For all the people commenting on our latest TikTok video.
Barbers Disease
Barber’s disease is a very rare occupational disease in which small hair fragments penetrate the skin between a barber’s fingers. It is more commonly associated with barbers as they are exposed to short, needle-like hair clippings produced when trimming a male client’s beard or hair.
The hair gathers in “pockets” between the barber’s index fingers, which they have to remove every month. It is a rarely reported syndrome and was first discovered in the USA in 1942.
How Does CG Know About This?
Well, our very own Carlos Gamal, the owner of CG, suffers from this syndrome. He is a third-generation barber, and his father, also a barbershop owner and talented barber, also suffers from the same disorder.
In the 22 years Carlos has been behind a barber’s chair, he has cut close to 45,000 haircuts, and his father has cut considerably more. Many people ask, “Why not wear gloves? Surely that solves the problem.” However, as a technical barber, wearing gloves reduces the sense of touch and grip on the scissors, which is essential. Additionally, wearing latex gloves for 10 hours a day can cause more issues.
If you want to have a sneak peek and check out the video of Carlos Gamal’s “famous fingers,” head over to our TikTok account @cgbarbershop and have a look at the video. Over 1.5 million people have already viewed it, with hundreds of comments.