Skin Maladies - warts, staph and other bumps in the light.

[+ DALE CRUZE]

I know that this will probably make a few folks cringe but i have to put it out there anyways for discussion. A few weeks ago i massaged a client who was super nice and all but i noticed the client had a good number of small warts on their skin (mostly on the legs) I felt them right away and did my best to work around them but there were quite a few and i couldn't help but to start feeling very uncomfortable with massaging the client. it kinda took a toll and my happy attitude became very ...well irritated . Irritated becuz i don't know how to deal with it in the moment . irritated becuz i felt some kind of resentment toward the otherwise very polite and nice client. To be clear, warts can be common and usually a result of human papilloma virus. They ARE contagious with skin to skin contact. it's impossible to avoid them completely and easy to combat with proper immediate hand-washing and a good healthy immune system. BUT, never-the-less, they can present a very HUGE problem to the livelihood of a masseur. SOOO.... any thoughts on how to handle the situation? any thoughts on the client who willfully gets massages even tho they know they have this malady ? i have also sometimes encountered staph boils as well and i just wonder if others have encountered these situations also and how they have handled it ??? looking for a robust healthy debate and advice

[+ DALE CRUZE]

I know that this will probably make a few folks cringe but i have to put it out there anyways for discussion. A few weeks ago i massaged a client who was super nice and all but i noticed the client had a good number of small warts on their skin (mostly on the legs) I felt them right away and did my best to work around them but there were quite a few and i couldn't help but to start feeling very uncomfortable with massaging the client. it kinda took a toll and my happy attitude became very ...well irritated . Irritated becuz i don't know how to deal with it in the moment . irritated becuz i felt some kind of resentment toward the otherwise very polite and nice client. To be clear, warts can be common and usually a result of human papilloma virus. They ARE contagious with skin to skin contact. it's impossible to avoid them completely and easy to combat with proper immediate hand-washing and a good healthy immune system. BUT, never-the-less, they can present a very HUGE problem to the livelihood of a masseur. SOOO.... any thoughts on how to handle the situation? any thoughts on the client who willfully gets massages even tho they know they have this malady ? i have also sometimes encountered staph boils as well and i just wonder if others have encountered these situations also and how they have handled it ??? looking for a robust healthy debate and advice

[+ sniper]

Are you sure they were warts and not seborrheic keratosis?

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/bumps-and-growths/seborrheic-keratoses

 

Also, they have recently expanded the age guidelines for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, and I would think all massage therapists should get it.

[MscleLovr]

My physician once commented that it’s rather difficult to get warts from skin/skin contact. He pointed out that he’d touched and examined lots in his working life but never had one himself.

[+ sniper]

My physician once commented that it’s rather difficult to get warts from skin/skin contact. He pointed out that he’d touched and examined lots in his working life but never had one himself.

 

If it were THAT hard to get they'd be a lot less common. He's also likely promptly washing his hands, which people don't do in every instance of skin-to-sking contact they have. There's also a difference between touching someone for 30 seconds versus 60-90 minutes...he has orders of magnitude less exposure than a masseur or sex partner.

[Guest]

I would agree with sniper in that I would question whether what you saw on the legs really were warts. That's a pretty unusual place for warts. Also, they're really not that contagious. Some people just seem more susceptible than others. The HPV won't help you for the warts that you see on the hands or feet; it only protects from warts in the genital/oral area. Still worth getting the shots if you're eligible, but it's not going to protect you from plantar/hand warts. That being said, if you're afraid of contagion from a lesion or lesions, you have every right to say that you want to either cover those areas, or wait until the boil or whatever has healed before offering the massage.

[+ sniper]

Actually my dermatologist was telling they are having some data coming in that the vaccine may help some people somewhat with regular warts. It's possible you get some cross-strain immunity now that the vaccine covers more different strains of HPV.

[+ DALE CRUZE]

Are you sure they were warts and not seborrheic keratosis?

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/bumps-and-growths/seborrheic-keratoses

 

Also, they have recently expanded the age guidelines for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, and I would think all massage therapists should get it.

yeah, i know they can be somewhat similar. and of course in that setting i can't honestly say i am 100 % sure but im comforatble with saying i am 75% certain it was small warts.

[RunnerGuy]

Are you sure they were warts and not seborrheic keratosis?

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/bumps-and-growths/seborrheic-keratoses

 

Also, they have recently expanded the age guidelines for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, and I would think all massage therapists should get it.

 

Keep in mind that Gardasil doesn't treat HPV, so if you already are a carrier (and many men do not know they are as there may not be visible symptoms), it does not clear it.

 

However, everyone should get a HPV vaccine to protect against other strains. It now covers men and women up to age 45. If you are older, you can still pay to get the three-course inoculation.