Nail polish off before surgery?

[Sydney Lynn Pinckley 20]

Does anyone else's Surgeon packet say they have to have their nail polish off before surgery?

and does anyone know why that is?

[Recycled 2,182]

I believe that while under anesthesia they need to be able to see the color of your nails to determine the saturation of Oxygen during surgery.

[bklyn girl 9]

I heard that also, but while I was being prepped for surgery they hospital socks on me....

[MIJourney 490]

I had to have no nail polish on hands but could have it on toes:)

[deedadumble 1,033]

They wanted mine off, but I had shellac polish on my fingernails and it wasn't gonna come off. They took my toenail polish off. I wish I had know before so I wouldn't have wasted the money on a pedicure.

[Sydney Lynn Pinckley 20]

gosh :/ I guess I will just have to do a pedicure with nail polish and manicure with no nail polish

[JeanZ_RN 378]

Requiring fingernail polish to be removed is a holdover from long ago, before pulse oximeters were in common use. You are correct that back then, the anesthesiologist wanted to be able to see the fingernails to guage oxygenation -- pink nail beds = good, purple = not good.

Modern hospitals now use a pulse oximeter (ox SIMM i ter) instead. It's a little device that is gently clipped onto a finger. It reads the O2 saturation through the skin on the pad of the finger, not through the nail, so nail polish is irrelevant. My anesthesiologist said even my acrylic nails would not be a problem.

That said, some hospitals still cling to the old ways...

[ribearty 544]

I had to take my polish off. Sometimes the pulse ox does not read correctly with polish on. I was told that red polish can cause issues. I didn't want to take a chance of them refusing my surgery so had no polish or acrylic nails on.

[Teachamy 1,042]

All they told me was no makeup, but I took my shellac off anyway, just to be safe.

[formyboys3 4]

I asked at my preop apt about the hospital policy. My surgeons handbook said no polish, but the hospital said I could have it on my toes. I wanted to get a pedi so bad before surgery (partly to help me fill the day before surgery w/distractions lol) and didn't want to waste $ if they were going to make me remove the polish. They told me no color on my fingers but I could do clear. I just ended up leaving my hands alone.

[missjenny 43]

I could have polish on toes but not on hands. I also could not have any body lotion, deodorant or makeup on.

[FibroDiva 60]

they made me remove polish from both fingers and toes. I got a mani-pedi with no polish as a compromise. they used the monitor on the finger but still wanted no polish.