Experts from the city are reporting cases where sanitisers are “wiping off” fingerprints along with the Covid-19 virus. Experts blamed the nature ..
Source: Excessive use of sanitisers could erase your fingerprints: Experts, Health News, ET HealthWorld
Ahmedabad: If you value your fingerprints, don’t over-sanitise. Nehal Mistry, a bank professional, learned this the hard way when the office biometric attendance machine failed to recognise her fingerprints.
The Bopal resident used to sanitise her hands at least six-seven times a day. “Even my home security system could not read my fingerprints. I was already receiving treatment for a skin problem. So, my dermatologist asked me to reduce the use of alcohol-based sanitiser and shift to soap-based cleaning. She also prescribed a few ointments. It worked, and I got my fingerprints back.”
She’s not alone in the ordeal. Experts from the city are reporting cases where sanitisers are “wiping off” fingerprints along with the Covid-19 virus. Experts blamed the nature of alcohol for the phenomenon. The condition is temporary, but it can happen to people using sanitisers excessively or not using moisturisers enough, they added.
Dermatologist Anshul Warman said that the issue is reported frequently now that several offices have resumed biometric attendance post-pandemic. “Due to the use of sanitisers and other hand rubs, there is abrasion of the skin’s upper layer (epidermis). The fingerprints are formed due to the ridges in this layer. The abrasions change it and a clear image is not formed,” she said, adding that edema (swelling) and contact dermatitis also affect the fingerprint pattern.
“About 3-4% of our staff members have complained of non-registration of their fingerprints for biometric attendance,” said Dr Pranay Shah, dean of B J Medical College. “We have devised other methods to record the attendance.” More @ Source.
