I have some info from a friend of mine--just wanted to share:
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"I took a class on paraffin - Dead skin, hair, sweat, etc CANNOT be deposited
into a paraffin unit. The wax in there is about 130 degrees, your body is
98.6 or so. When you dip a body part into the unit, the paraffin will
INSTANTLY seal on your skin. It is a fallacy that even dirty skin can
contaminate the unit.
If there is stuff in the unit it is by products of the paraffin. It is
normal to have that in there. And paraffin is an inert object - it cannot
breed bacteria!"
Deb Blowars
www.artistictrendssalon.com
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This info is from the official website of WR Medical- manufacturers of the Therabath Paraffin Unit (which I use):
"Are paraffin treatments sanitary?"
Yes. The TherabathPRO has been tested by university labs, who have certified that paraffin is a hostile environment for bacteria and fungi. In addition, when you dip, the paraffin forms an instant barrier between the skin and paraffin in the bath. A certificate of testing is available in Adobe Acrobat format (click here for the .pdf file), or from WR Medical Electronics Co. If your TherabathPRO is for public use, we recommend the use of Sanitizing Spray.
the website information is found at
www.therabathpro.com
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Hope this helps!