Sunday 19 February 2017

Foot Care and Your Beauty Salon : 4 Telltale Signs to Beware!

If you thought that just injuries and diseases lead to foot problems, think it over again. You may be surprised that something as simple as your beauty salon can cause foot problems and ailments, if it isn’t clean or it uses equipments that aren’t sterilized. Wondering how to check if your beauty salon is safe for your feet? Here are four obvious telltale signs:

1. Unclean salon

If you find in your salon dirty countertops and streaky mirrors and nail clippings strewn all over, it indicates that good hygiene practices aren’t worth a dime there. You can even take a quick look at the ladies’ room to check how clean it is before deciding to go for a foot care session there.

How promptly the salon replaces reading materials for customers is another indication of its commitment to health and hygiene; terribly soiled and dog-eared magazines and other materials are most likely to harbor a lot of germs. All these factors are a matter of concern with regard to your foot care.

2. Shabby salon technicians

Slovenly appearance, disheveled clothes and lax attitude of the salon technicians would be another indicator of the state of affairs. The foot care tools and equipments used by them would be no better in matters of safety and hygiene. You should not warrant foot problems by spending a foot care session in such a salon.

3. Unhygienic footbaths

Footbaths with jets, pipes or liners can often be safe haven for numerous harmful microorganisms, which increase the chances of foot infection. Therefore, it’s better to go for footbaths that have jet/pipe-free whirlpools.

If the facility is not available, ask the salon technician whether they clean the jets and pipes properly and regularly, and they change footbath liners between clients. You would be risking your foot health if you do not ascertain from the salon these basic hygiene steps.

4. Disregard for disposable tools

Some beauty salons may disregard the use of disposable tools as they practice the recycling of things like metal buffers and files. Ideally speaking, you should ask for single-use tools and make the technician open a new package of the relevant tools in your presence. You should go one step further to ensure that those tools are disposed of immediately after use.

If you can’t get disposable tools from the salon for use, you should certainly ask for properly disinfected tools in any case. You may even ask if the salon has an autoclave sterilization device; it’s much more effective as compared to the commonly used disinfectant solutions.

Some people do bring their own instruments to salons to avoid risks of infection due to germs. Even for them it may not be possible always. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to care for your foot health. Do not fail to check the telltale signs as described above; choose your beauty salon where your feet will be given the care they deserve in a safe and healthy environment.

In spite of all the precautions, if you happen to contract any foot infection leading to a worrisome condition, consult a reputed podiatrist promptly for appropriate treatment.