Why would an anesthesiologist advise me?

to not wear nail polish or makeup before a surgery?





Are they really going to check my toes for polish during my oral surgery?





Thanks!Why would an anesthesiologist advise me?
Nail polish interferes with a monitor that we use, that uses a finger clip to tell how much oxygen is in your blood.





Makeup prevents us from evaluating your skin color, and if you have mascara on, it could flake off, go into your eye and cause a corneal abrasion.





There really are reasons behind the rules. I don't think your toenail polish is going to matter.





If it's oral surgery in the oral surgeon's office (as opposed to orthognathic oral surgery in a hospital), it's not as big a deal, but you really ought to do what they say.





I make women wash off their makeup, and I have removed nail polish and jewelry. I'm constantly amazed at how people don't think the rules apply to them.Why would an anesthesiologist advise me?
Because they'll just end up removing the nail polish. They have a machine to check how well you're getting oxygen into your blood, and it has to shine a light through your nail - either of your toenail or fingernail (whichever is more convenient and closer to the machine). That's all. For oral surgery, they'll probably just use your finger. :D
It's so they can check for capillary refill. They press on your nail and count how many seconds it takes until it turns pink again. Thats a quick way of seeing how well your blood is circulating in your extremities.
I think the answer lies in the possibility of complications surely, but maybe if you wear really bright polish it could dazzle the surgeon under all those operating theater lights.