HOUSTON -- Have some Houston-area salons cleaned up their act after a News2Houston investigation exposed the possible dangers from pedicures and manicures? News2Houston sent an undercover team to check them out, as a follow up to November's exclusive series of reports.

This time, the lab found dangerous levels of bacteria in the footbath -- so much bacteria the lab said it was too much to count. Even worse, a technician cut the toe of the News2Houston undercover customer at an unnamed salon.

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When an instrument cuts the skin and draws blood, that's when it's the most dangerous since diseases such as hepatitis C can be spread, according to doctors.

News2Houston went back to a salon where they found staph bacteria in the cleaning solution.

This time, the lab found the salon's footbath was filled with bacteria. It was so much bacteria, the scientist said she would not put her feet in it.

At the same salon, a technician shaved skin with an illegal blade. Doctors say it's possible to contract a fungus, infection, and hepatitis C from dirty tools and equipment.

When News2Houston met Norma Arrambide, her toes still had the pink polish from the pedicure that left her injured. After the pedicure, her toes started to hurt, then swell, and by the third day, fluid was draining from them.

"I've had a child and so it's like I'd rather go through childbirth again than to have this again," Arrambide said.

News2Houston took her to dermatologist Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.

Lab tests proved Arrambide had an aggressive and highly contagious staph infection.

"This is a pretty bad infection, and we don't want it to spread," Sekula-Gibbs said.

The doctor put her on strong antibiotics and said Arrambide's toenails could be permanently deformed.

"They just drew blood for HIV and hepatitis, so that's going to be another concern," Sekula-Gibbs said.

The doctor worried that more people were exposed.

Arrambide went back to her salon and showed them her infected toes.

"They pretty much ignored me," she said.

When News2Houston went to the salon undercover, things had changed. Technicians were wearing gloves.

Arrambide said no one wore gloves when she was a customer.

Nearly one month after the pedicure, Arrambide's toes still have not healed.

She said the technician used a metal file to dig around her big toes. Her toes did not bleed, but she still contracted a staph infection.

News2Houston tested the salon's instruments. That day, the tests did not show staph, but the instruments were dirty.

News2Houston went with Arrambide to speak with the technicians who ignored her.

Despite the evidence, the technicians said they clean the instruments.

"We looked at the instruments and they were dirty," News2Houston's Cynthia Hunt said.

"No, we are in here and we always clean," a technician said.

What Customers Can Do

News2Houston reported that there are three easy and inexpensive steps for customers to protect themselves.

Take your own tools. Some salons keep individual tools on-site for specific customers.
Don't shave before your pedicure. It greatly increases your chance of an infection, according to doctors.
Avoid chair whirlpools because of the filters. Most salons don't clean the filters properly and that caused a massive tuberculosis outbreak at a California nail salon.

Sekula-Gibbs recommended taking the following document to your nail salon to make sure it complies with safety procedures.

Protecting Nail Salon Clients and Technicians

Recommendations of Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs

Sterilize metal instructions in an autoclave. If a salon does not have an autoclave, disinfect nail instruments by soaking them in a turberculocidal disinfectant for 10 to 30 minutes.
Use disposable tools. A set of disposable files should be used on each client and discarded or stored in separate containers.
Do not use credo blades or sharp instruments to shave calluses.
Disinfect foot baths between each client with a 10-minute cycle of tuberculocidal disinfectant and a 10-minute cycle with a 1 to 10 dilution of household bleach. Remove intake filter from foot bath at least once a week and clean with soap and water. Then soak the filter in a tuberculocidal disinfectant for 30 minutes.

Source: Dr. Sekula-Gibbs' letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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