Dangers Of Getting Manicures And Pedicures

For many people a day at the nail salon is a day of relaxation. Getting pampered, and getting nails done, is a bit of self indulgence that we all deserve. But the seemingly innocuous act of getting manicures or pedicures, can actually have serious consequences.

Small Wounds–At First

What is so alarming about injuries at nail salons, is that many of the injuries don’t at first seem like injuries at all. Minor nicks or scratches or scrapes, are often ignored and hardly thought of as anything serious.

But when you get a scrape in “real life,” you put a bandaid on it and move on. In a nail salon, that small but still open wound is now being exposed to all of the bacteria that is on the tools and the instruments that are being used on you to get your manicure and pedicure.

Not Always Clean

And don’t just assume that those instruments that they are using on you are clean; some salons do not do a sufficient job in cleansing their tools, making it easy to introduce bacteria, and thus, infection, into the wounds.

That may be because of a lack of the tools and chemicals that are needed to clean and sterilize, but it also may be because of poor oversight or training of the nail salon staff. Many nail salon workers are trained to do nails—not to be experts in the sanitary sterilization of the equipment that they are using.

Infection and Amputation

Yes, it is a stretch to say that a minor wound suffered at the nail salon will lead to major injury—but it does happen. There have been situations where limbs had to be amputated after what started off as seemingly minor cuts and scrapes. In some cases, the victims may have had other underlying or pre existing conditions that made them more vulnerable, such as peripheral artery disease or diabetes.

So how do you know if that small nick is just a nick—or whether it is something to be more concerned about?

There are signs that an injury is becoming infected, and thus, in immediate need of medical attention.

If the area where the wound occurred becomes discolored, or has fluid in or around it, you may have an infection. Likewise if the pain starts to spread outward from the wound, seemingly being painful farther away from the exact location of the injury, that is also a very bad sign.

If the wound is near a joint, like a finger or toe joint, pain moving the joint can be a sign of infection, as can any general feelings of illness, similar to flu-like symptoms.

Make sure to only go to salons that are clean, where the workers are attentive and not distracted, and which generally look organized. These are signs that your nail salon is likely safer than the rest.

Injured at a nail salon, or spa, or while getting a manicure or pedicure? Call the West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys at Pike & Lustig today for help.

Sources:

apnews.com/article/business-health-tampa-florida-20f76bba294544c855649f2b9113f5c3#:~:text=TAMPA%2C%20Fla.,the%20Tampa%20Bay%20Times%20reorted.

seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/wound-infection/