can hiv transmitted through pimple cut on face during shaving by trimmer?
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry. From what we gather from the question, you were asking about acquiring HIV through getting a cut on the face from shaving. From the information given, this scenario is determined to be Negligible Risk (There are no evidence or no documented cases of transmission).
The scenario mentioned above does not meet the three components of the transmission equation. The transmission equation requires HIV being present in bodily fluids that are exchanged with direct access to the bloodstream when a high risk activity occurs (1). In this scenario it is important to consider whether the trimmer is shared with other people or not. If you are the sole user of the trimmer then there would be no risk as there would be no exchange of bodily fluid. In this scenario there could be an exchange of bodily fluids if this is a shared item and there is direct access to the bloodstream through the cut. There was no high risk activity in this scenario. High risk activities include: unprotected sex, sharing needles, unsafe tattoos or piercings, or vertical transmission–from mother to child (in utero, during delivery, breastfeeding) (1). It is important to consider if there was bodily fluid transferred from the trimmer to you as HIV can quickly become inactive in the environment (2). HIV does not survive long outside the human body such as on surfaces (2). HIV outside of the body or drying HIV causes a rapid (within several hours) 1-2 log (90%-99%) reduction in HIV concentration (2).
Recommendation: There are no evidence or no documented cases of transmission refer to physician for more personalized answers.
Regards,
AIDS Vancouver Helpline/Online, Danielle