Manicures & pedicures together make up a six billion dollar a year industry, and according to Dr. Marc Blatstein, both share several things in common. Each has the ability to create a beautiful result, or a medical nightmare. Therefore, with information that is readily available on the internet along with a little time & perseverance you too can become an empowered consumer. The changes in our health care delivery system alone cannot take care of all aspects of our lives, and so the old adage still holds true, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" .

1. Looking Beautiful without sacrificing safety, Dr. Marc Blatstein
Manicures & pedicures together make up a six billion dollar a year industry, and according to Dr.
Marc Blatstein, both share several things in common. Each has the ability to create a beautiful
result, or a medical nightmare. Therefore, with information that is readily available on the
internet along with a little time & perseverance you too can become an empowered consumer.
The changes in our health care delivery system alone cannot take care of all aspects of our lives,
and so the old adage still holds true, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" .
This is the beginning of a series of articles that Dr. Marc Blatstein has put together, combining
22 years of patient care along with informative sites that he has found helpful. Where he has
found something noteworthy on the web, we have provided a reference link so that you too can
read for yourself.
To start with, there are some things you should
know:
Shaving calluses (or other skin surfaces) should always be done by a qualified physician, and in
most states is prohibited by a non-trained, non-licensed medically trained professional. The best
time to get your Pedicure is first thing in the morning, and before you shave your legs.
The next time you visit your salon, Dr. Marc Blatstein recommends taking a moment to look
around and see if it appears clean to you. Do they have a sanitation log that is kept up to date, ask
to see where they serialize their instruments- do they use an autoclave, or just wipe their
instruments with a damp cloth, these are just some of the things to look for.
In closing, quoting "from Consumer Reports: "....warning signs to watch out for":
 Your salon uses bottles in unmarked containers; the technician cannot tell you what's in
the products.
 The products smell unusually strong or have a strange odor; your skin is being abraded or
cut
 The salon is not clean, the instruments are not sterilized, Licenses for the salon and
individual operators are not visibly posted your skin or nails hurt, the gels do not soak off
easily in solvents designed to remove acrylics, you see swelling, redness or other signs of
infection
Orly Avitzur, M.D., Consumer Reports medical adviser