannot then I advise that you not visit a barber for a shave again. You are likely to do more harm to your health by stressing and worrying than from a cut at the barber, and Googling will not help

 

[milanisimus]

I suspect you mean the barber used a styptic stick. I am no expert here but it is my opinion that you are worrying over nothing especially as the barber had changed the blade. It is my understanding that the reason why barbers in some areas were required to desist from using straight razors and to use shavettes instead is precisely because of concerns such as this. You say that you will 'obviously' do tests, but with respect that is not obvious to me at all and I certainly would not do so. If a cut or nick from a barber necessitated medical testing for HIV/Hepatitis then nobody would visit the barber for a shave and they would not be allowed to offer them. My advice, as someone who is not medically trained, is to forget about it unless it becomes infected and if you cannot then I advise that you not visit a barber for a shave again. You are likely to do more harm to your health by stressing and worrying than from a cut at the barber, and Googling will not help

yeah styptic stick, wrote it in a hurry.

i am on summer vacation in a foreign country. i dont see a need to report on a barber who was doing his job. cuts happen, no big deal. it is not a complaint against the barber, its to get the doubt out of my head.

i will do the tests, for my peace of mind, and in general for future partners. i know it seems unlikely, but the transmittable diseases are scary, and definitely this causes some stress.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Barbers are required to use replaceable blade razors. As long as you got a fresh blade, there should be no worries. Styptic can be bought in little applicators similar to a book of matches which are one-time use only.

 

[Slock]

These guys form an old Gillette blade commercial seem just fine sharing a razor.

 

[rbscebu]

These guys form an old Gillette blade commercial seem just fine sharing a razor.

That's before our governments decided that we needed their protection.

 

[Legion]

I think you are pretty safe. Not many cooties are going to be able to survive on Aluminum sulfate.

 

[Tomo]

I better get a test too. I suspect my wife has been using my DE on her legs again.

 

[Brutus]

I went to a barber this morning for a shave. During the shave I got a cut. Prior to the shave, I noticed that the barber changed the razor blade in the shavette, that is a good thing. After the cut he used septic stick and paper to stop the bleeding, and later finish the shave.

Does someone have some experience to share on this matter? I will do the tests obviously, but from what I read, it says that it might take few months to show if certain viruses are in our blood/body.

As you are in a foreign country, don’t forget to do repeat clinical tests after mosquito bites.
Who knows whom that mosquito has been feeding on before and what blood diseases the person that mosquito fed on might have had?



“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations



B.

 

[Dobric]

Even without changing a blade, if he used SR, nothing would happen to you:
1.Every razor is desinfected after use
2.Shaving lather is soap, nothing else, it kills viruses and bacteria same as any other soap
3.Percentage of infected people is exttremely low
You will be fine, relax...

 

[RayClem]

You did not state the country in which you got your shave.

In the USA, regulations concerning barber shaves are very strict, although there can be variations in requirements state to state. I suspect regulation in the UK and EU are similarly strict. However, if the shave was in a third-world country, then who knows?

Since the barber used a shavette and used a fresh blade in the razor, it says that he is taking precautions to prevent the spread of disease. That is a very good sign.

Potassium alum as found in styptic pencils and alum blocks does have antibacterial and antifungal properties. However, it has not been not proven effective in preventing the transmission of viruses such as hepatitis. In one study in Pakistan, potassium alum was not found to be effective in killing hepatitis. The study concluded that barber shaves in that country followed by use of alum stones is a contributor to the spread of hepatitis in that country.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229067853_Role_of_Potash_Alum_in_Hepatitis_C_virus_Transmission_at_Barber%27s_Shop

Thus, if your shave was performed in a country where the risk of hepatitis is high, there might be some cause for concern.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I suspect you are much more likely to contract a dangerous infection attending your doctor’s surgery for tests.

 

[Cino]

I've seen too many Godfather films to let a barber shave me.

 

[Toothpick]

The only logical answer is to consult your doctor and don’t listen to a bunch of random dudes online giving medial advice or “facts” on viruses.

 

[Fen]

I remember a video where an old working Norwegian barber talked about his dislike of shavettes. Because over here it still isn't illigal to use straight razors, but the majority of all barbershops etc use shavettes due to hygenic reasons. And I think he made an interesting point.

His gripe with the subject was that from his point of view, a shavette wouldn't be any safer than a straight razor when it came to diseases. His issue from my understanding is that if the blade cut the person, the blood could seep into the metal part of the shavette. And when the barber switched the blade, there would be a high risk of the new blade getting contaminated, if they didn't sterilize the shavette itself between shaves. Creating the same issue that some "lawmakers" might claim happens with a straight. Because the blade changing just created a false sense of security.

At least I found his point interesting.

When we're on the subject he also made another interesting point. Where he pointed out that master barbers back in the days, both in the US and Norway always mixed lather in a bowl and applied it to the face with their hand. Since it wasn't hygenic to use a brush on the face. Because they could get blood on the brush, wash it and either put it aside or move on to the next client and then risk carrying infections over.

Just though it was some fun points to share from that barber, due to the nature of the topic. But yeah, go and talk to your doctor if you are worried. Doctors have earned the right to be called experts in regards to infections and so on.

 

[markmc]

My level of concern would be which Country this happened in. Also, try to remember if it was a one time use styptic or not. Either way, it doesn’t matter what I (or anybody else) would worry about. If you are worried is what matters. Get the tests if it will ease your mind.

 

[luvmysuper]

You gotta do what you gotta do to feel comfortable.
Just so you have some peace of mind - Me personally, for 50 years I have travelled all over the world and have been cut, scraped, bruised and gouged countless times, in some of the dirtiest environments by some of the nastiest sharp and semi sharp objects.
I've had to eat and drink things that would likely gag your average maggot.
I've not contracted any diseases and I'm in pretty good health for a guy my age.

 

[milanisimus]

Thanks to all for the comments and the input. Depending on the person's level of fear / concerns, someone replied seriously, someone makes fun out of it. While I have no issues of people making fun of me or anyone else when sth is exaggerated, I think this topic is not taken seriously enough.

I did the tests this Monday, they all came negative today. Maybe I was lucky, maybe I exaggerated initially, can't tell, now its done.

My general learning from this experience:
Depending on the region where you live, I can say that generally barber's wet shave is dying profession / service. I have asked for this in Sweden, Turkey, Montenegro, Spain and Portugal. In my experience, the demand is very low (less and less people shave, some form of beard is preferred style, and even less people would go to barber regularly for the shave). In addition, in Sweden it is rather costly (there is sth related to insurance for potential infections, have just heard about it dont know details, if there are Swedes here may provide better details).
From 3 times I went for shave at barber, I had one very good experience in Turkey, and 2 very bad - in Sweden and Montenegro. I don't say that I will never ever go again to barber for shave. Just if I go it will be at some places with long tradition in it, and to get some unique experience (from what I have seen on this likely places/regions London, Belgium, Italy and Spain), irrespectively of the price.

The comments here about the country, the potential to have remains of blood on the shavete body (irrespectively of changing the blade), using the same brush, using styptic pen (which I think in my case was the same one used multiple times) are risks to be aware of. As many other things, I think this topic is not spoken enough of, both on the barbers and potential customers side.

 

[Brutus]

My general learning from this experience:
Depending on the region where you live, I can say that generally barber's wet shave is dying profession / service. I have asked for this in Sweden, Turkey, Montenegro, Spain and Portugal. In my experience, the demand is very low (less and less people shave, some form of beard is preferred style, and even less people would go to barber regularly for the shave).

I don’t know where you got your information from, but in my neigbourhood here in Portugal, where we moved to after my retirement, there are 8 barbershops within (15 min) walking distance, 3 within less than 10 mins walking distance.
They all do a fair amount of business, some of the newer barbershops are run by barbers in their twenties, and they all defy your statement that it “barber’s wet shave is a dying profession / service”. In fact, when I go for a haircut it is quite common to see someone getting a shave at any time of the day.
So there is a lively demand and none of the barbershops around here went out of business since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

It is also not an expensive treat for gents, the old-fashioned barbershop that I go to has not raised prices since 2012(!) and I pay €/$9 for a haircut and (I believe) €/$7 for a shave.

You may have asked some people, but from what I see with my own eyes walking around my city there is little that supports what you are saying. And the situation in larger cities, like Lisbon and Porto, does not appear to be any different.


Of course, you are certainly entitled to your opinion that the topic of risks during a professional shave is not talked enough about, but so am I with my opinion that the risks that you describe are blown out of all proportion.



B.

 

[luvmysuper]

Thanks to all for the comments and the input. Depending on the person's level of fear / concerns, someone replied seriously, someone makes fun out of it. While I have no issues of people making fun of me or anyone else when sth is exaggerated, I think this topic is not taken seriously enough.

I did the tests this Monday, they all came negative today. Maybe I was lucky, maybe I exaggerated initially, can't tell, now its done.

My general learning from this experience:
Depending on the region where you live, I can say that generally barber's wet shave is dying profession / service. I have asked for this in Sweden, Turkey, Montenegro, Spain and Portugal. In my experience, the demand is very low (less and less people shave, some form of beard is preferred style, and even less people would go to barber regularly for the shave). In addition, in Sweden it is rather costly (there is sth related to insurance for potential infections, have just heard about it dont know details, if there are Swedes here may provide better details).
From 3 times I went for shave at barber, I had one very good experience in Turkey, and 2 very bad - in Sweden and Montenegro. I don't say that I will never ever go again to barber for shave. Just if I go it will be at some places with long tradition in it, and to get some unique experience (from what I have seen on this likely places/regions London, Belgium, Italy and Spain), irrespectively of the price.

The comments here about the country, the potential to have remains of blood on the shavete body (irrespectively of changing the blade), using the same brush, using styptic pen (which I think in my case was the same one used multiple times) are risks to be aware of. As many other things, I think this topic is not spoken enough of, both on the barbers and potential customers side.

The light hearted posts here are meant as a means of bringing some much needed humor into a thread that could potentially scare people off of enjoying a virtually harmless activity, not as a means of making fun of anyone or their opinion.
Take it in the spirit in which it was intended.

I disagree that the "danger" is not talked about enough. It's talked about too much.
There is risk in ANY activity you might care to undertake. Evaluation of those risks vs the potential reward to you personally is something only you can assess.

There are behaviors that people take frequently that are of equal or greater "danger" without ever even thinking about it, but we don't post threads talking about the dangers of using ice from a fast food ice machine, eating in a restaurant with utensils that other people have had in their mouth, touching doorknobs and then our face without washing hands, walking around in filth and then handling our shoes when taking them off, letting a beloved puppy lick you after it has, unbeknownst to you, licked it's butt.

Take whatever precautions you feel are necessary, but we're not going to promote fear mongering about an activity that has been historically proven to be relatively safe.