ATLANTA -- Georgia nail salons are now operating under a tough new set of regulations. They’re designed to safeguard customers from the risks we first exposed in a Channel 2 Consumer Investigation. Still, we’ve found few salons are following the rules. Consumer Investigator Jim Strickland has the details.

State regulators are now making the rounds to inform nail salons of some tough new requirements. One of the new rules is a direct result of our investigation last fall – when we exposed the dangers that lurk in a dirty pedicure tub.

At Beleza Salon in Roswell – it’s no secret. A clear warning sign cautions women against shaving their legs before they get pedicures.

The sign is part of a new set of state regulations to help eliminate infections sometimes spawned in the churning foot bath.

Infectious disease specialist Robin Dretler says that’s likely how Liz Mynatt caught the germ that bore a hole in her leg.

“The pictures I saw on TV, I knew immediately that I had the same problem,” says Mynatt. “It was a cone-shaped hole and absolutely disgusting,” she says.

Cathy Linton of Marietta told us her story last year – she is scarred for life.

Regulators say our story on Linton’s case helped bring about the posted warning about shaving. Linton and the other two women each shaved just before getting their pedicures.

State inspectors say most of Georgia’s 1,600 nail salons don’t even know about the requirement.

There’s no budget for a mass mailing to 1,600 nail shops, so inspectors have to go to each salon to inform them of the new law. It’ll be months before every salon gets the word. The shaving warning is only part of the story. Scrubbing the tub removes dead skin and debris the infectious bacteria need to grow – that’s why now the state will also mandate strict cleaning with hospital grade disinfectants.

“It’s really the hope of our board that we can raise the standards of the profession – to make it safe and enjoyable to get a pedicure,” says Cynthia Stein.

When we went undercover to a Cobb County salon, we found a worker cleaning a pumice stone – then using no chemicals while rinsing the tub. From now on, pumice stones may not be shared among customers. Regulators say clients should not be shy when asking questions about cleanliness.

“When you know the people and you’ve been going to the same place, you feel safe,” says customer Lilli Miskin.

Liz Mynatt is taking action on her own, “And I’m certainly not going to the same nail salon where I first picked this up.”

The state is hiring three more inspectors – that brings the total number to 10. When you count all the different types of salons they have to check, the average inspector has to check more than 1,000 salons.