A lot of people visit nail salons, which is fine. However, a growing number of the people who visit nail salons are leaving with ingrown toenails, fungal infections, or more serious foot conditions.

There is no requirement for people who work in nail salons to hold a qualification, use sterile instruments, or adhere to quality and safety standards.

Podiatrists are university trained practitioners with skills and expertise to prevent, diagnose and treat conditions of the foot and lower limb. Podiatrists are foot health experts and are the safest and best qualified professionals to deliver care to patients with foot problems. Registered podiatrists are also required adhere to registration standards including strict infection control guidelines.

I hear you say, "but it's cheaper than a podiatrist so I'm going to keep going." This is fair enough, so here are a few tips to reduce your chance of running into trouble.

1. Don't let the salon attendants use a scalpel to remove callus. It takes many years of training to learn to use a scalpel appropriately, and many people who visits nail salons leave with large wounds from improper scalpel use.

2. To reduce your risk of a fungal or bacterial infection, take your own set of instruments.

3. Discourage nail attendants from digging around down the sides of your nail. We see a lot of ingrown nails due to this.

4. Remember nail salon attendants are not health professionals and you should not reply on their advice regarding foot conditions.