[Question #7153] Barber Risk

60 months ago

Hi Dr

I am really sad that i keep finding myself on this forum asking for reassurance.

The thing is i am not mentally well and suspect i am suffering from OCD health anxiety

I am starting to tackle it now and am seeking therapy as soon as possible

i hope to overcome this and not be on this forum again

I am worried that i might have got infected from an unclean barber shop as when i showered

that night i felt a burning sensation in my beard region and it got me thinking that i may

have been cut by the not steralized razor that the barber used, the place wasnt my usual barber

and was not that hygienic and run by immigrants who may not be adhering to hygiene standards

and the main reason i went was because it was a bit cheaper.

1) is this something i should be worried about doc?

2) Do i need to take action and get tested for HIV?

Thank you for your patience

60 months ago

also note i came down with flu syptoms such as fever, coughing etc about 13 days after incident

Edward W. Hook M.D.

60 months ago

Welcome back to our forum. I appreciate your acknowledgment of your OCD. Respectfully, the purpose of this forum is to provide accurate, factual information regarding sexually transmitted infections and HIV and is not to provide therapy for persons with OCD. I’m pleased that you will be seeking care. I suspect you already know what my answer will be, but your concerns are of no have no basis in scientific fact. I note that the event that you are focused on at the moment occurred at least two weeks ago and wonder why you are only asking about it now. How long ago did this event occur?

While we get many questions regarding shaving and other activities which take place in barbershops, the fact is that they are baseless and there are no proven infections which ever occurred in this setting. It should be no surprise that you experienced a certain amount of burning on your skin following this visit as shaving, by design scrapes the skin in removing hairs. A certain amount or rawness is to be expected. Thus, your visit to the barbershop was a no risk event. There is no scientific reason for concern nor is there any scientific reason for testing related to this event.

Rather than being worried about the nonexistent possibility of HIV from the event you describe, in this day and age with your fever and cough it is more appropriate to be concerned about COVID-19. If you seek testing of any sort, that is the testing I would prioritize. I hope this information is helpful to you. I also encourage you to pursue care for your OCD as you suggested you plan to do. Take care. EWH

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