Dr. fish- dead skin eating fish...sounds strange huh?

[TLd317]

I saw a video on the net today- can't find the exact link but the man being interviewed at a nail salon/spa caught my attention when he said that the fish- known as Dr. fish-they are used in the salon to remove dead skin from the feet.

Latest In Spa Pampering? Fish Pedicures
Tiny Carp Nibble Off Dead Skin -- For A Price


ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
But Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if customers would like the idea.
"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Ho said. "But I just said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "

Customers were quickly hooked.
Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., heard about it on a local radio show. She said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the word to friends and co-workers.
"I'd been an athlete all my life, so I've always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely," she said.
First time customer KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like your foot's asleep," she said.
The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.
Ho believes his is the only salon in the country to offer the treatment, which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any given time.
Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and doubts it will become widespread.
"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.
Customer Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous as she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.
"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.

Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were available - including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.
In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.
Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running, with a few hiccups along the way.

State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But the county health department - which does regulate pools - required the salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.
The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish.

"It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious," Ho said.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WHERE DO I BUY A FEW HUNDRED OF THESE FISH???...
i would give anything a try!!!

Tell me what you think

Would you give this a try?

[ouchyk]

I read that early this am!! they have a place in turkey that has the same flesh eating fishies..oh god I have goosebumps all over me.

anyway I have heard it works!......so perhaps we will see psoriasis treatment fish tank clinics in our futures?



And would I try it ..no...I'm clear but even if I was to do it for a pedicure it gives me the heebie geebies!

Thanks for posting it Tara!

Karen

[nyoki]

Hmmm, I'm gonna be in DC this weekend.

[Resist]

I read about these fish on this forum a few years ago.

[daytonaflyer]

The most famous is the Kangal doctor fish spring in Turkey. The vast majority of people I've read about said it does not work. It just removes the dead skin. I've also read from many people that it's very unsanitary with dead skin cells and blood floating in the water. Apparently they never clean the pools. Gross! You can do a search on these forums and find many older posts about them.

http://www.psoriasisfishcure.com/moreinfo.htm

[violamom]

here is the video from the early show this AM

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_vi...er500202.shtml

The article indicates that they use fresh water for each person... that would make me feel better about the sanitation issue...

would love to try the pedicure! And even if they dont cure - just getting rid of dry skin makes life more comfortable and the skin easier to look at!

[mardar]

I'm with Karen....I just don't know if I could do it. I've heard of it in years past but ...

I guess I could always be sedated and placed in the tank. That's about the only way I can see it happening. Kind of like treatments with leeches. My sister works in the pharmacy at a large hospital and they stock leeches that some doctors still use for certain conditions/treatments. I've informed my whole family that if I ever need leech treatment, they better have me sedated.

[ouchyk]

haha, marcie...

I was just asking someone who said um depends on what kind of fishies they are using and wanted to know if it was " Piranhas " doing the job..

the goof lol.

[Actress]

Every few years a thread pops up about this topic. I personally have not experienced it, but know people who have. I have also seen it done live. It really does seem to help. The fish get their food, and the patient gets "treatment".

To each, his own. I think that if I got the opportunity, I would try it. Why not? There's really nothing to lose but some layers of "p".

Hugs and Sloppy Kisses,

amber.

[samsdad]

I would probably give it a go if it could be done in a place I would be comfortable taking off my clothes....

lol I used to be more than eager to take off my clothes at one point in my life I guess psoriasis made me a very modest man.

[gongxia649]

Even when you get the dead skin away. It would come back the next week. So what is the point?

[Nic77]

mmm...I agree...its just taking off the top layer.....its not taking away the whole problem...

sounds great for the short term....

[tareel]

I have tried the Dr. Fish... They did a pretty good job of cleaning off the dead skin.
I can't say how effective they are as a treatment.

There are two types available. Turkey Garra Rufa, and chin chin.
There is a remarkable price difference in the two.

Hybrid Garra Rufa (chin chin) are much cheaper than Turkey Garra Rufa.

It generally takes 800-1000 fish for even a small pool.
They live quite a while, but get kind of large after about nine months.

I am not sure how easy it is to import fish to the US.
Fish Spa's seem to be a big fad in Singapore.

[nyoki]

I live an hour out of DC and just saw a commercial during the news for this place. It looks like they put a bunch of these fish in a small, square plastic bucket w/ maybe 3" of water. They showed the little fishies going crazy on the customers' feet. They seemed to enjoy it. Maybe next CHD, we can all make appointments.

[mardar]

It wouldn't let me copy the pic but if you go to this link, one of the pics is of the fish munching on a woman's toes. (I think it was photo 8 of 12)

http://news.yahoo.com/page/week_in_p...s?fid=20080725

[ouchyk]

Not touching the link! * covers her eyes * lol!

GOOSEBUMPS GOOSEBUMPS....

[CalamityJane]

That story complete w/footage was on the news here (BC Canada) last week. I'd sure go for it.

Jane

[Resist]

Originally Posted by tareel

I can't say how effective they are as a treatment.

They are not a treatment, more a cleaning of dead skin.

The funny thing is that they say we should not pick at the dead skin on our patches as it could trigger a flare, yet these fish don't.

[grannyfranny]

Why bother,,,,,it will not prevent the p from coming back. Sounds like someone else making money.

[jkennedy626]

This was on The View today. Sherri was having a pedicure during the show. They said they were trying to do the whole body soon. I just think it seems very unsanitary - even if the water is clean. What about those fish and all the toes they have been sucking on???

[CalamityJane]

Originally Posted by jkennedy626

This was on The View today. Sherri was having a pedicure during the show. They said they were trying to do the whole body soon. I just think it seems very unsanitary - even if the water is clean. What about those fish and all the toes they have been sucking on???

I don't think it's as unsanitary as the leeches sucking out the blood and eating necrotic tissue........don't know, but seems like the little fish would do a really good job of just taking the dead tissue, while human spa's employees/podiatrists etc., can sometimes have a "slip of the wrist"

Jane

[bratsareus]

I would so do it.

[klm123]

I saw this same thing on Good Morning America. Diane was getting a pedicure and said that they were researching how it would work for p patients. If it would work, I would go for it, athough it still might come back after the fish remove it. And you have no idea of knowing how sanitary it is, which would probably make me not do it. It still is a little strange to me...

[CalamityJane]

Originally Posted by bratsareus

I would so do it.

I'll second that!

Jane