In the time of the Coronavirus long nails are not allowed. It is not the effect of yet another restrictive decree, but common sense tells us: only with the nails always balanced at the end of the attachment (the nail bed) can the virions hidden under the nails be prevented from surviving biocides for hands . That of the long nails, redone, attached, rebuilt is another of the sacrifices we have to bend over if we want to reduce the risk of infecting ourselves and our loved ones.
The same goes for rings: we should not wear them, unless we subject them to specific and separate sanitisations. Yes, because when you wash your hands or if you disinfect them, the rings must always be removed and disinfected separately, otherwise there is always an imperceptible point where bacteria and viruses have not come into contact with the sanitizing gel.
For different categories of people, above all for those working in healthcare or in the food supply chain, the rule of short nails should be a constant even out of health emergencies. Anyone handling food or having to sanitize surfaces that are normally in contact with food should do as health workers, who are recommended to keep their nails always cut.
This good rule is not always respected. The female obsession with feline nails and the typical neglect of males lead many to ignore this critical point of hand disinfection.
A study carried out by Cardiff University and London's City University published on the pages of the American Journal of Infection Control has shown that 60% of British Nurses go to work with long nails or use false nails and polish. The Royal College of Nursing criticized the poor attention of healthcare professionals for nail care because "Long nails with artificial extensions prevent good hand hygiene".
Also on the subject of manicure for nails and difficulties in disinfecting the fingers thoroughly, research published in the American Journal of Infection Control speaks, which reveals how the gel for extensions makes it more difficult to eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms from the nails when washing the hands. Analyzing over 700 samples, the researchers found that the bacterial load of the nails with extensions and gels such as those left long increased over time, even when washing the hands regularly.
Faced with this evidence, the lack of nails among the protagonists of the communication on hygiene that has been raging in these weeks is a little surprising.
In the many tips on how to wash your hands in these times, the image of cleaning under the nails is often missing. The tutorials of the health authorities and those available on the web have inculcated the "novelty" of reminding us to pass the fingers of one hand between the fingers of the other to also wash the interdigital spaces that, often, before we were forgotten in the scrubbing with water and soap. Let's say that if the sanitary hand washing procedure is applied, where the last movement requires that the fingertips rub against the palm of the opposite hand, hygiene is guaranteed. But these days it should be better explained to the uninitiated that that movement is used precisely for the nails (short).
Obviously, the regular use of gloves (mandatory for many professional manipulations) reduces the possibility of contact with viruses. But gloves cannot always be worn, hands must be able to breathe.
Even in collective catering and in artisanal and industrial food production where the rules of the HCCP (Hazard analysis critical control point) dictate prevention strategies based on the analysis of precise points of greatest risk, the constant rule is always the hygiene of the staff involved, including sanitizing the hands with attention to the nails.
Long nails do not only accumulate bacterial colonies and viruses acquired by contact of the fingers with contaminated surfaces (as are normally all surfaces). The epidermis is a stratum corneum which sees from 25 to 30 rows of flat cells that form a barrier impermeable to bacteria and viruses, which in fact normally cannot penetrate the skin. But underneath is the dermis where the glands secrete sweat and sebum. These, together with the dead skin cells (which we change every 4-5 days without realizing it) form a patina which is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and an excellent hiding place for viruses. For this it must be removed with cleansing. And it is precisely this patina that can remain under the nails with its load of bacteria and viruses.
So short nails, at least in these weeks of Coronavirus emergency.
The hands should be washed with a good detergent that detaches the lipid film well and then disinfected with a nice wipe of alcohol or chlorine based gel disinfectant. In addition to rubbing the palms and backs, the fingers and the spaces between the fingers, it is also better to rub the fingertips and, perhaps, keep aside a new toothbrush that we use for this purpose: the bristles also pass on contact with the nail setting bringing the disinfectant even in that infinitesimal space but so inhabited by our enemies.
