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WFMY News 2A woman has sworn off nail salons after she claimed a popular dip powder manicure left her fingers bloody, swollen and oozing puss.
The North Carolina woman, identified only by her first name, Bethany, spoke out about her experience after the condition of her hands went from bad to worse.
Bethany, from Greensboro, went get her nails done on October 17 at a local salon, where she asked for a dip powder manicure.
See what happened afterwards here:
I can’t say I’m familiar with the treatment myself but it apparently involves dipping each finger into finely-milled powder before brushing off the excess and setting it with a protective clear polish.
The manicure is similar to a gel manicure in that they both provide an extra layer of protection to natural nails, though dip nails don’t require a UV/LED light and are typically quicker to apply.
For Bethany’s manicure, the employee at the salon filed down her fingernails before starting the dipping process. While her nails were being filed, Bethany said, the manicurist accidentally cut one of her fingers, WFMY report.
WFMY News 2Despite the cut, the manicurist reportedly went ahead and dipped Bethany’s fingers into the powder. She left the salon with her manicure successfully completed but about a week later the Greensboro woman noticed she had ‘little spots’ around some of her nails.
Recalling the experience, Bethany said:
I had a little spots go up [around a few nails] and tried creams over-the-counter and then soaked them in alcohol and peroxide and it just kept getting worse.
In the following days, her fingers became swollen and started bleeding, while her nail beds started oozing puss.
Bethany went to see a doctor, who told her she had developed a fungal infection. The condition had likely come about as a result of the manicure as it’s thought Bethany had her nails dipped into the same powder which several other customers had used.
WFMY News 2Health experts say multiple customers should not dip their fingers into the same container and Lynda Elliott, executive director of the North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners, explained there are rules against such behaviour.
She commented:
Our rules are very clear indicating once a product has come into contact with the client, it has to be thrown away.
Bacteria can remain in the powder for days, even weeks, causing serious infections to pass between several people.
WFMY News 2Rather than using the same container, experts say nail technicians should either pour the powder over each customer’s nails and throw out the unused powder, or use a clean brush to apply the powder.
Thankfully, Bethany’s fingers have since started to heal, though the experience left her wary of ever visiting a salon again.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.