Woman, lost, her, nails, feet, fish, pedicure

When a young woman noticed that her nails were beginning to part with her toes, she went to the doctor and received startling news: the pedicure that she had had months before was the probable cause.

A fish pedicure involves clients dipping their feet into a bath filled with water filled with small fish called Garra rufa, sometimes called "doctor fish". These fish are omnivorous and in their natural habitat ingest plankton, but when there is no plant life, they eat human skin, nibbling rough calluses and cuticles for what is considered a beauty treatment "natural".

In JAMA Dermatology, dermatologist Shari Lipner notes that pedicures of fish experienced a spike in popularity about 10 years ago and that they are still a trend today.

"Their attractiveness was probably due to unfounded allegations. would leave feet smoother and feel cooler, increase circulation, eliminate fungi and bacteria, and treat psoriasis and eczema ", she wrote.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the Middle East where fish are indigenous, Garra rufa has been used as a treatment for people with skin diseases such as psoriasis One study found that this method was effective in the treatment of psoriasis [19659009However"thistreatmentwasperformedinacontrolledsettingatamedicaluniversityinAustrianotinanailsalon"warnstheCDC

Lipner's patient came to see her after having experienced six months The woman, in her twenties, did not report any pain or trauma, no medical problem, no history of serious illness or strong e fever and no vaccination or use of drugs in the past year.

Pedicure a few months before she noticed the nail abnormalities.

Lipner diagnosed onychomadesis in women, a condition that occurs when the nail plates separate, ultimately causing the nails to excrete.

Lipner performed a complete anamnesis and clinical examination of the patient and excluded all other known causes of onychomadesis "The pedicure of fish is the most likely cause of his onychomadesis according to the time of the pedicure and presentation Clinic of her nails, "she told CBS. News

This is the first known case where the condition has been associated with a pedicure of fish

Although the mechanism that caused the onychomadesis of the patient is not known, Lipner believes that this may be due to the trauma of fish. on the nail matrix or nail growth center.

In the report, she also notes other potential dangers associated with pedicure, including the possible transmission of infections, as the bins and fish can not. These fish are generally reused for successive clients.

Currently, more than 10 states in the United States have banned the use of fish pedicures for various reasons, according to the CDC. These range from sanitation problems to cruelty to animals, since the fish must be hungry in order to make it eat the skin.

As such, Lipner recommends avoiding them.

"Since the risks outweigh any known benefits of pedicure, I would advise my patients to avoid the" fish doctor "and see a dermatologist.] Nail conditions "she said.