Feb 25, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: Nail Salon Nightmares
Reporting
Jim Osman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
The CBS 3 I-Team went to nail salons state inspectors say are downright dirty and found salons using illegal equipment.
"I was really grossed out," said Philadelphia resident Kristin Delargey who decided to get a pedicure just before a big weekend with her girlfriends at the Jersey shore.
Her doctor is convinced Delargey picked up an infection when the nail salon used cuticle cutters during that pedicure opening up her skin to bacteria.
And some nail salons may be inviting that kind of trouble.
According to October 2007 state inspection, Lily's Nails in Somerdale, Camden County had unsatisfactory sterilization and inspectors called the manicure stations and the entire salon "dirty."
The same month, inspectors report Elegant Nails in Pennsauken had no sterilizers, dirty equipment and dirty pedicure stations.
This past December, Young's Nail and Spa in Cherry Hill failed 10 standards for cleanliness.
And places like Violet Salon Two in Northeast Philly just can't seem to live up to their end of the bargain.
In March 2007, the state says the place was not maintained in a "sanitary condition."
The state fined the salon $2,600 after an inspector caught an employee throwing two razor scrapers and a box of razors in a trash can.
And recently when CBS 3 went in undercover to get a pedicure, they used a razor on our photographer's feet.
The manager promised CBS 3 I-Team Investigative Reporter
Jim Osman change would happen.
"We have no excuse sir. 'So you're not going to use them anymore?', I guarantee after what happened today," said the unidentified manager.
Selecting a Safe Nail Salon:
To help you decide if a salon provides sanitary nail services, nail and public health experts suggest considering the following:
• Is the salon licensed? Licenses often are posted. If you don't see one, ask.
• Are the nail technicians licensed? These licenses also are usually posted. Ask if you don't see one for your technician.
• How are nail implements sanitized? Autoclaving (heat sterilization) is best, says Ralph Daniel, M.D., a dermatologist in Jackson, Miss. But most states allow chemical sterilizing as long as the implements are immersed in the solution for at least 10 minutes between customers. Ask the technician what the salon's practices are. If they're using a chemical solution, check the product's label for words like "germicidal" to indicate that it is strong enough to kill bacteria. If in doubt, bring your own implements, Daniel suggests.
• Is there a pre-service scrub? Both the nail technician and the client should wash their hands with an antimicrobial soap before nail work begins.
• Is each customer given a fresh bowl of soapy water to soak their nails in and is a new nail file used for each customer? Both practices should be followed.
• Is the facility neat and clean? Paul Kechijian, M.D., a clinical associate professor of dermatology and chief of the nail section at New York University, compares selecting a salon to selecting a restaurant. "Ask yourself when you walk in: Would you want to eat there?" he says.
• Is there a strong smell of fumes? If there is, it's a sign that the facility is poorly ventilated, says John Bailey, Ph.D., acting director of FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors. Inhaling the fumes from nail products can make you sick.
If you have a complaint about a salon providing nail services, contact your state board of cosmetology.
SOURCE: U.S FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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