To properly take care of your mental health it’s important to pamper yourself once in awhile. A lot of women (and men) enjoy getting manicures and pedicures to bring up their spirits. What most people don’t realize is there are a lot of things they should know before stepping into a nail salon. Keep reading to find out the dos and don’ts of getting your pamper on at the nail salon.One of the risks you can run into while visiting a low-quality nail salon is infection. Anything from HIV to Hepatitis B and C to a nasty fungus can be found in a nail salon. Doctors suggest bringing your own tools to avoid contracting any sort of infection. Also, pay attention to how clean the salon is. If it’s not up to your standards, find another place.
If the nail manicurist is using an overly coarse file it could actually damage your nails. If it looks and feels a bit like sandpaper, ask the manicurist to a finer-grit file or a glass file.
Cuticles protect your nails from infection, so your manicurist can actually infect or damage your nails by removing them. Just ask your manicurist to soften them and push them back instead. Your nails will thank you for it.
When you walk into a salon you should see tools soaking inside of a blue liquid. This liquid is a disinfectant that can kill most microbial life that causes infections. Also, avoid going to places that sterilize their tools using UV lights. Podiatrist, Dr. Sutera says, “It’s a six-hour process to sterilize instruments. You have to get them at really, really high temperatures; you have to soak them in different solutions; they have to be scrubbed. So putting them in that little toaster oven in between clients for a few minutes? I don’t think that that’s really doing much.”
A low-quality manicure could lead to a condition called onycholysis, which looks like an emptiness under your nails. Onycholysis is a result of damaging the lower layer of your nails. It’s better to just pay the extra money and avoid having to go to an dermatologist to get it treated.
They can also cause an allergic reaction or asthma! To avoid this you should change your nail polish every three to four weeks and take a break every six to eight months. A nail takes 105 days to grow out, so that’s how long your break should be for.
Every time you shave, the razor leaves microtears in your skin. Bacteria can get inside of these microtears, which can lead to a serious infection. “You can literally end up in a hospital,” Sutera says. She suggests waiting at least two days to get a pedicure after shaving your legs.
“People who have compromised immune systems, such as diabetics, people with HIV, the elderly or anyone with vascular disease or circulation problems, are more at risk,” Sutera says.
Ultraviolet is dangerous to your skin and it could even leave burns on you. Doctors suggest avoiding them altogether. You could also look for a salon that uses LED lamps instead of UV.
These baths can actually cause your feet to become extremely dry, which leads to cracks in your feet. It’s important to use a moisturizing lotion on your feet to improve the health of your skin.
They don’t have the qualifications to perform this procedure and could actually cause infections. Seek medical attention from a doctor to properly remove ingrown nails.
Once again, they don’t have the qualifications, or the proper tools, to remove calluses on your feet. They could injure you or cause a serious infection. To remove calluses, wear proper footwear and moisturize frequently.
“The jets in the whirlpool bath can harbor bacteria and fungus,” says Dr. Sutera. She recommends visiting a nail salon that has individual bath liners so you don’t risk contracting someone else’s infection. Also, make sure your nail salon is sanitizing the foot baths after every use.
