Letter to Dr.Oz

I am very disappointed with your recent show on gel manicures.

It looked to me like you were only showing “chop shop” manicure salons.  Where were the high end salons and spas?  I think the public would have been much better served by showing the difference between a high end salon that is running their business by the State Cosmetology Boards rules and regulations and then compare that to the salons that you actually went to. We all know what goes on in those shops, but you made it appear as if all salons are the same.  This is simply not true. It is sensationalism.  I am so disappointed.  You did a HUGE disservice to my fellow hard working ethical, law abiding nail techs and manicurists.

Did you contact the New York State Board of Cosmetology?  Where were the statistics?  Are gel manicures worse than any other type of manicure?  Are acrylic’s okay?  How many manicures are done a year and how many of these infections occur?  What are my chances of having a problem, really?  Where are the statistics? I am not sure when you taped this show, but I found this article last month and I wonder if you would consider taking some time to read THIS.

Manufacturer instructions say 10 secs for base coat, 2 minutes per color (usually 4) and 2 minutes top coat. So a total of 6 minutes10 seconds per hand every 2-3 weeks. Should I really be terrified of this amount of exposure? Again, I am going to call this sensationalism. Especially when you are using an oversized metal rod and shove it into a giant fake finger.  Manufacturer’s directions tell you to “GENTLY SCRAP THE LOOSENED GEL OFF WORKING AWAY FROM THE CUTICLES TO THE TIP”  It is unfair to an entire industry and many many law abiding, hard working people trying to make a living.  I think I may feel differently about this whole show if the professionals who are working under the scope of the law had been there to talk about the things to look for when you go into a salon. It was touched on briefly at the beginning but very briefly. And when you talk about infections and allergic reactions... just about everything in life can cause that. A trip to the grocery store touching an infected cart, showering at the gym... the list goes on.

This whole episode just makes me so sad that you would call out an entire industry of hard working individuals instead of calling it what it really was... STAY away from the chop shops that are being repeatedly cited by the State Board.  Do your homework before getting a manicure or a pedicure.  Make sure the implements used are sanitary.  Ask questions.   Maybe it would have been better that you made a call to action for every inspector visit.  Perhaps the checklist from the board should be posted in the front of the salon for all who enter to see what violations are being written up time after time?

I am not sure what the answer is, but I will definitely be looking at your future episodes with a much more skeptical eye.  I no longer believe.

A Disappointed viewer,
Michon Kessler
cosmetologist of 30 years in the industry