5 Things You May Not Know About Pedicures.

I am not a pedicure girl. Every time I go to the nail salon my nail artist Hung always tries to talk me into getting one. No doubt hes thinking "$", while I am thinking "No way".  

I have a few reasons why I am opposed to getting Pedicures. 

The first is no one touches my feet, The only person I allow to touch my feet is my daughter. She loves applying nail polish like most little girls and she loves giving foot soaks. I am not really sure where that came from but she asked for a foot bath last year for Christmas. No joke, we had a family movie night and she soaked, scrubbed, lotioned, and painted every pair of female feet in the room. Still this is often hard for me as I am extremely ticklish, but I tough it out for her.

The second reason is foot baths in nail salons are discussing. I mean if you really think about it, the foot bath and all of the foot tools have been used by hundreds of people. I don't care how often they soak and scrub their tools, I am not letting one come near my feet. When I was in Nursing School we discussed surgical tools and the sterilization process for them. Surgical tools are sent to a facility to be boiled and baked in special ovens made for the purpose of sterilization, at extremely high temperatures. If my nail salon is not doing this, then none of their tools are coming near me. 

I know that may sound a little over board, but if you think about it, it makes sense to want that level of cleanliness. Any time you have a pedicure done, you are at risk of getting a laceration from the tools used. Any opening in your skin is a passage way for bacteria to travel into your body. Gross I know, but its true. Do you really want to allow another persons, or over 100 peoples bacteria and entrance into your body? 

This is especially important for diabetics, as they have decreased feeling in their feet, a condition called Neuropathy. If a diabetic developed and opening in their feet, their risk of infection is double a persons without Neuropathy, as they can not feel the wound at all. This often allows the wound to grow and fester until the person discovers it, by this time, often the wound is very big and results in massive tissue destruction.  

Okay now that I got my nursing rant out of the way, lets move on 10 things you may not know about pedicures. 

1. Bacteria often harbors in the pipeing system where the water comes from. There is not cleaning that. So don't get a pedicure unless your salon has "pipe-less" foot baths. Also make sure your salon sanitizes before you began. 

2. To avoid an infection do not shave your legs for at least 2 days before your pedicure. Often you can have small nicks and cuts from shaving that you cannot see with the naked eye. These are another passage way for bacteria. 

3. Never allow the use of a callous scraper. In fact, the use of callous scrapers is illegal in most states. These work by scraping the callouses off of the feet similar to the way a vegetable peeler peels the skin off a potato. These often lead to nicks an cuts to the foots surface. 

4. Bringing your own tools is not safer. Unless you boil, bake, and sanitize after every use. Each time you use them they are exposed to the same bacteria in the bath. 

5. Always dry the areas between your toes. This is the ideal place for bacteria growth. Drying them immediately after your soak will decrease this growth. 

If any of the reasons above have not changed your thinking on pedicures, saving some cash might. My salon charges $55 for one. I wont speak for you all, but I know I can use that money else where. Here is a great video by Womens Health, on how to give your self a pedicure at home: