A woman loses her toenails after doing a "fish pedicure"

If you are fond of "fish pedicures", this foot care made by small fish called Garra rufa reading this article may well dissuade you from letting them nibble your dead skin again.

Tuesday, July 3, the journal JAMA Dermatology published the story of a young woman who lost six of her toenails after having made a "fish pedicure". Examined at Weill Cornell Medicine Hospital in New York, her case was initially mysterious before Dr. Shari Lipner, director of the nail division, only determines the probable cause of this spontaneous nail failure (called onychomadhesis). ) was a pedicure carried out by fish six months earlier.

A significant risk of infection

A practice that came from Asia and spread in Europe over the past ten years, fish pedicure is regularly the subject of warning from the health authorities. And for good reason: this technique in which the user is invited to dive for a long time his feet (sometimes his hands, even the whole body) in a basin where are present a hundred fish of the species Garra rufa has been repeatedly accused of causing infections

Thus, in 2013, the National Health Security Agency (Anses) badessed the risks of disease transmission through fish and water. The problem, noted the agency five years ago, is that aesthetic establishments offering this service escaped any health regulations. "Cases of bacterial infections related to aquarium and pedicure practices have been described," reported the agency, which then relied on several types of expert committees to give its opinion.

because of the presence of fish, it is indeed impossible to disinfect the water tanks used for this practice. As a result, writes ANSES, "some users (diabetic, immunocompromised, users with cutaneous lesions on the feet) constitute a sensitive population with a greater risk of infection". People with thickening of the skin whose origin may be mycotic are also at risk.

The "Greek foot" involved

Although no other case of onychomadesis caused by fish pedicure has been reported, Dr. Lipner is convinced that it is this care that resulted in the fall of the patient's toes. "Although the exact mechanism is unknown, it is likely that the direct trauma caused by the fish biting the nail plate several times causes it to fall," she writes. It also states that other possible causes of nail lesions or infection have been excluded.

A view not shared by Dr. Antonella Tosti, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami and former president of the European Nail Society. According to her, the loss of toenails could be caused by something much more commonplace: the overlap of the toes that occurs when wearing a certain type of shoes.

" This is not uncommon in women with a Greek foot who wear high heels and pointy shoes, "said Dr. Tosti. The Greek foot is the name given to the feet whose second toes are longer than the big toe.

Be that as it may, the two doctors agree to advise against soaking our feet in pools filled with fish . "I think we can definitely say that a fish pedicure is probably not the best way to treat skin and nail conditions," Dr. Lipner told CNN.