Alyssa Everett smiles as she holds up her artistically groomed nails. The silver sparkled airbrush swirls glisten in the sun over her square-tipped French manicure.

A loyal customer of Lian’s salon in the Mission for three years, Everett, 22, junior psychology major, is positive that her favorite establishment is safe and sanitary.

Despite this confidence, scrutiny of nail salon sanitation procedures has made her wary.

“I’ve heard about spa pedicures on the news,” she said, “and I won’t get pedicures anymore, even at my salon.”

The state of California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, which licenses salons, has the strictest sanitation rules in the nation. However, according to the board, there were only 18 inspectors responsible statewide for enforcing regulations at about 35,000 licensed nail salons. Unless customers are aware of these rules and check that they are followed, anyone can run the risk of infection, or even contracting a serious disease, said Danette Schmidt, nail technology instructor at the San Francisco Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology (SFIEC).

The board requires that all sandpaper files, drill implements or buffers made of materials that cannot be sanitized, be discarded after each use. Tools that may be sterilized must be made of stainless steel, and must be submerged for at least 10 minutes in a hospital-grade disinfectant, not alcohol, said Schmidt.

According to California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, the improper disinfecting of tools and equipment can spread disease and bacteria from one person to another, like nail fungus. Also, various viruses can be transmitted through the use of dirty instruments, including HIV and Hepatitis B, according to California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.

Even using the cleanest instruments may not prevent infection because the procedure of pushing or clipping the cuticle away can leave the fingertips vulnerable, said Han Lee, a dermatologist at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

Aggressively pushing or cutting the cuticle may cause bacteria to enter, said Lee.

Schmidt said that SFIEC students in the nail technology program are taught to differentiate between living and non-living tissue. Trimming dead skin around the nail bed and cutting the actual cuticle are two different things, she said.

“It’s a fine line, but the cuticle should never be cut, only a doctor can cut living tissue,” she said.

The customer should never experience pain at any point in the procedure.

“(The manicurist) cut my cuticles too short, then rubbed on alcohol,” said Terri Soto, 20, health education major. “It was hurting and bleeding.”

According to manager Christine Nguyen of Super Nails, located at Stonestown Galleria, almost half of their customers are students, primarily from SF State.

“I feel really comfortable and it is very clean,” said Kandy Anjorin, 18, business and marketing student who has been to Super Nails five times.

Although some nail salons have abandoned the use of whirlpool footbaths for pedicures, Super Nails is among the majority of salons that still use them, and must adhere to strict cleaning regimens.

State law requires that a disinfectant must be run through the system in “on” mode between each client for at least 10 minutes because the inner plumbing and screen beneath the drain can pass the bacteria back into the basin once the jets are turned on.

Bacteria, known as mycobacterium, are responsible for the majority of skin infections on the legs, and the footbath is ideal for harboring these infectious bacteria that can result in permanent scarring of the legs.

Salons are required to keep a log of this and other state-mandated cleaning procedures throughout each day.

“If any salon is unable to show the customer their daily log as proof, they should take their business elsewhere,” said Schmidt.