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An infection from a pedicure almost cost a N.C. woman her leg. Is the device used legal in Florida?

Think twice before letting anyone use callus scrapers like Credo blades on you during a pedicure.

Before a day trip to the salon turns into a lifetime of unease, heed this warning and come armed with research.

A callus scraper cut a North Carolina woman's heel during a pedicure. The tool shouldn't have been used in the first place because it's banned at the state's salons. Chills and vomiting turned into a trip to the hospital with a diagnosis of cellulitis.

"Every day was a new chapter of what was going to happen to my leg," Tracy Lynn Martinez told 10News' sister station. "Was I going to lose my leg? Was I going to lose my life?"

Many states ban the use of scraping devices known as Credo blades.

According to Missouri's Department of Insurance, Credo blades are short-handled devices similar to razors. They can sometimes cause bleeding and infections, said the state -- which banned the devices in 2009.

In Florida, however, the law is much more vague.

The Sunshine State does not explicitly prohibit the use of Credo blades, but state law requires cosmetic procedures to be non-invasive. Some cosmetologists have debated if such blades are invasive.

Regardless of what tool is used, Florida law mandates any such instruments are disinfected before use and don't come in contact with any blood or bodily fluids.

If you have questions about a procedure, it's probably best to consult with your doctor first. When going to a cosmetologist, you should always make sure he or she is licensed to practice.

Click here to search licensed cosmetologists in Florida.

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