That Manicure Or Pedicure Could Be Pretty Dangerous

In the world of dangerous activities, and when thinking of things that can potentially cause you serious harm, a day at the spa or the nail salon is hardly the first thing that may come to your mind. But you may be surprised to know that under the right (or the wrong) conditions, getting your nails done can lead to serious injury, and life altering consequences.

How Safe is the Equipment?

The central problem and danger at nail salons, is that there are very sharp objects that are coming in close contact with fingers and toes. And while a small nick from one of those tools is normally harmless albeit a bit painful, in some situations these kinds of accidents can be much more dangerous.

That’s because many nail salons simply don’t follow stringent sterilization techniques. That means that the nail file or other tool that just nicked your toe, may have also introduced dangerous bacteria into your system, if the tool wasn’t carefully sterilized regularly, and between uses.

Amputations Do Happen

This is not an unusual event; there are plenty of stories of people who suffer what appears to be a minor injury at a salon, only to have limbs amputated shortly afterwards. Many of the most serious injuries result from people who may have some other pre existing condition, which interacts with the infection, to make it worse, or which makes it spread even faster. Diabetes or arterial disease can all turn an otherwise minor laceration into an amputation.

Warning Signs

Of course, none of this means that you need to run to an emergency room just because you get scraped at the nail salon. But there are warning signs and symptoms that should tell you that something more serious is going on.

For example, if the pain and soreness expands from the wound area, outward or upward into the extremity, that can be a warning sign. The pain may extend so far, or be so painful, as to restrict range of motion, or make bending the joint or appendage painful.

Any feeling of illness, as if you were sick, that happens shortly after being hurt at a salon, should be immediately treated as being serious, and the sign of a potential infection.

What’s Safe and What Isn’t?

You never really know with absolute certainty how clean the equipment in the salon may be, but there are some basic signs you can look for.

The most obvious, is the equipment itself: is it laying around, or being kept in sterilization solutions or sterilizing equipment? Are the work areas of the salon technicians neat, clean and organized? Are the workers actually paying attention to what they’re doing, or are they distracted by phones or talking to one another?

If you have concerns about any of these, it may be time to find someplace else to get the manicure or pedicure to ensure that you are as safe as possible.

Have you been injured on someone else’s property? At The Law Office of Joseph Linnehan, Jr., we can answer your questions and get you legal representation.  Call our Boston personal injury lawyers today at 617-275-4200

Sources:

businessinsider.com/nail-salon-lawsuit-pays-175m-florida-woman-lost-leg-pedicure-2021-12

osha.gov/nail-salons