Skincare of a beauty female feet with camomile's flowerWith things heating up in Jacksonville, FL, from wildfires to the summer heat, many of us will be sliding into our favorite flip-flops and showing off our toes.  The American Podiatric Medical Association has released a set of Do’s and Don’ts for pedicures. Dr. Vimal Reddy has found that the common theme in all of these tips is to watch out for infectious germs, from bacteria or fungi. Here are the highlights Dr. Reddy at the First Coast Foot & Ankle Clinic picked out: 1.     Trim your toenails straight across, not tapered: Nails want to grow straight out. If your toenails are rounded, they can start to grow sideways into your skin, which hurts! This is also an open invitation for a bacterial infection and the pain level will only increase from there. 2.     Use clean tools: If the salon is not properly sterilizing their tools, bring your own. Also, never share emery boards, because they are porous and can trap germs. Finally, don’t use the same tools for a manicure as for a pedicure, because that can transfer germs from your feet to your hands….Yuck! 3.     Not too dry, not too wet: Moisturizing creams will help dry feet.  Just be careful not to keep your feet confined in a damp environment (especially between the toes!) since this creates an ideal breeding ground for fungi. 4.     Thick discolored nails?: You might have a fungus. If this sounds like you, check in with Dr. Reddy to come up with a treatment regimen to eradicate the unwelcome guest living in your toenail!