Health officials in the UK have warned about the possible dangers of undergoing a fish pedicure, but have admitted that the risk of infection is ‘very low'.

However, they say that people with certain conditions, such as psoriasis, should avoid the treatment.

The pedicures involve a person submerging their feet in warm water containing Garra rufa fish, which nibble dead dry skin off the feet. The treatment is available at salons and spas around Ireland.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the UK, it established a working group to offer guidance on this treatment, following a number of enquiries it had received.

The working group found that in a spa setting, ‘there is the potential for transmission of a range of infections, either from fish to person (during the nibbling process), water to person (from the bacteria that can multiply in water), or person to person (via water, surrounding surfaces and fish)'.

However, the group insisted that the overall risk of infection is ‘likely to be very low', as long as proper standards of hygiene are adhered to.

It did note that those with certain conditions, such as psoriasis and diabetes, as well as those with a weakened immune system, ‘are likely to be at increased risk of infection and so fish pedicures are not recommended for such individuals'.

As a result, salons and spas should not promote this treatment to these particular groups of people, the group added.

"Provided that good standards of hygiene are followed by salons, members of the public are unlikely to get an infection from a fish spa pedicure, however the risk will be higher for certain people.

"This is why we feel it's important for salons to ensure the client has no underlying health conditions that could put them at risk and that a thorough foot examination is performed to make sure there are no cuts, grazes or existing skin conditions that could spread infection," explained Dr Hilary Kirkbride, a consultant epidemiologist with the HPA.

Anyone who experiences any ill effects after having a fish pedicure should attend their GP, the HPA added.

For more information on psoriasis, see Irishhealth.com's Psoriasis Clinic here

In Ireland, the HSE"s Health Protection Surveillance Centre has also issued guidance on fish pedicures