A major global problem today in every country is the prevalence of infections transmitted parenterally. This is how hepatitis B, C, and HIV infections can be contracted. In Ukraine, viral hepatitis holds a dominant position in the structure of infectious diseases in terms of its negative health impact and incidence rates.

Additionally, in beauty industry establishments, procedures are often performed on skin surfaces, mucous membranes, hair, and nails, which unfortunately may be affected by fungal infections.

These are very simple questions. Is a beauty salon or cosmetic clinic visitor ready to receive a terrible disease instead of beauty, contracted during cosmetic procedures? Obviously, no, no, and no again. Are the workers ready to become victims of occupational diseases caused by accidental cuts, scratches, or even just contact of blood or other biological fluids from clients with unprotected hands or mucous membranes? It should be known that the infectious dose required for hepatitis B infection may be invisible to the naked eye (without a microscope). To prevent occupational infections caused by various pathogens (hepatitis B, C, D, HIV, and others) during procedures that may damage the skin or mucous membranes and involve likely contamination with biological fluids, primarily blood, staff must adhere to universal safety measures. Disinfection — that is, the decontamination of cosmetology instruments — is the foundation of these precautionary measures.

Unfortunately, regulatory documents that clearly prescribe all sanitary and anti-epidemic measures for cosmetology facilities and personal service establishments (which currently include hairdressers and beauty salons) are absent today. Nevertheless, there should be a clear understanding that requirements for anti-epidemic safety at such enterprises must justifiably be equated to those demanded in medical institutions.

According to the Order No. 120 of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, "medical instruments, as well as utensils, linens, devices, and others contaminated with blood, biological fluids, or mucus, must immediately after use undergo disinfection in accordance with regulatory documentation. The disinfection regimen is analogous to that used for the prevention of viral hepatitis infection." Considering the current situation, it is absolutely valid to state that cosmetology instruments, as possible vectors of infection transmission, are equated with medical instruments and other medical devices. In this field, the sanitary rules and regulations for various types of hairdressing establishments DSPIN 2.2.2.022-99 (hereinafter Sanitary Rules) also apply.

It is best to use disposable instruments and cosmetic products. However, even disposable tools, if contaminated with blood or other biological fluids after use, require decontamination. No one can be completely sure that such instruments are free of infectious agents; remember: “a dose sufficient for infection can be contained in an invisible drop of blood,” and from there pathogens can contaminate surrounding surfaces. For disinfection of disposable instruments, inexpensive but reliable chlorine-containing disinfectants can be used, such as “Dezaktin,” “Zhavilary Effect,” “Zhavilary Effect U,” “Zhavilary Plus,” “Zhavilary Plus U,” “Javel chlorine tablets,” “Javel,” “Clorsept,” “Monochloramine,” “Neochlor,” and “Chlorantoin.”

According to Sanitary Rules, cosmetology instruments, manicure and pedicure tools, plastic items, cutting parts of electric clippers, brushes, combs, tattooing and permanent makeup instruments, piercing tools, and other reusable instruments that in the course of procedures damage or may damage skin or mucous membranes are subject to mandatory disinfection, pre-sterilization cleaning, and sterilization by one of the effective and accessible methods and means.

Disinfection is performed by immersion, wiping, or spraying (the latter two are more common for items with complex shapes, difficult to disinfect thoroughly). Items that can be submerged in disinfectant solution must be disinfected by immersion, as it is the most reliable method.

The procedure must be carried out immediately after instrument use. Instruments are placed in the working solution of disinfectant in specially designated containers. Disinfectant solutions are prepared in enameled, metal, glass, or plastic containers with lids and proper labeling (name of agent, date of preparation, batch number, expiry date, concentration, purpose). It is best to use standard containers manufactured by light industry, as they are convenient and facilitate the disinfection process. They consist of a container, a perforated basket inserted into the container, a weight (to prevent instruments from floating), and a lid.

Instruments are fully immersed in the disinfectant solution; detachable parts are disassembled and filled in cavities and channels. Instruments with locks and hinges should be disinfected in an open state. Items must be completely covered by the solution; therefore, do not overcrowd the soaking bath. Instruments with hollow parts should have no air trapped inside; for such instruments (e.g., tubes, cannulas), particular attention is needed to ensure the solution fills them entirely. Syringes or other approved devices can be used to help fill internal cavities.

The disinfection regimen follows the methodological guidelines developed and approved by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for each disinfectant individually. Tables or sections specifying usage modes for parenteral viral infections (hepatitis B, C) should be consulted for medical or cosmetology instruments. After the exposure time (the time required to kill infectious agents), the next stage is pre-sterilization cleaning of reusable cosmetic instruments intended for sterilization.

Contamination mainly consists of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and lime scale. To remove them from instruments, these contaminants must be converted into water-soluble compounds. This can be achieved by breaking down large molecules into simpler ones soluble in water, e.g., using enzymes. Modern products containing detergents, enzymatic compounds, and enzymes (such as Biomoy, Gigazim, Sidezim, Bodedex Forte) are recommended, providing optimal cleaning of protein, fat, nail plate residues, epidermis, and drug residues. Cleaning is done using special soft brushes and cotton or fabric swabs.

Recently, due to the introduction of disinfectants combining active antimicrobial agents with cleaning components, pre-sterilization cleaning and disinfection are often done in the same working solution. The methodological guidelines for these agents provide separate tables for “disinfection compatible with pre-sterilization cleaning,” including modes targeting hepatitis B and C.

Good cleaning and washing properties are exhibited by quaternary ammonium compounds, tertiary amines, polyguanidine derivatives, and agents containing peroxide compounds. Aldehydes and alcohols tend to fix organic contaminants. Therefore, when combining disinfection and pre-sterilization cleaning in one solution, these facts must be considered, especially for instruments with complex configurations and rough surfaces. Aldehydes are chemical compounds with high antimicrobial activity and are considered in disinfectant production. To mitigate aldehydes' fixing properties, modern disinfectants combine them with detergents such as quaternary ammonium compounds or polyguanidines.

Some chemicals can react, for example, causing precipitation or color changes. Aldehyde-containing agents may leave invisible residues; subsequent use of tertiary amine-based products can cause dark spots due to the “aldehyde-tertiary amine” reaction. Therefore, when switching disinfectants, thorough cleaning with enzymatic agents is advisable to improve instrument condition.

After disinfection, instruments are rinsed with water until the disinfectant smell disappears. Tap water contains salts; particularly chloride and minerals causing water hardness. These can form deposits and cause corrosion during sterilization. Therefore, rinsing with distilled water is mandatory before sterilization. Afterwards, instruments are dried and sterilized by an approved method.