Summer might be ending, but many people visit their nail salon frequently to keep their toes looking polished and feeling soft. Getting a relaxing pedicure for an affordable price might be tempting, but be careful not to pay more than you bargained for in the end! Fungal and bacterial infections don’t happen too often, but it can happen.

Here are six things you should keep in mind before visiting a new nail salon:

1. Ensure the salon, nail technicians, and cosmetologists are licensed. The licenses should be posted in a visible area.
2. Avoid shaving your legs for two days before your appointment, so bacteria can’t enter your body through tiny skin cuts. Reschedule your appointment if you have cuts or scrapes on your legs or feet.
3. Check the business for general cleanliness. It should be free of trash with no dirty towels visible. The nail tech’s hands and nails should be immaculate. The footbath should be clean and disinfected between customers.
4. Bring your tools, or make sure they come from a newly opened package or a disinfectant solution. Bring along flip-flops to wear.
5. Check that single-use tools such as toe separators, cotton pads, and emery boards are new for each use.
6. It’s all right for the technician to push cuticles back but never allow them to be cut.
7. If you notice any problem with your feet, such as pain, oozing, itching, redness, or warmth after a spa visit, please call us.

Do You Have Diabetes?

If you have neuropathy or nerve damage from diabetes, you may not be able to feel any pain while having a pedicure. The technician may nick your skin, which can worsen later into a sore or ulcer if you don’t notice it. You also may have poor circulation, which means the white blood cells won’t be able to reach the injury to help with healing.

It’s important to tell the nail technician you have diabetes so they will take extra care when working with pedicure tools. Also, ask them not to cut the toenails too short.

Dr. Ryan L. D’Amico, Dr. Donal M. Erickson, Dr. Keith Sherman, Dr. Anne-Louise Smith, Dr. Justin Muser, and the rest of the staff at Syracuse Podiatry in East Syracuse, New York, can help treat and care for your feet. Call us at 315-446-3668 or make an appointment online to get help today.