Before beginning your career in permanent makeup, it is very important to know how to handle your instruments and how to set up and clean up your work space so no cross contamination happens.

What is cross contamination and why is it so important?

• Cross contamination is when bad/harmful bacteria is transferred from one substance, person, place to another.
• Cross contamination can occur when you do not properly set up or clean up your work station. Your work station includes anything you touch/use while you are working on a client.
• Work station includes : tray, bed, lights (glamcor, ring light) pigments, phone, etc.
• Here is an example of how quickly cross contamination can occur

Gina, the PMU artist is setting up her station for her next client. She sets up her tray and leaves her pigments on her tray while working on her client. Her client did not want to disclose with her that she has Hepatitis B. Now her client's blood is exposed to the pigment bottles sitting on her tray. When she goes to use those pigment bottles for the next client she exposes her next client to Hepatitis B.

• So, how do we prevent potential viruses/diseases from transferring from person to person?

The best way to prevent cross contamination is to make sure you set up your tray and work station properly.

1. When you set up, always use gloves.
2. Always use CAVIWIPES to wipe down each client- use with gloves as this chemical is a carcinogen.
3. Assume every client has the potential to transfer a disease to you and be very cautious in setting up/down your work station- aka be thorough with how you clean after each client with CAVIWIPES.
4. Only place items on your tray that you will throw away after using. If you do not throw away certain items (for example, your shading machine, squeegee bottle) you must make sure its wrapped before placing these items naked on your tray.
5. Make sure to place the needle and blade you used into the SHARPS container after each client- you will never ever reuse these.

• NEVER place your machine directly on your tray without wrapping it.
• NEVER place pigments, measuring tools, china markers, phones, small trays on your tray.
• You will have to throw away all of these items if they are left on your tray while working on a client
• Do not copy everything you see on social media. There are plenty of artists that post videos with incorrect set up protocol due to a lack of education.