‘Observe their sanitary practices’: Va. nurse practitioner gives tips on how to ensure safe pedicures

It’s the middle of summer, which means sandal-wearing weather is in full swing. But if you’re going to get a pedicure to make your toes look fresh, how do you know if it’s safe? A local nurse practitioner gave WTOP tips on what to look out for. “It can be relaxing. It’s a luxury. It’s something that’s fun to go and do with your friends or your family,” said Ginger Freese, a nurse practitioner and University of Virginia School of Nursing clinical instructor. Freese said while pedicures can be a treat, you should be checking the facility you go to first. “They just need to make sure that they’re going to a facility that is licensed,” she recommended. She suggests watching how the facility employees clean things as you’re waiting. “Hopefully, you can observe their sanitary practices to make sure that the foot bath area is being cleaned in between uses, and that the tools that they’re using for your feet are properly sterilized,” she said. Freese also said that if you have certain skin or nail conditions, you need to check to make sure it’s safe before you to head to the salon. “If someone does have problems with circulation or if they have a condition like diabetes or neuropathy of their feet, they should talk to their health care provider before they go get a pedicure,” Freese said. And if you’re having issues with fungus and other skin conditions of the feet, you should wait it out. “If you do have an infection on your feet — like a wart, which is a viral infection; if you have a fungal infection, like athlete’s foot; or if you have fungal infections of your toenails, which can have yellowing or thickening of the nails be present — you really should not go get a pedicure in a public space,” Freese said. She said it’s not healthy for you or those who go to get a pedicure after you if you have an infection. “Because those beds and those tools are areas where infection can be spread. So we would definitely recommend avoiding getting a pedicure if you have any sort of active infection in your feet,” she said. Source