Nicky needs to know… I’m having sinus surgery on my nose but my doctor said to be sure not to wear nail polish during surgery. I can’t figure out what nail polish on my fingers has to do with an operation on my nose. I’m too embarrassed to ask my doctor. Can you explain it for me?
The Left Brain responds:
Nicky, we’re cosmetic scientists, not medical professionals, but we can guess why your doctor is concerned about your nail polish.
Love is like oxygen
During surgery doctors track vital signs like your heart rate, blood pressure, and the amount of oxygen in your blood. Blood oxygenation is measured using a little device that clamps on to your finger which is known as a “pulse oximeter.” The oximeter works by shining light through your finger nail and measuring how much light is absorbed. The more light that is absorbed, the more oxygen that is in your blood. Your doctor could be worried that nail polish could interfere with this measurement. But is this concern valid?
Interestingly, the answer may be “no.” A study conducted at the University of Southern California has shown that nail polish does NOT interfere with the pulse oximetry. The study revealed that neither nail polish nor artificial nails significantly interfered with light absorption from the device.
Say “no” to nail polish
So, does that mean you can ignore your doctor’s advice and where a nice shade of OPI to your sinus surgery? I’m afraid not! There’s another reason that wearing nail polish in the operating room is a bad idea. Surgeons have a “backup” way to check blood oxygen just in case the pulse oximeter fails. It’s called “looking at your nails.” If your blood oxygen drops to a dangerously low level, your finger nails will start to turn blue. Nail polish will mask this color change so the doctor won’t be able to visually check your blood oxygen. The risk is very low, but by keeping your nails unpolished you’re helping your doctor keep you safe.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Beautiful nails are not worth the risk! Even though the odds of anything going wrong in your surgery are very small you should still listen to your doctor’s advice and NOT wear nail polish the day of your procedure.
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Also, any chance of foreign objects, such as chips of nail polish, even though they aren’t anywhere near your nose, may have a slight chance of somehow getting up there and infecting that area. Usually before any surgery a patient is told to take a trough shower, perhaps use a wash cloth, wash hair etc. to slough off as much dead skin/dirt as possible. They just want to be extra sure nothing can infect the area. You don’t want to know how many patients get in house infections while at the hospital
Ahuh, so that’s the reason why.. I guess I have to tell this to my wife as well for her to now know why. I hope she knows it and hopes that it was included in the cosmetology license course that she took
Don’t forget your toes as well! If the surgeons will be working at your head end the anaesthesiologist might not be able to get to your fingers so will rely on your toes for visual confirmation of blood O2 levels.
Yep, I agree with this answer. I never wear nail or lip color when i visit ye olde pulmonologist, and even when I see my regular doc. Just trying to make their job easier.
My doctor from Ukraine told me not to wear nail polish when you have surgery or having baby because by skin under nails and skin around the mouth you can tell about condition of your body. Sometimes your skin can get dark blue and that show to doctor some problems or reaction on some medicine.