Download Pedicure pointers - Virginia Sole

BETTERHEALTH
When it comes to salon
safety, it pays to be on
your toes. These 5 simple
tips will ensure happy feet.
by virginia sole-smith
W
LOOK FOR FREESTANDING FOOTBATHS
“Stand-alone foot basins that aren’t hooked to an outside
water source offer the absolute safest pedicures,” Dr.
Youner says. Unlike attached footbaths, which recirculate
water using whirlpool jets, freestanding basins have no
inner workings in which germs and debris can hide. “All
reported cases of MRSA from pedicures have been traced
to bacteria in the footbath plumbing,” Dr. Youner adds.
Plus, detached basins are easier to clean between clients,
says Sara Gasparotto, a stylist and manicurist at Primrose Organics Salon in Los Angeles. “We bring them to a
sink and scrub them under hot running water, then apply
disinfectant,” she says. “Any debris goes down the drain.”
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PHOTOS: MARTY BALDWIN
Pedicure
pointers
hen a surgical procedure left
Karen Bakaj too sore to bend and
touch her toes for several weeks
last summer, she decided to treat
herself to a pedicure. Days after
her appointment at a local nail salon, however, the
fourth toenail on her left foot turned cloudy and fell off.
Horrified—and with several other toenails starting to
look iffy—Karen saw a podiatrist, who diagnosed her
with a fungal infection. “I’m a person who wears flipflops in the gym shower and won’t even walk barefoot
in hotels,” says Karen, 55, of Columbia, South Carolina.
“I knew it must have been the pedicure.” It would take
four months of daily treatment with a topical antifungal
medication for the infection to clear up.
Every year during sandal season, millions of women
visit nail salons to pretty up their feet. Most don’t
experience complications, but a significant number
do. “At least once a month I see a patient who has
contracted an infection from a nail salon,” says D’Anne
Kleinsmith, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in
Bloomfield, Michigan. “I’ve even developed two fungal
infections from pedicures myself.”
Licensed nail salons are subject to inspections by
state or city health departments. But the frequency of
monitoring depends on the ratio of inspectors to nail
salons in the area. And even then, the rate of compliance
with health regulations can vary widely.
Fungal infections like Karen’s are the most common
risk. Bacteria are another hazard—particularly MRSA,
a rare but tough-to-treat strain of staph that can rapidly
progress beyond skin. Bottom line: “If you develop
redness, pain, swelling, discomfort, or any unusual
symptoms in your feet or lower legs after a pedicure,
alert your doctor,” says Johanna Youner, a podiatric
surgeon in New York City.
Fortunately, experts say that if you follow a few basic
pointers, safe pampering is possible.
BETTERHEALTH
SUSS OUT THE SCHEDULE
If your local salon does use whirlpool footbaths, make
sure your nail tech builds in at least 15 minutes between
clients. This is a clue that the salon takes sanitation
seriously. “Disinfecting a whirlpool footbath involves
scrubbing the basin with hot soapy water, removing and
cleaning the filter, spraying everything with a hospitalgrade disinfectant, and running disinfectant through
the pipes—a 10-minute process,” explains Linda Bond,
executive director of the International Pedicure Association, an organization that educates salon personnel on
pedicure safety. Techs also need several minutes to wash
their hands and lay out a clean set of tools.
TOTE YOUR OWN TOOLS
At a nail salon, nothing spreads germs more quickly
than unclean tools. So if you can’t see the tools being
sterilized (either in an autoclave—a device that subjects
them to germ-killing heat—or a special chemical bath),
bring a set from home. “I’m never insulted when a client
comes in with her own supplies, because her comfort
level is my top priority,” Gasparotto says. Just note that
even personal tools should be cleaned with rubbing
alcohol or hot soapy water after every use.
You might want to avoid the shared bottles of polish,
too. “It’s not unusual for us to find fungi growing on
polish brushes,” says C. Ralph Daniel, M.D., a dermatology
professor at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Bringing your polish not only protects you from microbes,
it gives you control over color and allows you to reduce
your exposure to the potentially irritating trio of formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate. When shopping
PEDI PREP
Before you go
Because nicks and cuts in skin can provide
an entryway for waterborne bacteria, it’s
smart to refrain from shaving or waxing
your legs for 24 hours prior to your pedicure, says Linda Bond, executive director of
the International Pedicure Association. Also,
dry skin tends to be vulnerable to infection
(due to tiny surface cracks), so podiatrist
Johanna Youner suggests applying a gentle
moisturizer such as Cetaphil to feet and
lower legs a few hours before you go. One
final tip: Use a nailbrush to clean under your
toenails at home. This allows you to skip the
more aggressive—and therefore riskier—
cleaning you’d likely get at the salon.
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A typical bottle
of nail polish contains
enough for dozens of
pedicures, so a salon’s
brushes touch many toes.
for polish, choose a brand labeled “3 free” or one that
doesn’t list these chemicals in the ingredients.
OPT FOR GRADUAL GROOMING
Sharp tools such as callus shavers and cuticle clippers
make quick work of removing rough stuff from feet.
The downside is that it takes just one slip of the hand to
break your skin. This leaves you vulnerable to infection
after you leave the salon. So for the bottom of your feet,
ask your pedicurist to use a foot buffer or pumice stone:
They both remove calluses more gradually. And consider
leaving your cuticles as is. “This skin forms seals around
your nails that protect against harmful organisms,” Dr.
Kleinsmith says. If the cuticles on your toes are dry and
scratchy, try rubbing in cuticle cream to soften them.
INSIST ON STRAIGHT CUTS
Cutting toenails too short or into a rounded shape ups the
odds that they will become ingrown, says Dr. Youner. This
is a nuisance unto itself, but ingrown nails also create a
potential on-ramp into your skin for infectious bacteria.
For these reasons, ask your pedicurist to cut your toenails
straight across, keeping them more or less flush with the
tips of your toes. And if you do develop an ingrown nail,
head to a doctor, not back to the salon. “Treatment may
require minor surgery,” Dr. Youner says. Q