What began as a routine manicure quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal for Claudia Ruffin, a 27-year-old Sydney resident. Just hours after visiting an upscale nail salon in Double Bay on Valentine’s Day 2024, she experienced severe symptoms, including dizziness, a racing heart, blurred vision and numbness in her hands.
The situation worsened when she noticed alarming red streaks extending from her thumb all the way to her neck. Alarmed, Claudia rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where she was immediately admitted for urgent medical evaluation.
Ruffin began to experience “heavy sickness, with her heart racing, vision blurred, and hands going all numb”. She soon also noticed red streaks running from her thumb right up to her neck in the most frightening
ordeal. Ruffin immediately went to St. Vincent’s Hospital and got herself admitted for a medical checkup.
Doctors Discover The Cause
Upon admitting her, doctors soon discovered the root cause of Ruffin’s condition. According to a report by news.com.au, it was a severe Strep infection that the woman had developed from the manicure. The infection had quickly turned into sepsis, as her thumb began to turn all black and her body required urgent treatment.
As things unfolded, the doctors had put Ruffin through six critical surgeries, an experience she described as nothing short of “hell”. The Sydney woman had a skin graft and received 48 stitches. Apart from which, she lost part of her thumb in a partial amputation that was required. “They had to amputate down to my nail bed. A plastic surgeon reconstructed it at the end, but I still can’t fully use it or feel anything,” she said.
Woman Gives Update On Her Condition
Later on, Ruffin provided an update on her condition with an Instagram post. “Over the course of the last 13 days, #sepsis has left me bedridden on intravenous antibiotics, undergoing 5 surgeries, which included a skin graft to repair the necrotic tissue I lost on my thumb, all caused by a Strep infection I contracted during a routine nail manicure,” she wrote.
“I cannot stress the importance of doing your own due diligence on nail salons to ensure they are maintaining hygienic and sterile practices and to understand the risks. Because I didn’t.”
The woman advised people not to repeat her mistake and ensure that tools are properly cleaned during manicure and other such beauty procedures, especially for treatments that break the skin. The incident also raised doubts over the hygiene practices of salons in Australia and around the globe.
