Fish Pedicures... Are They Safe?

Recently on a trip to Bali, Indonesia I couldn't help notice all of the spas offering fish pedicures. Fish pedicures were a rage a few years back. The concept involves dipping your feet in a tank full of tiny fish while the fish nibble and consume the dirt and dead skin. This attracts a lot of customers and many people get a fish pedicure done in the same tank with the same fish. Isn’t this practice very unhygienic? How do you know whether the person getting the pedicure before you maintains proper hygiene or isn’t suffering from athlete’s foot, skin infections or something worse?

How They Work
A fish pedicure is, like a traditional pedicure, intended to make your feet look and feel smoother. However, a fish pedicure utilizes the unusual practice of placing the client’s feet into a tank filled with about 200 small fish. These fish are typically the tiny, toothless Garra rufa fish, which are native to the Middle East. Once dunking your feet into the fish tank or pool, the fish feast on the dead skin of your feet to make them extra smooth.

A practice similar to fish pedicures first emerged in Asia in 2006, reports The Huffington Post. At that time, the toothless Garra rufa fish were used to treat skin diseases. Other research, however, points to the practice being in used in Middle East for hundreds of years. Regardless of where and when it originated, the practice has gained popularity in recent years and is now found in several different countries throughout the world. In Bali fish pedicures can be found on every corner. Recently I also saw them on the beach at Mexico's Barcelo resort.

When I had mine, it took me a good ten minutes before I was able to glance down at my feet without wanting to whisk them out. When I looked down all I saw was a swarm of little fish covering everything below my ankles, while the really cheeky fish dove between my toes, under my nails and flicker up my instep. After 20 minutes in the water, the novelty (and indeed my skin) had started to wear off.
Afterwards my skin felt vaguely softer but not very different. If chunks were actually taken out of my toes, the munchers had completely covered their tracks and there were no nibble marks.

Benefits Of Fish Pedicures
In general, the benefits of a fish pedicure are limited. The service basically allows the dead skin to be removed from a person’s feet, making the feet look and appear smoother. However, this is generally the same benefits offered by a regular pedicure with n emery board. Some people claim the fish pedicure is more effective at removing dead skin cells and can even help treat psoriasis, but this has not been proven in a controlled setting... not to mention I wouldn't want my feet to go into a tank after someone with psoriasis.part in this beauty craze at all.

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At some spas the fish pedicure is less expensive since it requires zero work on the part of the employees. However, the novelty of the practice and the high cost of acquiring and maintaining the fish have caused many of these businesses to drive up the prices of their fish pedicures.

Health Risks
Unfortunately, there are several health risks involved with getting a fish pedicure. First and foremost, the practice increases the risk of infection. Any small cuts or abrasions on the feet could expose the body to micro-organisms and bacteria that may be in the water. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the water is not always changed in between treatments on different clients. Therefore, blood-borne viruses like hepatitis may also get into the water and be passed on to another client. For this reason, people with cuts or abrasions on their feet should not get a fish pedicure. Also, the government’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) said those with diabetes, psoriasis or weak immune systems are particularly vulnerable and should not.

In addition to the water becoming a breeding ground for bacteria, many health experts are concerned about the fish themselves acting as host to a variety of potential disease and organisms. In fact, some worry that the fish may cause antibiotic-resistant infections. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 6,000 fish that were imported to the United Kingdom in April 2011 carried a disease that caused hemorrhaging in the fish and ultimately led to their death.

The NIH reports that certain parts of the population are especially vulnerable to infection from the water or from the fish themselves, including those with diabetes, liver disease or an immune disorder.

Why have some states banned fish pedicures?
Each state has the authority to ban fish pedicures. Currently, over 10 states have banned the use of fish pedicures.
Most of the bans are based on at least one of the following reasons:

• The fish pedicure tubs cannot be sufficiently cleaned between customers when the fish are present.
• The fish themselves cannot be disinfected or sanitized between customers. Due to the cost of the fish, salon owners are likely to use the same fish multiple times with different customers, which increases the risk of spreading infection.
• Chinese Chinchin, another species of fish that is often mislabeled as Garra rufa and used in fish pedicures, grows teeth and can draw blood, increasing the risk of infection.
• U.S. And Wildlife Service states Garra rufa could pose a threat to native plant and animal life if released into the wild because the fish is not native to the United States.
• Fish pedicures do not meet the legal definition of a pedicure.
• The fish must be starved to eat skin, which might be considered animal cruelty.
  
  

Controversy
According to standard practice in salons and spas, any tools used to complete a pedicure must be sanitized in between each client. For a normal pedicure, this includes tools like nail files, foot baths, cuticle clippers and toenail clippers. However, health experts opposed to the practice of fish pedicures assert that there’s no way to sterilize the fish used for pedicures. In fact, to sterilize them would essentially kill them. Meanwhile, the water can be dumped out and the tanks cleaned in between clients (which not all salons and spas do), but that wouldn’t stop a potential infection from a fish itself.

Bottom Line
Due to the lack of scientific evidence to support the claimed benefits of fish pedicures and the possibility of infection, it’s much safer to get a traditional pedicure. However, it’s important to ensure that whatever services you get, choose a salon or spa meeting sterilization standards since even a regular pedicure could potentially lead to infections in an unsterilized setting.

Dr Hilary Kirkbride, consultant epidemiologist at the HPA, said: ‘Provided that good standards of hygiene are followed by salons, members of the public are unlikely to get an infection from a fish spa pedicure, however the risk will be higher for certain people.’

Dr Kilbride said salons should first check their clients have no underlying health conditions that could put them at risk, and thoroughly examine their feet to make sure there are no cuts, grazes or infectious skin conditions.

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