There are hundreds of nail salons in the city of Atlanta and across its metro area, and many of them serve dozens of clients every day. For most nail salon customers, the experience is supposed to be relaxing, self-affirming, and confidence-boosting. But for some, a trip to the nail salon can result in a costly, painful, and traumatic injury.
Nail salon injuries often go far beyond broken nails or small abrasions on fingers and hands. They can have devastating impacts on affected customers that result in expensive medical bills, lost wages, and long roads to recovery. But because these injuries seem rare, many injured customers are unsure of what to do next—or if they even have legal grounds to file a claim.
In this blog, we’ll explore Atlanta nail salon injuries, including the steps to take after an injury, how a lawyer can help, and why you should contact Prieto, DelCampo, Lopez, & Marigliano LLC, to protect your rights to compensation.
What Are Some Common Nail Salon Injuries?
Most nail salon visits end with outcomes no worse than smudged polish. But when a salon fails to take hygiene, training, or basic safety seriously, the injuries that customers can suffer can be serious and long-lasting.
Common nail salon injuries include:
- Serious Infections: These can occur when salon workers use unsanitary tools, contaminated footbaths, or improper disinfection practices.
- Deep Cuts and Lacerations: Customers may be wounded by sharp instruments, aggressive cuticle cutting, or drilling, sometimes requiring them to receive stitches. Some wounds may even scar.
- Chemical Burns: Customers can be burned by acrylic/gel products, primers, removers, or improperly used disinfectants, especially when they’re left on for too long or applied to broken skin.
- Severe Allergic Reactions: Allergic reactions like contact dermatitis, swelling, blistering, or respiratory symptoms can be triggered by nail chemicals, adhesives, or fragrances.
- Thermal Burns: Heat-related burns can occur from overheated towels, hot wax, hot water, or improperly used UV/LED curing lamps.
- Slip-and-Fall Injuries: Customers who walk on wet floors near pedicure stations can slip and fall, often leading to fractures, head injuries, or back injuries.
If you suffered any type of injury at a nail salon and needed follow-up care, or if you’re still experiencing pain, infection, swelling, or reduced mobility, you may be eligible to file an injury claim.
What Steps Should I Take After a Nail Salon Injury?
Because these businesses are widely viewed as safe, being injured at a nail salon can take you by surprise, and you may even be inclined to downplay the injury or avoid seeking medical attention. However, it’s important to take the right steps to protect your health and your rights.
If you’re injured at an Atlanta nail salon, you should:
- Get medical attention right away. Infections and chemical burns can worsen quickly, and prompt treatment can prevent complications.
- Report the injury immediately. Alert the manager/owner of the nail salon and ask them to document your injury, including completing an incident form.
- Request identifying details. Get the nail technician’s name and cosmetology license number. You should also note down the salon’s business name and location.
- Take photos/videos. Get visual documentation of your injury and any conditions at the scene that contributed to your injury (wet floors, products used, tools, footbath condition, lack of warning signs, etc.).
- Preserve evidence. Keep receipts, appointment confirmations, and any aftercare instructions; don’t throw away bandages or products, if they may be relevant.
- Write down a timeline of what happened. Document what happened and when while it’s fresh in your memory. This includes what services you received, what products were used, when symptoms began, and what staff said.
- Avoid signing waivers or accepting quick payouts. Some salons offer refunds or small payments in exchange for statements that can hurt any future claim.
- Talk to a lawyer. Never accept a settlement or speak with either insurance companies or the salon’s attorneys before getting legal representation.
Who Can I Hold Liable for My Nail Salon Injury?
Liability for a nail salon injury depends on how the injury happened, who caused it, and whether safety rules were ignored. Potentially responsible parties can include:
- The nail salon business/owner for negligent hiring, training, supervision, or failing to enforce sanitation protocols
- The individual nail technician, if careless technique, unsafe tool use, or improper chemical handling caused harm
- The property owner or management company, if dangerous premises conditions like slippery flooring or poor maintenance contributed to a fall
- Product manufacturers or distributors if a defective product such as chemicals, lamps, or adhesives caused burns or other harm
Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers Rules and Laws emphasize sanitation and safe practices in salons, and violations can be strong evidence that a salon didn’t meet its responsibilities.
What Regulations Must Nail Salons Abide by in Georgia?
Nail salons in Atlanta generally follow state-level rules enforced through the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology/related state regulations. Some key requirements that often matter in injury claims include:
- No Services on Broken Skin/Nails: Georgia rules state cosmetology services should only be performed on intact, healthy skin and nails. This requirement is very important and highly relevant in cases involving infections or chemical burns.
- Strict Sanitation and Disinfection Expectations: State regulations prohibit using tools that aren’t properly cleansed and disinfected on a client.
- Limits on Dangerous Tools/Practices: Georgia’s rules include safety-related guidance like prohibiting “razor-like” implements, such as a credo blade, and prohibiting reusing pumice stones between customers.
- Posting and Transparency Requirements: Georgia rules require salons to post licensing/inspection-related materials, including a copy of the most recent inspection report and sanitary rules, where customers can read them.
What Compensation Can I Receive for a Nail Salon Injury?
If negligence caused your nail salon injury, compensation can depend on the severity of the harm and how it affects your life. Potential damages may include:
- Medical Expenses: Urgent care, antibiotics, wound care, specialists, hospitalization
- Future Medical Costs: Lasting complications or corrective procedures
- Lost Wages: Both current and future reduced earning capacity if you miss work or can’t perform your job due to your injury
- Pain and Suffering: Physical pain, discomfort, and limitations
- Scarring/Disfigurement: Compensation in cases with a permanent visible injury to the fingers, hands, or other parts of the body
- Out-of-Pocket Costs: Prescriptions, medical supplies, or transportation to and from doctor appointments
How Can a Lawyer Help With My Nail Salon Injury Claim?
A nail salon injury claim can get complicated and difficult quickly, especially if the salon denies fault or claims your injury was an accepted risk of the service they provided. A lawyer can help by:
- Investigating what happened, including whether sanitation rules or safety standards were violated
- Preserving evidence like appointment records, product info, witness statements, and any available video footage
- Connecting your injuries to the salon’s conduct through medical documentation and obtaining expert witness input
- Calculating damages realistically, including future care and lost earning capacity
- Handling negotiations with insurers and pushing back on lowball offers
- Filing a lawsuit when necessary and preparing the case for trial
At Prieto, DelCampo, Lopez, & Marigliano LLC, our goal in every case we handle is simple: take the legal weight off your shoulders while pursuing the full compensation you and your loved ones deserve.
Contact Our Atlanta Nail Salon Injury Lawyers
If you were injured at an Atlanta nail salon, whether it was from an infection, chemical burn, serious cut, or a fall, don’t assume you’re out of options or will be stuck paying the price for someone else’s negligence.
Contact Prieto, DelCampo, Lopez, & Marigliano LLC to schedule a free evaluation with an Atlanta personal injury lawyer about your nail salon injury. We can evaluate what happened, explain your options, and help you take the next step toward accountability and recovery.