Health fears have been raised over of fish pedicures, the latest beauty trend widely available in spas and salons.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is concerned that the beauty treatment which involves a client immersing their feet in a tank full of garra rufa fish, who then nibble away at the dead skin cells on said feet (yummy!), can spread infection and disease.
The HPA’s concerns focus on the potential of diseases being spread from person to person through open wounds.
Salons have defended the use of the toothless carp as they are kept in filtered tanks to keep them free of disease.
“Following a number of enquiries to the HPA from local environmental health officers over the past six months, the agency is currently investigating if there are any potential risks of infection associated with the commercial use of fish spa pedicures in the UK,” a Health Protection Agency spokesperson said.
The agency began it’s investigation after being alerted to the potential health risks by environmental health officers.
The treatment has already been banned in many American states amid concerns arising from having the same fish chomping away at the skin of different customers.
