A bride-to-be in Florida spent a week in the hospital when she suffered from a foot infection after a pedicure at one of her favorite spas.
Tara Batista said that the pedicure derailed her life turning it upside down emotionally, physically, and economically after she was rushed to the hospital because of the bad infection.
Tool Digging Too Far Into The Skin
Batista related that she went to Nail Image in Tampa for a routine treatment but she started to feel weak just a few hours after leaving. The salon is among Batista's favorite but on that particular day, the technician attending Batista was pushing the pedicure tools too far under her skin. She asked the woman working on her feet to be more gentle because she felt that the instruments were already digging too far into her skin.
Her feeling of weakness did not get better. By the next day, Batista had extreme fatigue and suffered from pains that started to shoot up her legs. A day and a half later, she had to be rushed to the emergency room after part of her foot turned black and she could no longer stand on her left leg.
Severe Infection
She was diagnosed with a severe infection that required her to go through surgery and remain in the hospital for a week. Medical records showed that a deep injury triggered a bacterial infection on her left big toe. Batista will now need an IV in her arm for at a period of at least six weeks, which include the day that she will get married.
"Infections come on in less than 24 hours, (and) to that severity (it means) something's not right," Batista said. "This is not what I envisioned for my wedding," Batista continued.
Infection From A Salon Procedure
Although there is no proof that the pedicure caused Batista's predicament, health experts have long warned about the possibility of getting infection from a salon procedure.
Podiatrist Joy Rowland cited the importance of going to salons that use clean and disinfected instruments. It is best if the salon uses a process called autoclaving used in hospitals to sterilize surgical tool.
Rowland said it is also important that salon technicians do not tear or cut the skin with their tools during a procedure. Microorganisms in foot bowls can get through a cut, which can cause infection.
"Sometimes the skin gets cut during the pedicure, then they put their feet inside the bowls. The bacteria from the legs, which is the natural flora from the skin, is swirling around inside the bowl and gets inside the cut. This can cause an infection inside the skin," Rowland said.
