To ask about toenail polish before surgery?

[florriepeck]

I know I can't wear fingernail polish before going to theatre for an upcoming operation, but is it okay to wear toenail polish?
I always have gel polish on my horrible toes, so it wouldn't even be easy to remove on the day.
Just worrying about getting everything right.

Thanks for replies.
A variety of opinions, and I am minded to particularly trust those answers from professional people, but it seems to depend on the quirks of individual theatre staff.
I will ask at my pre-op appointment.
I know it seems a silly thing to worry about, but I am so used to having a nice gel pedicure, and I won't be up to it for a while afterwards.
Maybe have a natural coloured polish and keep my beak shut ( and acetone in bag just in case).

My mum was an anaesthetist and said it's best not to have it as she could see how things were by colouration

(As others on the thread have advised as well)

I had an emergency surgery last year. I always have very long acrylic fingernails and gel polish on my toes. No way I’d have taken my nails off even if it wasn’t unplanned. Nurse told me toenail polish is perfectly fine so I wouldn’t worry about it. A lot of my friends have had pedicures right before their due date on purpose so their toes look pretty and they’ve never had a problem.

Fingernails nope unless emergency. Toes absolutely fine unless toe surgery. I’ve never known our anaesthetists to be bothered.

Surgery last year (spinal op) for 5hrs
Kept knickers and nail polish on

Had lots of surgeries. You normally get a check list with your letter and it's always in my experience to remove it. Good luck with the surgery

Anaesthetist here - I wouldn’t be too bothered most of the time but it depends what surgery you’re having. I’ve put a pulseoximiter (or “sats probe) on toes sometimes if they’re closest to me and the hands are difficult to get to with drapes etc (eg surgery on the head/neck so I’m sat near the feet), particularly in long operations where it’s good practice to change whichever digit the probe is attached to every now and then.

I had to remove mine for surgery on my face. Was given the remover. I always ensure I am not wearing any now if I have anything done, just in case.

Just to add, it was a local.

Lots of different opinions here, I've always been taught that no polish is the rule, check with your pre op clinic, maybe need to ask about any piercings too if you have any. I wanted to keep my pants on for a shoulder op, they gave in eventually and let me wear hospital paper ones which had elastic so don't know where that came from. , They were in a sterile pack till I opened them, they gave me a painkiller up my bottom so cut them off, I wondered where they had gone when I woke up.

Glad to read this! I read it last night and surgery today so too late to have gems taken off! Two have broken and peeled off anyway so they can see those to I thought I was going to be sent away!