If you believe CNN, you may have to say farewell to some of your clients in the medical field, or at least transition them to natural nails. According to a report on CNN.com, a study of nurses who wear artificial nails demonstrated that they were much more likely to have harmful bacteria and yeast on their hands even after handwashing. Dr. Shelly McNeil of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, found that before handwshing 73% of nurses who wore artificial nails had harmful germs on their nails compared with only 32% of nurses who did not wear them. Even after washing with soap and water or an antimicrobial gel, 68% of artificial nail wearers had harmful bacteria present compared with only 26% of nurses without nails. “At the very least, health care workers who want to wear artificial nails should wear rubber gloves and wash their hands more carefully,” advises McNeil.

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