A woman from Tennessee says a simple pedicure left her with a nasty bacterial infection in her left foot – and expensive medical bills to clear it up.
Chelsea Lloyd, from Murfreesboro, says that just four hours after getting the gels on her toenails, a rash broke out on her foot. Two days later the rash had turned into huge, painful, oozing blisters.
Which is definitely not the look Chelsea was going for when she made the nail appointment.
The doctor told Chelsea she had contracted a staph infection in her foot and that she would need antibiotics, foot cream and a steroid injection to treat it.
Staph infections are usually minor, but can occasionally be life-threatening if they somehow reach the bloodstream or bones. But, as this is America – the treatment didn’t come cheap.
Chelsea says she’s racked up more than $500 (£389) in medical bills.
Chelsea went to the salon and showed them her blisters, and the owner wrote her a check to cover the cost of the pedicure and some of the medical expenses – $307 (£239).
But when she was charged an additional $200 (£155) for antibiotics for a subsequent allergic reaction in her foot, the salon refused to pay any more.
The manager of the salon Susan Nguyen told WZTV that they had offered to pay the second medical bill if Chelsea agreed to sign a liability form confirming this would be the last time she brought a medical bill to them – but she refused.
Susan also insisted that despite the fact that they paid the first medical bill, Chelsea did not contract the bacterial infection at her salon.
Chelsea had plans to take the salon to the small claims court, but has since decided against it as she can’t afford to pay for a lawyer. But she does want to raise awareness about what happened to her.
According to the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Vogue Nail Bar was inspected in June and received a score of 95 out of 100 – the results of a new inspection are pending.
The Vogue Nail Bar has been contacted for comment – we will update this article if we receive a reply.
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