Ingrown Hairs or Staph Infection?

How do you know if you have ingrown hairs or staph infection?

It’s the middle of summer and you were on vacation and thought it would be great to just run in and get a pedicure.  Next thing you know, you have red spots that look like ingrown hairs from a bad waxing job or a bad shave.  It is entirely possible that you have gotten a staph or strep infection from an unsanitized pedicure bowl.  Unfortunately, not all nail places are created equally and not everyone sanitizes as they should.  You can ask to see their sanitation schedule, but most people are not comfortable doing that.   So, unless you know the place well, you could be at risk.

Now what do you do?  A couple things.:

First DON’T PICK , next wash frequently with soap and water.  You can do a warm compress with vinegar or alcohol.  You can also apply topical antibiotic ointment.  If it doesn’t get better within a few days, you should contact a doctor for oral antibiotics.

Best bet? Make sure you know the place or watch them sanitize after someone else gets a pedicure!