For more detailed information about MRSA, please read: MRSA: Silent Killer - Are You at Risk?

How can you make a difference?

If you are a healthcare giver, reading this article may help you spare a patient's life. First and foremost, MRSA is one of most preventable infections; and it begins with you. While you were growing up, certainly you'd heard your mother say, "Don't forget to wash your hands before dinner." Your mother was, and still is absolutely correct. But her common advice applies even more so in medical community. Per CDC, "...The main mode of transmission of MRSA is via hands (especially health care workers' hands) which may become contaminated by contact with a) colonized or infected patients, b) colonized or infected body sites of personnel themselves, or c) devices, items, or environmental surfaces contaminated with body fluids containing MRSA."

According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), there is a "Guideline for Isolation Precautions in Hospitals" (Infect Control Hosp. Epidemiol 1996;17:53-80). This guideline is purportedly widely used and "...should control spread of MRSA in most instances." However, if this guideline is adhered to, why have too many patient's lost their lives due to MRSA? Simply put, it is a guideline; but not enough individuals are paying enough attention.

The following Standard Precautions (as published on CDC) list these guidelines that should be strictly followed:

1. Handwashing Wash hands after touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, and contaminated items, whether or not gloves are worn. Wash hands immediately after gloves are removed, between patient contacts, and when otherwise indicated to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other patients or environments. It may be necessary to wash hands between tasks and procedures on same patient to prevent cross-contamination of different body sites.
2. Gloving Wear gloves (clean nonsterile gloves are adequate) when touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, and contaminated items; put on clean gloves just before touching mucous membranes and nonintact skin. Remove gloves promptly after use, before touching noncontaminated items and environmental surfaces, and before going to another patient, and wash hands immediately to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other patients or environments.
3. Masking Wear a mask and eye protection or a face shield to protect mucous membranes of eyes, nose, and mouth during procedures and patient-care activities that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions.
4. Gowning Wear a gown (a clean nonsterile gown is adequate) to protect skin and prevent soiling of clothes during procedures and patient-care activities that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions or cause soiling of clothing.
5. Appropriate device handling Handle used patient-care equipment soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions in a manner that prevents skin and mucous membrane exposures, contamination of clothing, and transfer of microorganisms to other patients and environments. Ensure that reusable equipment is not used for care of another patient until it has been appropriately cleaned and reprocessed and that single-use items are properly discarded.
6. Appropriate handling of laundry Handle, transport, and process used linen soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions in a manner that prevents skin and mucous membrane exposures, contamination of clothing, and transfer of microorganisms to other patients and environments.

If MRSA is judged by hospital's infection control program to be of special clinical or epidemiologic significance, then Contact Precautions should be considered.

The finishing touch to any makeup routine is lips. Here are some basic steps and techniques to help you achieve lip perfection.

Prep:

Even most gorgeous lip color can't hide dry, chapped lips. Start with healthy, moisturized lips prior to any lip color application.

Lips need exfoliation, just like your skin does. Lip Glosses help moisturize, but they can't exfoliate. Sugar crystals are a natural exfoliant - just rub sugar over slightly moistened lips to get rid of dry skin. For a more luxurious effect, try Alexis Vogel Exfoliating Lip Balm with crushed apricot seeds and essential moisturizing oils.

Apply a lip gloss and let it set while you are doing rest of your makeup to help moisturize skin, then blot it to remove any excess when you're ready to apply lip color.

Base:

Lightly cover your lips with foundation - then powder. Be sure to blot powder with a puff or tissue. This evens out any lip discoloration and acts as a "base" to lock in your lip color for long wear.

Line:

A Lip Liner adds definition, helps sculpt shape of your lips - and prevents your lipstick from bleeding. You can make your lips look smaller, larger or more balanced just with a Lip Liner, so it's an important and vital tool.

There are two methods to line lips - connect dots or feather/sketch with short strokes.

Connecting dot method is easier for beginners, especially if you don't have a steady hand. Just draw dots on each point of cupid's bow on your upper lip and then two more dots directly below them on your bottom lip. Then, just connect dots. Remember to use a light touch.

To feather, use short, delicate strokes - start from outside and blend strokes inwards - also using a light touch. The key here is not having it look like a solid lip line. Be sure to use a sharpened pencil to achieve lightest feathery strokes possible for a natural look. A great creamy pencil to try is Alexis Vogel Lip Liner.