Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

I got someone's fresh blood on very small cut

I was having my neck shaven with a razor at my barbers and noticed a two very small cuts on my neck/throat. Very small, I think from either where I have bumps from hair follicles or maybe there were two very small spots which got caught during the shave. Didn't think anything of it until a few moments later when I noticed a small amount of blood in very close proximity. I asked if I could have a tissue to quickly wipe it, but then the barber noticed he actually caught his finger, it was in fact his blood. He wiped it up and finished the job (with a fresh blade). It only dawned on me after that his blood may have entered my blood stream? I'm not sure, thus why I am here to see if it is a possibility.

I think I am more worried because he's openly admitted he has slept with sex workers in his home country (we have had some crazy conversations and I've been going to this place for two years and he's become very open with me).

The cuts I had were small circles size of a hair follicle and there was definitely my own blood which didn't prefusely bleed, but bled and settled on the surface. When I got home I did apply pressure to the cut and one of them did release some blood of mine.

Ive been telling myself to stop being ridiculous but after a Google I came across several bits of information which did say the depth doesn't matter, it's whether there is access to the blood stream. I assume this would be the case in this scenario? I also understand hiv dies almost immediately, but there is also a chance his cut would have came in direct contact with mine.

Could anyone advise if this is a risk I should get tested for?
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Do you know how many times a day a barber cuts someone, or someone with cuts shakes hands? No risk, otherwise we would all have HIV. Testing would be a waste of time.
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
The first step to resolving your "being ridiculous" is to stop Googling for disease cold turkey. You have no medical training and Google won't do anything but present some junk science that scares you.
I completely understand, however their blood was present. If it was just my own cut I would not of had an issue. So am I safe to assume that even with their blood I'm ok and can move on?
This answers all of your HIV questions, and if you can think of any more just reread about the 3. You had zero risk therefore  testing is irrelevant to your situation because you had zero risk. HIV is a fragile virus, which is instantly inactivated in air and also in saliva which means it is effectively dead so it can't infect from touching, external rubbing or oral activities. It doesn't matter if you and they were actively bleeding or had cuts at the time either because the HIV is effectively dead.  
Only 3 adult risks are the following:
1. unprotected penetrating vaginal with a penis
2. unprotected penetrating anal sex with a penis
3. sharing needles that you inject with. These 3 are all you need to know to protect yourself against HIV. The situation you describe is a long way from any of these 3.
Even with blood, lactation, cuts, rashes, burns, etc the air or the saliva does not allow inactivated virus to infect from touching, external rubbing or oral activities. Doctors have calculated the risk from what you describe to be less than that of being hit by a meteor, therefore no one will get HIV from what you did in the next 40 years of your life either. The above HIV science is 40 years old and very well established, so no detail that you can add to your encounter will change it from zero risk.
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community

Top HIV Answerers
366749 tn?1544695265
Karachi, Pakistan
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.