We all know the basics of a safe pedicure, use your own instruments, don’t soak in the tub if there is no liner, don’t let them use any sharp implementations, don’t cut the cuticles, and no cutting the nail corners down to far…..but there is a much more insidious offender, MRSA, also known as methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus.

This  bacteria is often spread by unknowing carriers in their nose and can be passed from one person to the other in the most unexpected way.

Here is a true story….

A woman shaved her legs before having a pedicure, leaving her now hair follicles vulnerable to infection.  The woman performing her pedicure wiped her nose and continued scrubbing or massaging the client’s legs.  As it turned out, this nail technician was a carrier of MRSA who subsequently spread the infection to the unsuspecting client,  an infection that then took more than a year to defeat.

Another true story…

I was having a pedicure performed at a very reputable spa and noticed that the nail technician had warts on her fingers and wasn’t wearing gloves, for either manicures or pedicures.  I commented and she waved it off. 

Warts and fungus, like MRSA, can also be spread by the technicians.

Reasons number 101 and 102 to be 150% sure you are having your pedicures performed by knowledgeable professionals in a safe, sterile environment, and to make sure the nail technician is wearing gloves.