Barber cut his finger on blade he used on me

[HHGGDD]

I am getting myself in a frenzy about an incident that happened 7 weeks ago. I was having my haircut and the barber apparently cut his finger on the new disposable blade while he was shaving the back of my neck. I wasn't paying attention at the time but afterwards I saw him with tissue on his finger and he admitted to cutting it on the blade. He had carried on shaving my neck afterwards with the same blade as far as I am aware. He was wiping the shaving gel off the blade all the time so assume he wiped it after this. The trouble is that I was having an acne outbreak on the back of my neck that he would have shaved over. There didn't seem to be any visible bleeding from my acne. Unfortunately I think I already know what your answer will be, but is there any Hep C risk involved in what happened? I am a big big worrier about these things and so its just my luck that this happened. Its really freaking me out now. Thanks for your advice.

[hrsepwrguy]

What is the risk for HCV infection from a needlestick exposure to HCV-contaminated blood?

After a needlestick or sharps exposure to HCV-positive blood, the risk of HCV infection is approximately 1.8% (range: 0%–10%).

http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm#c5

[HHGGDD]

Thank you. That has put my mind at ease a bit. I'll probably still get tested so I know one way or another but I'm not quite so pessimistic about it now.

[ceanothus]

It seems random because it is not that easy to catch. With HCV even medical personnel who are accidentally stabbed by a needle that was used on a known HCV patient still don't become infected all that often. I did read a study which I don't have it around to refer to at the moment, but if my memory serves, I think the percentage who get infected under those circumstances is still down around 5%. If your acne wasn't bleeding, you don't need to worry.

[HHGGDD]

Thanks for the reply and yes I got the impression my question was one to many. I'm sorry and I have put off posting on here for weeks, but it just got a bit too much for me today. Whether I have OCD I don't know, but I am a big worrier certainly. All the other barber blade related posts on here seem to be hyperthetical in that there may be blood on a reused blade. The fact though in my case is that he DID cut his finger and then shaved over acne and this is what is worrying me. I didn't know if acne constitutes a suitable enough entry point for the virus. He didn't cut me but it was still enough of a worry to me. Unlike the HIV risk in this case, the Hep C virus just seems so random as to who catches it under similar circumstances and I was just wondering whether i really was a any great risk.

[ceanothus]

I think people ran all the way out of patience in dealing with the adjacent OCD thread, and there wasn't enough energy left to answer yours. If you knew you were cut by that blade, AND if you knew the barber had the Hepatitis C virus, then your odds of catching it would still be small but they would be high enough to warrant testing and a little worry. From what you've told us, I think worrying is not called for. You can always get a blood test to settle it. The RNA PCR test costs more but gives reliable results within only two weeks of exposure. The antibody test ix cheaper and more common but isn't as reliable in the very beginning of infection. If your worries seem to get out of control look into the possibility of OCD,