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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

According to Nails 1998-1999 Fact Book,¹ US consumers spent an estimated $6.28 billion on nail services in 1997. Many consumers patronize discount and full-service nail salons with a belief that the instruments have been sanitized appropriately. This study intends to show that consumers are indeed at risk for contracting fungal, yeast, and bacterial infections from nail salon equipment.

Methods

We inspected 4 salons and obtained bacterial, yeast, and fungal cultures from randomly selected nail instruments and 1 pedicure tub. No viral cultures or viral antigen tests were performed, but previous studies^2-3 suggest that hepatitis viruses, especially hepatitis C virus, may not be killed by current salon practices. The results of our studies show that yeast and pathogenic bacteria are commonly present on nail instruments in nail salons. Tuberculocidal disinfectants used in some full-service salons may provide better instrument sanitation, but this may be the result of a better disinfection technique . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Results

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