HIV Transmission from handshake/tiny tiny non bleeding cut on my finger

i was at the barbershop yesterday with my father. there was a gay barber guy who i knew from years past that was cutting dads hair. after he was finished with the haircut, the barber came over to me and shook my hand. i didnt think anything about it at first. but then i noticed i have a very small cut on my finger from a couple of days before. there was no bleeding and i didnt notice any blood on the gay barber mans hand that I shook. I am terrified at this. the only thing i can find online is on the cdc website it mentions casual contact/ handshaking not a risk. but it doesnt mention handshakes with non bleeding cut. one side of my thoughts wants to believe that handshaking with small cuts on fingers and hands take place everyday, so it is not even significant. but my scary thoughts say "what if?" maybe someone here can tell me the facts about this. i want to move on and forget it all, but i am just not sure what to do. i do not want to have to test for this. nor do i want this hanging over my head. can someone tell me if this is even a risk even if there "had" been blood present. I never saw any blood present at all..thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  Please don't let your fears get the best of you, there is absolutely no risk whatsoever from having shaken hands with an HIV infected person even in the presence of a non-bleeding cut.  You have nothing to worry about and no reason for concern.

Further, I would also point out that you do not even know if this person had HIV. As a gay male in the U.S., the chance that he even had HIV are less than 10%.

No need for worry, no need for testing.  I hope my comment is helpful. EWH

[robertjohns]

thanks so much for your help. I guess I was just afraid that if he had a bleeding cut on his hands or fingers or if he had some kind of bodily fluids on his hands that it could have gotten into my tiny cut. I worry so much about HIV. I appreciate your help and expertise. thanks

[robertjohns]

Again, everything you said makes perfect sense. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me this afternoon. LIke I said, I never noticed any kind of fluid on his hands nor did I notice any kind of cuts on his hands at all nor any fluids on his hands. I guess I just let the fear get ahold of me. the handshake only lasted for no more than 2 seconds and my cut had been there a couple of days, it never bled. the cut was so so small almost like a papercut and is about totally healed now, barely noticeable. thanks again for being so nice!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Glad to help. Keep after your OCD.  EWH

[robertjohns]

Thanks again! :) you are great! :)