Urgent visor face mask advice needed

[huskybar]

Firstly I want to apologise in advance for my whingeing tone, as I realise many people have had insurmountable problems to face over the last few months but I am seeking professional, concise advice and Google isn't cutting it. Unfortunately, I am desperately struggling with my face covering

I now work from home in separate purpose built extension and the therapists and hairdressers I used to employ are so much younger than myself, and don't appear to have the same issues. Well at least not on the same level as I am experiencing it anyway. I have assorted problems so I will lay them out below. I really need advice from someone who is encountering the same problems to ensure I make the correct purchases. Sorry it's a long one!!

I have been a full time practising beauty therapist for 39 years now and at 55yrs old, my reading glasses live as a headband on top of my head.
During the course of any one procedure, they are on and off perpetually.
All the problem equipment mentioned below was brought from the usual professional places, Salon Services/Sallys, Just Care Medical, Ellisons, Aston and Fincher, at the start of this Covid debacle, hoping to ensure quality. (not Amazon or Ebay)

So when it comes to the visor, which I know in the UK is mandatory, I purchased a reusable hinged screen one, (advertised as anti glare.) Looks pretty standard and says Face Shield protection mask on the top of the screen. I hoped the hinged mechanism would allow me to move my glasses up and down, but that has not proved as easy as I had hoped for. I have to hold the visor very securely to lift the screen up, otherwise the visor is pulled off my head. So I tried slipping my hand under the visor, as you would with a disposable screen one, but it's not really spacious enough for a swift movement. Either way is time consuming and fiddly, but also during these actions, my visor is getting covered with all the products on my gloves, (wax, foot scrubs, oils etc.) so I can't see through the mess. Also upon cleaning, no matter what I have tried, the vision is impaired even more by the cleaning process. Slight smears, tissues and cloth particles that will not shift and are highly magnified when it's on again.

Another hugh issue (probably aged related) is the need for me to constantly have my mag lamp light on, whatever treatment I'm performing (except massage). I also use the magnification lens A LOT. The glare and reflection off the visor renders me virtually blind. Thank goodness the close contact services haven't resumed as yet. I'll be looking through glasses, a visor, mag lamp lens and the moveable protective screen. It will be impossible.
My treatments involve facials, lash tint/lifting, brows, electrolysis, waxing and medi-pedicures. Due to the restrictions, I am doing lots of waxing and medi-pedicures. Not having clear vision is compromising the quality of my treatments greatly and I'm running terribly late, but that is the least of my worries, as I truly fear that I am going to put someone in A&E with the clippers or scalpel.

So this week, for vision purposes, I have ditched the visor (I'm aware I shouldn't, hence seeking advice here) and been using the the face masks that were purchased for clients (3 layer surgical style) Problems resolved, or so I thought. Vision is great and I solved the glasses steaming up issue quickly, but my face is now blessed with a sort of wet fungal style rash. I tested these face masks during lockdown on shopping trips and all seemed fine.

I think the issue has arisen due to how long I am wearing the mask for. It obviously works very effectively, as all my breath is staying in the mask and with chatting to clients all day, my face is permanently wet and my goodness, I'm SO hot and that's not a good thing at my age!! I change the mask between each client. I have put a maximum 2 hour limit on each appointment, with 15 mins clean down between clients. I work between 45 to 50 hours per week and apart from 14hrs in November, I am now fully booked until next year.

As I said, selfishly, I am glad of the restrictions at the moment, as at now have a slight reprieve, but when it's lifted, I don't know how I will manage. Bearing in mind, the Covid situation is going to be an ongoing issue, with no foreseeable end date at present, for the first time ever I have considered giving up my profession and seeking employment elsewhere. I would put up with the fungal type infection and over-heating if I was complying with government guidelines, but I know I have to wear the visor. It's mandatory, but how can I safely work if I can't see properly.

Any advice from someone who has FACED and RESOLVED the same issue would be massively appreciated.

Thank you for taking time out to read this.

 

[user 111574]

Hi,
I think there are so many of us who could have written a very similar post - you are not on your own!

During the first and most busy week back, a lot of me getting hot and having headaches was actually down to my anxiety and not drinking enough water. If I get stressed then the hot flushes come on. Once I have my glasses and visor in place then it's easy to not want to take them off, have a drink and put them back on - hence dehydration and tension headaches.

Now I'm into my 3rd week of clients. it's getting easier and my anxiety is less and so I'm controlling my heat better. Normally I wear glasses for only close up work but I'm learning to manage with them on all the time under the visor and just looking over them for normal vision. This way I keep the visor clean.

Here are some suggestions which may or may not help your situation:

• Put your glasses and visor on at the last minute just before greeting the client. Don't try to take glasses off during treatments, place them at a level on your nose where you can look over them (Do you need a new prescription if you are needing to use extra light all the time? If you get new glasses have the extra anti-screen glare coating put on them - well worth it!)
• If you get a chance to be out of the room away from the client, take your visor off and dry your face.
• Don't wear make up, just translucent powder to help absorb moisture.
• Wear a clean tunic for each client - this way you don't have to wear a plastic apron which will only make you even hotter. Also nice and cooling.
• Leave much bigger gaps between clients. See only 3 clients for 2 hours each if poss for example.
• Off load massage and the more exhausting treatments to other staff if you can.
• Set up equipment the night before so you are less stressed in the morning for the first client.
• Only wear a mask with your visor if actually necessary (see gov rules).
• Make your client wear a mask or visor (mandatory from the 8th August anyway) if not already doing so.

I'm not sure about the fungal issues - perhaps someone else can come back with some info on this?

I am also dreading having to wear even more PPE for facials, I think the massive gaps between clients is the only way I will get through it!

 

[TheDuchess]

Great post CFBS. Totally agree with everything.

I think the problem is that you are trying to carry on as normal, in the middle of a pandemic, relying on PPE alone to manage. Managing isn’t just about PPE, that’s a last resort, you need to think about what else you can do to make things safe.

For example I used to do a very thorough intimate wax - now I can’t see properly, but that’s the least of my problems - I shouldn’t be getting that close anyway, instead I’ve concentrated on speeding up.

I suggest that the problem is your bookings - too many, not enough rest breaks, no time to reflect and learn and adjust practise to suit the new normal, I’m still learning the booking combinations that work best for me. Waxing followed by nails followed by waxing works on paper from a Covid security viewpoint, but I found it tiring, which made me hot and flustered, which made me run late.

Where do you go to from here? I’m the same age and also wear close vision glasses which I can’t see though at arms length and I normally constantly move them on and off my face.

I don’t touch my face or my glasses or my visor during a treatment. It just creates more problems for me than it solves. I systemise how I work, so I don’t need glasses on, glasses off throughout the treatment. Like CFBS I keep my glasses on, but perched on the end of my nose, in the right place for looking down, but giving me space to look over them. I am thinking about getting bifocals. My visor helps my glasses stay on my nose.

I spend extra time preparing for appointments so that I can work efficiently during the treatment. I keep tissues within arms reach. I grab a tissue if I need to touch anything and hold it with the tissue - if that doesn’t work for you consider having a small bowl with a wet cloth to hand for wiping hands down. .

I have liquid sanitiser (nilaqua) rather than gel, so my hands aren’t sticky and I wash my hands in preference to sanitiser whenever possible. I wonder if sanitiser on your face is partially responsible for the irritation?

I keep a mask, spare gloves and a clean hand towel in my washable apron pocket. If I need to get within 1 m of a client’s face I wipe my hands on the towel, sanitise them and put my mask on. As soon as I can, I remove the mask - often holding it just by the ear loops with a tissue and I shove it back in my pocket.

I don’t change masks between clients. You don’t do this even in a care home. Most masks last all day, but need to be changed after 4 hours continual use when they are pretty moist with exhaled air. If you can remove your mask at intervals, it will last all day. It will also give your facial skin a breather.

I have 3 styles of visor.
I have a Darth Vader type mask, hanging off a forehead sponge. I can’t see properly through this at all. I wear it at a jaunty angle so that it’s still a sneeze guard, but I don’t look through it, instead I look down, into the clear space between me and my client. This gets me through manis, pedis and waxing The angle creates an air gap that stops me getting too hot and I can reach under to touch my glasses if I need to - although I try not to. I can’t wear a mask under it continuously as I get too warm and my glasses steam up and I get flustered and anxious,

I have a visor that I expensively shipped from The States which is a kind of glasses frame with a plastic shield attached to the glasses. This has no forehead sponge and wraps quite closely around my face. It was disconcerting at first to feel it touching my chin and nose. It does get a bit steamy inside, but at least I don’t have sweat trickling down my forehead. And it doesn’t poke my chest when I’m massaging. I can see through it perfectly but it does have a lot of glare - I haven’t found this to be an issue as I’m not doing brows or lashes, so I’m not using a task light right over my client - instead I have good overall illumination which isn’t bouncing off my face as I’m looking down.

I also have an expensive opticians visor which fits around the neck. This is for facials and gives me much more Covid screen protection. It’s very reflective. I’ve used it for facial work (in training) without difficulty as I use “romantic soft lighting” which doesn’t bounce around. It’s designed for opticians to wear those illuminated lenses - maybe an internal light reduces the glare. I’ve only had it a day so haven’t had much of a chance to play with it.

In terms of glare, I still haven’t solved this. Options to play around include wearing a baseball cap to see if that shades my eyes from glare, fitting a section of anti reflective film on my visor (you can buy it for windows) Trialling different lights and lightbulbs. I think fatigue and stress are big factors, but I have considered the possibility that I may not be able to do detailed work under a visor. This is going to be pretty serious financially as brows and lashlifting are a big chunk of my income and I may lose clients that also come to me for other things.

Regarding the face mask rash. Poor you. I can definitely feel my own skin is affected. All I can suggest is ways to reduce your face mask wearing - and it may be that we are told to wear face masks anyway (it’s a bit odd to just use a visor for close contact services). I’m an Environ Stockist. I feel confident that this brand has solutions, including supplements to improve skin health. Reducing your stress and anxiety will also help, so the priority is to help you find work solutions.

 

[huskybar]

Thank you both for your replies.
I opened up bookings for the diary in June. If I had already started work under these conditions, I would definitely have scheduled my clients differently.
It seems I may as well stick with the visor and options I have, as apart from perching my glasses permanently on my nose, all of the above I am already doing.
I think I am reluctantly going to have to do a major rescheduling job on my diary, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid, but if this is how I have to work from now on, I will absolutely have to take more breaks. I'm dreading telling my husband, as this was his suggestion as soon as I started complaining I couldn't see properly. I argued that there was bound to be a solution to the problem out there somewhere, but it appears we're all in it together. Oh to have my 20 something vision back!!!
Anyway, I'm off to report back to my husband and wait for the, 'I TOLD YOU SO'.
Thanks again. Much appreciated

 

[Enchanting Beauty]

So sorry to hear that you are not coping at the moment. Trust me, being 38 with no need to wear glasses for treatments doesn’t feel much better!
I agree with the other comments, you might need to look at your bookings. This is not a normal situation & it is impossible to carry on as normal right now even though we all want to. I couldn’t work 50 hours in a week at the moment, I worked about 25 hours my first week back & that was way too much.
You may also want to take a bit longer cleaning your treatment area, are you rushing to do this in 15 minutes then making yourself hot & bothered?
Unfortunately it is still early days for us & it’s important to look after yourself & not get burned out. It’s difficult after not earning for so long but you need to look after yourself.

 

[RosieR]

Like a lot of us I am in the same boat, I wonder if there is actually a visor/mask/optical solution out there?
I can get a little spotty under the mask so I use toner to freshen the area under the mask and that cools me down too.
I couldn't do your hours Huskybar, you are going to become ill if you aren't careful.

 

[huskybar]

Thanks Rosie and Enchanting Beauty

Usually the hours don't bother me. I'm used to them (did a lot more when I had a town salon and staff to worry about!) but the lack of vision is what's impeding me and slowing me down. I've never been nervous doing my job, but not being able to see my task properly is a huge problem.
Anyway, looks like I'm stuck with it and if I find a visor with better clarity, I'll be sure to upload it on here.

Thanks again

 

[Ruthie67]

Firstly I want to apologise in advance for my whingeing tone, as I realise many people have had insurmountable problems to face over the last few months but I am seeking professional, concise advice and Google isn't cutting it. Unfortunately, I am desperately struggling with my face covering

I now work from home in separate purpose built extension and the therapists and hairdressers I used to employ are so much younger than myself, and don't appear to have the same issues. Well at least not on the same level as I am experiencing it anyway. I have assorted problems so I will lay them out below. I really need advice from someone who is encountering the same problems to ensure I make the correct purchases. Sorry it's a long one!!

I have been a full time practising beauty therapist for 39 years now and at 55yrs old, my reading glasses live as a headband on top of my head.
During the course of any one procedure, they are on and off perpetually.
All the problem equipment mentioned below was brought from the usual professional places, Salon Services/Sallys, Just Care Medical, Ellisons, Aston and Fincher, at the start of this Covid debacle, hoping to ensure quality. (not Amazon or Ebay)

So when it comes to the visor, which I know in the UK is mandatory, I purchased a reusable hinged screen one, (advertised as anti glare.) Looks pretty standard and says Face Shield protection mask on the top of the screen. I hoped the hinged mechanism would allow me to move my glasses up and down, but that has not proved as easy as I had hoped for. I have to hold the visor very securely to lift the screen up, otherwise the visor is pulled off my head. So I tried slipping my hand under the visor, as you would with a disposable screen one, but it's not really spacious enough for a swift movement. Either way is time consuming and fiddly, but also during these actions, my visor is getting covered with all the products on my gloves, (wax, foot scrubs, oils etc.) so I can't see through the mess. Also upon cleaning, no matter what I have tried, the vision is impaired even more by the cleaning process. Slight smears, tissues and cloth particles that will not shift and are highly magnified when it's on again.

Another hugh issue (probably aged related) is the need for me to constantly have my mag lamp light on, whatever treatment I'm performing (except massage). I also use the magnification lens A LOT. The glare and reflection off the visor renders me virtually blind. Thank goodness the close contact services haven't resumed as yet. I'll be looking through glasses, a visor, mag lamp lens and the moveable protective screen. It will be impossible.
My treatments involve facials, lash tint/lifting, brows, electrolysis, waxing and medi-pedicures. Due to the restrictions, I am doing lots of waxing and medi-pedicures. Not having clear vision is compromising the quality of my treatments greatly and I'm running terribly late, but that is the least of my worries, as I truly fear that I am going to put someone in A&E with the clippers or scalpel.

So this week, for vision purposes, I have ditched the visor (I'm aware I shouldn't, hence seeking advice here) and been using the the face masks that were purchased for clients (3 layer surgical style) Problems resolved, or so I thought. Vision is great and I solved the glasses steaming up issue quickly, but my face is now blessed with a sort of wet fungal style rash. I tested these face masks during lockdown on shopping trips and all seemed fine.

I think the issue has arisen due to how long I am wearing the mask for. It obviously works very effectively, as all my breath is staying in the mask and with chatting to clients all day, my face is permanently wet and my goodness, I'm SO hot and that's not a good thing at my age!! I change the mask between each client. I have put a maximum 2 hour limit on each appointment, with 15 mins clean down between clients. I work between 45 to 50 hours per week and apart from 14hrs in November, I am now fully booked until next year.

As I said, selfishly, I am glad of the restrictions at the moment, as at now have a slight reprieve, but when it's lifted, I don't know how I will manage. Bearing in mind, the Covid situation is going to be an ongoing issue, with no foreseeable end date at present, for the first time ever I have considered giving up my profession and seeking employment elsewhere. I would put up with the fungal type infection and over-heating if I was complying with government guidelines, but I know I have to wear the visor. It's mandatory, but how can I safely work if I can't see properly.

Any advice from someone who has FACED and RESOLVED the same issue would be massively appreciated.

Thank you for taking time out to read this.

Hi Hun,
I’m in a similar position in that I’m 53, have been a Therapist for 30+ years, now work from home and need to wear glasses and use a mag lamp for close up work.
It IS a nightmare - my daughter is an ICU Dr so I asked her advice on this as usually I’d take them on and off to do different treatments/walk up and down the stairs etc...
She said that we shouldn’t be taking them on and off due to risk of contamination (we CAN if we choose to), but would be putting ourselves at higher risk by doing so). Once the visor is on, it must stay on for the duration of the treatment and then cleaned. I am having to decide before my treatment starts whether to wear my glasses or not and it’s very difficult! As you say, thankfully we’re not yet doing close up eyebrow shapes etc. yet as when I wear a mask AND a visor which she says we must do for face treatments I then mist up too! Cleaning my glasses with soap and water every day helps a little I agree!
The glare from the mag lamp and even the visor, my glasses and my spot lights is weird - after my treatments I have little black dots in front of my eyes for ages!
Re cleaning my visor, I have 3 which I rotate - I’ve found placing it on a piece of bed roll then spraying it with an anti bacterial spray then drying it with kitchen roll then turning it over and doing the same on the other side is the best option. Kitchen roll is way better than bed roll for that. Once I’ve done that, I hang it up to fully dry and use another.
Other than that, I don’t know what else to suggest, but yes I completely agree with what you’re saying.
I am finding that I have to wear my glasses for treatments I don’t need them for, just so they’re already on for the 2nd treatment the client is having!
Hope you get it sorted - I think sadly that our eye sight is going to suffer during this time xx

 

[Ambermist]

Ravair Ltd has just launched a new 4 layer nose filter that has Hepa, Activated Carbon and a Flexzorb Anti Viral Material Layer that will kill virus. Visit the website or Flexzorbto get details of what they can do. The material is used in germ warfare military masks worldwide and in space suits, The material is electrostatically positively charged and as all viruses are negatively charged the virus sticks to the positive charge and pure silver in the material kills the virus. I GRAM of this material has more surface area than "half a football pitch" so size is not an issue.
Peter Jordan of the cabinet office is aware of these nose filters and said "the government has spent millions on face masks so can't change tack now but they may be very useful longer term" If handled correctly the nose filters are re-usable and can be used with a mask covering the mouth and the filters protecting the nose and allowing glasses to be used comfortably. Ravair have the full 28 page report from The Health Protection Agency England at Porton Down, Wiltshire, proving without doubt the Flexzorb Material actually works.

 

[huskybar]

Hi Hun,
I’m in a similar position in that I’m 53, have been a Therapist for 30+ years, now work from home and need to wear glasses and use a mag lamp for close up work.
It IS a nightmare - my daughter is an ICU Dr so I asked her advice on this as usually I’d take them on and off to do different treatments/walk up and down the stairs etc...
She said that we shouldn’t be taking them on and off due to risk of contamination (we CAN if we choose to), but would be putting ourselves at higher risk by doing so). Once the visor is on, it must stay on for the duration of the treatment and then cleaned. I am having to decide before my treatment starts whether to wear my glasses or not and it’s very difficult! As you say, thankfully we’re not yet doing close up eyebrow shapes etc. yet as when I wear a mask AND a visor which she says we must do for face treatments I then mist up too! Cleaning my glasses with soap and water every day helps a little I agree!
The glare from the mag lamp and even the visor, my glasses and my spot lights is weird - after my treatments I have little black dots in front of my eyes for ages!
Re cleaning my visor, I have 3 which I rotate - I’ve found placing it on a piece of bed roll then spraying it with an anti bacterial spray then drying it with kitchen roll then turning it over and doing the same on the other side is the best option. Kitchen roll is way better than bed roll for that. Once I’ve done that, I hang it up to fully dry and use another.
Other than that, I don’t know what else to suggest, but yes I completely agree with what you’re saying.
I am finding that I have to wear my glasses for treatments I don’t need them for, just so they’re already on for the 2nd treatment the client is having!
Hope you get it sorted - I think sadly that our eye sight is going to suffer during this time xx

Thanks Ruthie for your reply.

When I put the original post up, I imagined that someone would recommend this amazing visor for the 50 plus therapists out there. I don't think that is now going to happen, but that said, even though nobody has been able to come up with a straight solution to the vision problem, I do feel slightly comforted to know I'm not on my own.

Thank you for all your suggestions which I will happily put into practice.

Thanks again

 

[cali-dude]

Good afternoon all,

I stumbled on this as I have been thinking a lot about visor solutions that would equip/allow for more detailed work.

In the past I have worked in dimly lit spas where out of touch managers decided to remove the magnifying lights as they were "unsightly".

I remember refusing to perform extractions as it's dangerous if you don't have clear vision of what you are doing. I imagine this is even more important for detailed work like waxing and eyelash technicians whose work quality is dependant on their thoroughness.

After a lot of looking I've settled on the Bio Therapeutic bt-vision 2.0. It's equipped with a glasses holder, magnifying lenses, head torch and a fixed shield. It has two options for the head, one is a strap for around the head and the other is almost like the frames to glasses.

Here's the link to product - Pages Archive | Bio-therapeutic Europe

Also a video of it being assembled with further detail -

Not super cheap, but the quality seems to match the price. I think as a tool our eyes are so essential so I think it will be worth every penny. Also, it helps with floor clutter as it cuts out the need for a magnifying lamp which is a bonus.

Also, I require glasses for detailed work. I'm going to be making the switch to contact lenses. I know this is dependant on what your optician recommends, but I imagine that could solve some issues with wearing glasses?

 

[Amber5748]

In her book the Complete Nail Tech, Marian Newman says nail techs should never wear contact lenses as the vapours can affect the lens.

 

[Kyralouise]

In her book the Complete Nail Tech, Marian Newman says nail techs should never wear contact lenses as the vapours can affect the lens.

That's good to know. I felt so suffocated with glasses, mask and visor, especially in the heat. I just don't know what the solution would be.

 

[cali-dude]

In her book the Complete Nail Tech, Marian Newman says nail techs should never wear contact lenses as the vapours can affect the lens.

Heya,

I'm not too familiar with vapours from nail work as I only have worked in skin and massage. Would a visor not provide a degree of protection for the eyes?
If not, above could still provide a helpful solution to non-nail techs who require glasses, PPE and some sort of magnifying light or lens.

 

[tog]

Good afternoon all,

I stumbled on this as I have been thinking a lot about visor solutions that would equip/allow for more detailed work.

In the past I have worked in dimly lit spas where out of touch managers decided to remove the magnifying lights as they were "unsightly".

I remember refusing to perform extractions as it's dangerous if you don't have clear vision of what you are doing. I imagine this is even more important for detailed work like waxing and eyelash technicians whose work quality is dependant on their thoroughness.

After a lot of looking I've settled on the Bio Therapeutic bt-vision 2.0. It's equipped with a glasses holder, magnifying lenses, head torch and a fixed shield. It has two options for the head, one is a strap for around the head and the other is almost like the frames to glasses.

Here's the link to product - Pages Archive | Bio-therapeutic Europe

Also a video of it being assembled with further detail -

Not super cheap, but the quality seems to match the price. I think as a tool our eyes are so essential so I think it will be worth every penny. Also, it helps with floor clutter as it cuts out the need for a magnifying lamp which is a bonus.

Also, I require glasses for detailed work. I'm going to be making the switch to contact lenses. I know this is dependant on what your optician recommends, but I imagine that could solve some issues with wearing glasses?

This looks like a great bit of kit - but he didn't explain how it would work whilst wearing a visor! I can't see how you could have that on your head along with a visor too? What a shame.

 

[cali-dude]

This looks like a great bit of kit - but he didn't explain how it would work whilst wearing a visor! I can't see how you could have that on your head along with a visor too? What a shame.

Hey Tog, you have to look at the link that was before the YouTube video darling. That shows the device with a visor that's fitted to it. With it being so new, it doesn't look like they have had the chance to put an updated video out.

* The link isn't working as you would require a log-in. I suggest if it takes anyones fancy to get in touch with Bio Therapeutic to ask further questions. I've spoken with Laura Leigh at [email protected]

 

[cali-dude]

Found this, which shows it with the visor being attached

 

[cali-dude]

Fitted and on

 

[tog]

Hey Tog, you have to look at the link that was before the YouTube video darling. That shows the device with a visor that's fitted to it. With it being so new, it doesn't look like they have had the chance to put an updated video out.

* The link isn't working as you would require a log-in. I suggest if it takes anyones fancy to get in touch with Bio Therapeutic to ask further questions. I've spoken with Laura Leigh at [email protected]

Thanks for that, I'll definitely look into it further, as it looks like a brilliant product! Anything to make life easier for us when we go back to work.

 

[Mariejwic]

I've been dreading going back to work as I've always had migraines but on returning last summer they got so bad that my doctor recommended going on preventative medication because of the amount of painkillers I was taking. As it is, whilst we've not been able to work I haven't had one. I think like others have already said, I think it's a combination of pressure from the visor, dehydration from not being able to drink as often and the stress of it all in general. I've now got a portable screen that bends so i can place between myself and my clients for close work such as nails and facials but think the visor/magnifier would be great for more detailed work such as lashes, brows etc.