Many patients that we see everyday come to use with bacterial and fungal infection of the feet and nails after going to their local nail salon. Hundreds and thousands of Americans every year pick up these microorganisms due to the equipment that is used on them while getting their routine mani-pedi.
Considering that bacteria and fungi live all around us everyday they are usually no big deal. However, when digging into the crevices of the toenails or after trimming down a corn/callus, microscopic tears in the skin occur. As a result, any microorganism around can hop a free ride into our bodies and start multiplying causing a foot infection.
Nail Salons Vs Medical Grade Spas
Here at Family Foot & Ankle Associates we have a machine called an autoclave that sterilizes our equipment. The difference between sterile and clean is that no bacteria or fungi or viruses can survive the sterilization process. When something is cleaned with disinfectant, a small amount of these potentially harmful organisms remain. At both our Hillsborough and Piscataway offices we ensure that all our equipment is sterilized with the autoclave after each use ensuring that the risk of infecting our patients is as low as humanly possible.
We take prevention seriously and so should you. Make sure that if you do use a nail salon or spa that they sterilize their equipment with an autoclave after each use. An ounce of prevention can spare you a potentially harmful infection later.
