Facts about manicures

[Ava1234567]

I want to know if you can get HIV from a manicure. I have been getting them for years and just recently thought of the dangers due to being nipped when having my cuticles cut the past two times. I for tested for HIV after the first incident but this past time it happened one week ago. The lady nipped me and there was a bit of blood that bled out- she put antiseptic on it right away to avoid infection. Anyway, they clean their tools with a uv sanitizer ... I found a place with an autoclave but do I need to worry about this last time? What are the facts? And do I really need to worry about HIV if it can't live out of its host? Please let me know so I can put my mind to ease. Thank you. This is a follow up question to the following that I already asked:
I got a manicure on Sunday at a Vietnamese place. I forgot to bring my own tools so decided to let them use theirs. I saw the lady who did The manicure take the tools out of the uv light sanitizer. However she nipped me while cutting my cuticles in one finger- a very tiny nip but I did bleed. I want to know if the uv light does indeed clean the instruments if someone else used it and there was HIV earlier that day and for how long does it have to be in the uv light machine? Should I get tested for HIV due to this incident? I am so scared and cannot stop thinking about this. Also there was at least ten minutes between when I got there and when she actually used the tools.

[Ava1234567]

Thank you both so much for calming my fears.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum.  I agree with the assessment that Dr. Jose made, stating that there was no risk to you for getting HIV from receipt of a manicure.  As you point out, the instruments were cleaned in a manner which would kill HIV, and as he stated, even if cleaning was incomplete, the virus dies quickly, within minutes, when outside of the human body.   Furthermore, I would also point out that when blood is drawn during a manicure it is your blood coming out of the cut, not someone else's being introduced deep into tissue which is needed for HIV to be killed.

I have never heard that receipt of manicure has ever transmitted HIV to anyone, nor have I ever hear that getting a manicure could ever even theoretically result in HIV transmission.  I would not worry now or in the future.

I hope my comments are helpful. EWH