February 1, 2007

Almaden pedicure infection victim to appear on
Feb. 6 episode of ‘The Tyra Banks Show’

Brittany Welby shares her cautionary tale on nationally syndicated program

By Ali Abdollahi
Staff Writer

Almaden Valley resident Brittany Welby, who has become a crusader for establishing safety standards in California pedicure and manicure salons after a 2004 pedicure left her with an severe mycobacterial infection and scars on her legs, recently appeared on “The Tyra Banks Show” to discuss her ordeal and her cause.

Brittany Welby, 21, relaxes in a limousine in Los Angeles on the way to film an episode of the Tyra Banks show. Photo by Jaleh Welby

Welby, 21, was a featured guest on the show’s “Beauty Disasters” episode, which will air Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Welby began finding painful lesions on her legs in the weeks following an October 2004 pedicure at Silver Nails salon on Blossom Hill Road. When the lesions continued to spread, Welby sought medical attention, but claims that her doctor did not correctly diagnose the infection or prescribe the proper antibiotics until she showed him a photo from a Nov. 25, 2004 Almaden Times article. The Times broke the story about the Santa Clara outbreak of infections that affected 143 customers in the county, many of whom live in South San Jose.

After learning of Welby’s story through news reports on the Internet, producers of “The Tyra Banks Show” found Welby through the online networking site MySpace. The show offer-ed to fly Welby and her mother, Jaleh Welby, to Los Angeles to appear on the show. “I was really excited that they found me,” said Welby. “It was a great way to let people know how serious this is, and a chance to help prevent other women from having to go through this.”

Despite the solemn subject matter of the show, Welby described it as a very enjoyable experience. “It was so fun to meet Tyra. The whole time I was on the air she was holding my hand, and being very sympathetic. She kept saying, ‘You’re still gorgeous.’ So it was really nice,” said Welby.

This was not Welby’s first brush with fame stemming from her pedicure misfortune. In June 2005, Welby and “American Idol” host Paula Abdul—who herself was a victim of an infection from an unsanitary manicure—appeared in front of the California state legislature in support of a bill to establish minimum safety standards for pedicure and manicure chemicals and related equipment, ensure that salons have procedures in place for the proper, safe and sanitary operation of spa equipment and tools, and call for the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology to prominently post notices warning consumers if a particular business has received a violation.

AB 409, sponsored by then-Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who was elected in November to a Senate seat, was written specifically to protect consumers after Yee heard about the outbreak of infections through the Almaden Times articles. The bill was signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in September and immediately became law—unusual for most state laws, which typically become effective Jan. 1 the following year. The law gives the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology the power to suspend a salon's license for at least a year—forgoing a hearing with an administrative hearing—if the salon violates any health and safety codes.

Welby was also featured as part of a CNN special report on manicure and pedicure infections in January, 2006. Said Welby, “I’m doing these things because I never want another woman to have to go through what I went through.”

Amerispa, a Rancho Cordova-based company that manufactures whirlpool pedicure equipment, helped draft Yee’s bill and made a special gesture in Welby’s honor. The company established a “safe” pedicure chair at Café Hair, the Almaden Valley salon owned by Welby’s mother, Jaleh. The pedicure chair was named “Brittany’s Chair” by her mom soon thereafter.

Welby’s appearance on the “The Tyra Banks Show” will appear on local Fox affiliate KTVU (channel 2 on most systems) at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6 and at 9 p.m. on KICU channel 36 on Tuesday, Feb. 20.