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"  Do you have that friend who refuses to get a mani/pedi with you after brunch because she&amp;#039;s scared of nail salons? Are you that friend? Maybe you&amp;#039;re paranoid or a bit of germaphobe, but most likely it&amp;#039;s because you&amp;#039;ve heard one of those pedicure-gone-wrong horror stories. We&amp;#039;ve got a few going around the ELLE.com office, from an infection that lasted 10 years to a woman who had to throw away all her shoes because of a foot fungus. Sadly, these are not just old wives&amp;#039; tales \u2014 if not properly cleaned, warm and wet environments like nail salons can be home to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms, also known as pathogens. They can be transmitted through footbaths and manicure tools if the equipment is not properly cleaned, and can cause a range of ailments from fungal infections to staph infections to the flu and hepatitis, says Robert Urfer, founder of Lucas-Cide Salon and Spa Disinfectant. The worst he has seen, he says, was a woman with a toe infection that resulted in loss of her nail. It&amp;#039;s difficult to determine how common these infections are, but Urfer believes the safest assumption is that there&amp;#039;s always a chance of exposure. That said, a visit to the nail salon is one of life&amp;#039;s simple pleasures, and we are not here to scare you \u2014 or ourselves \u2014 out of enjoying that. So go get that afternoon pedi, but know there are things you can do to make sure you&amp;#039;re in the cleanest, safest environment possible: 1. Arrive 15 minutes early. Allow yourself some time to look around the salon pre-pedi (even if you&amp;#039;ve been there before). It may seem obvious, but if the salon looks professional, it&amp;#039;s a good indication that it values cleanliness and is more likely to sanitize the equipment. If the trash cans are overflowing or dust is collecting on shelves, you do not want to trust the footbaths and nail clippers. 2. Look for a license. The salon&amp;#039;s license of certification along with each of the nail technician&amp;#039;s should be posted near the entrance where everyone can see them. 3. See how they sterilize their tools.  You do not want to go to a salon that uses UV sterilizer (devices that resemble toaster ovens) because they don&amp;#039;t kill bacteria. They should use liquid disinfectant. Make sure the solution is not cloudy; if so, it needs to be changed. You can also ask if they use test strips to make sure the disinfectant is working. 4. Check out the pedicure area. The employees should be cleaning and disinfecting the footbaths after each use with hot, soapy water. After which, they should be filled with water again, as well as with disinfectant. The spa should run for at least 10 minutes before being emptied out and wiped clean. 5. Take a look at the manicure area. Make sure your manicurist is cleaning and disinfecting after each client. Towels should be replaced; used cotton balls, disposable nail files, and wooden tools should all be thrown out. 6. Be extra careful if you&amp;#039;re getting acrylic nails or fillings. Make sure the manicurist washes her hands before getting started and applies an antibacterial spray or gel to yours. She should be using properly sterilized tools \u2014 even nail files should be disinfected or discarded after each use. 7. Don&amp;#039;t let them cut your cuticles. Your cuticles provide protection against infection in your nail bed, so have your manicurist gently push them back or just leave them be. Also, if the skin tears it will increase your risk of infection. 8. Bring your own manicure kit. Salons will let you bring your own tools (files, manicure brushes, and buffers) and some will even let you leave them in a bag with your name on it until your next appointment. Make sure they are cleaned and sterilized before and after each use, and that the bag is not closed airtight. 9. Go to a med spa. If you are still concerned about the risk of infection, you should try a med spa. They are overseen by a physician who ensures that the environment, tools, and equipment are cleaned and sterilized properly. Photo credit: Getty Images Via ELLE "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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