Did you know that you can be injured at the salon?

I spend a lot of time online, and recently I came across some articles about a class-action lawsuit in California for injuries sustained after receiving salon pedicures!

Injuries from nail salon manicures and pedicures include:

• Bacterial and fungal infections: These can spread throughout the body, even to the heart


• Viral infections including HIV and Hepatitis B


• Loss of nails or malformed nails


• Amputation of fingers or toes


• Chemical burns


• Permanent scarring


• Physical deformities such as shrunken fingers or toes

Some salon safety violations include:

• failure to dispose of dirty and used items such as nail files


• failure to disinfect tools such as foot spa jets and nets


• unsafe storage of disinfected tools


• the reuse of disposable tools such as nail buffers


• contaminated cosmetics

In the first known cases of this type, the San Jose personal injury attorneys of Bohn & Bohn reached a $2.919 million settlement against the "Fancy Nails" salon in Watsonville, California as well as the manufacturer and suppliers of "Pedispa" chairs used at the salon, after 74 people suffered severe skin infections. The infections were caused by mycobacteria (um, yuck!) that had grown in improperly cleaned and disinfected pedicure foot spas. In these cases, the infections resulted in painful oozing lesions and boils on the lower legs of salon patrons. In some cases, it also caused lesions on other parts of their bodies, leaving permanent scars and disfigurement. Imagine that, after a pedicure?

Of course, such cases are not limited to southern California. According to the article, such outbreaks have also been reported in Arizona, San Diego, Orange County, Sacramento, Texas, Florida, and Washington D.C.

If you're going to get a pedicure, here are some safety tips to help avoid injuries:

• At the nail salon, take note of conditions that could be unhealthy. Are there dirty towels on counters? Does the foot spa look clean?
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• Podiatrists and other physicians caution against having cuticles pushed down or cut and suggest bringing your own tools for these procedures.



• If you allow the salon's tools to be used, make sure they have been washed with soap and water and immersed in disinfectant.



• Disposable items, such as nail files, buffers and emery boards, are NOT to be reused.



• Remove nail polish after one or two weeks, then wait one or two weeks before reapplying.



• Do NOT get any beauty treatments, especially manicures and pedicures, if you have an open sore, broken skin or any kind of infection.



• Avoid shaving or waxing your legs within 24 hours of any foot-spa treatment.



• NEVER let salons use a razor blade to shave off callouses. In most cases, it is illegal, and doctors say it can spread blood-borne diseases.



• Check your local business for reports filed against them for unsanitary practices.

A million dollar settlement may sound like a windfall, but in my opinion, it's not worth the pain and suffering of an infection that can spread to your heart, cause permanent scarring, or result in loss of your digits!