Is it possible that a wonderful way of removing dead skin, or even treating diseased skin, is to immerse yourself in a pool of voracious fish? Does this increasingly popular fish spa therapy deliver on its promises? Chiara Bonello looks at what is going on in this mushrooming industry

Fish spa therapy, sometimes known as ‘doctor fish spa therapy’, involves shoals of tiny flesh-eating fish, commonly known as Garra Rufa, which are used to clean and exfoliate the skin, by feeding on the dead skin.

These fish do not touch the healthy skin, but only feed on the affected and dead areas, leaving the healthy skin to grow. Similar spas have begun to open up on the island, after their growing popularity worldwide.

These Garra Rufa fish originally live in rivers in Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, but have been exported to various countries, now including Malta, where a number of spas have popped up in the Sliema and St Julian’s area.

The treatment involves customers placing their feet in tanks of warm freshwater containing dozens of these toothless Garra Rufa fish, which then suck and gently nibble away at dry and dead skin.

They are gaining popularity, as people are curious to experience for themselves this form of therapy which is believed to be able to relieve fatigue and stress, exfoliating the skin at the same time.

The exfoliation of the Garra Rufa fish is said to stimulate blood flow and improve circulation, remove bacteria and reduce foot odour, as well as helping with athlete’s foot. It is said feet will be smoother and softer after treatment.

It is also said the fish can stimulate acupuncture points, helping to regulate the nervous system, relax the body and release fatigue.

Furthermore these tiny flesh-eating fish can reportedly be used to help treat skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema, since they also feed on the affected skin.

Evidence that it is helpful to eczema patients is questioned, as the Chief Executive of the UK’s National Eczema Society, Margaret Cox, has been reported saying that her instinct is to say the treatment could be more harmful than helpful.

“Speaking as a person with eczema, I struggle to see how this could possibly help me. If you have eczema why would you want to be exfoliating? Our problem is we haven’t got enough skin in the first place,” she said.

She also raised the question of whether it could raise the risk of infection in a person with eczema, when the risk of infection is already high.

Claims that it can help ease psoriasis symptoms, have not been refuted, although Psoriasis Association Information Officer Carla Renton, has said that there is no proven research that it works on its own.

“What we say is we can see it might be helpful in terms of exfoliation to get the skin off and to allow topical treatments (creams) to sink in but as far as we’re aware there are no further benefits and we don’t particularly have anecdotal evidence either.”

Both societies emphasised the importance of hygiene aspects when these fish spas are used.

Health risks associated with fish spas?

Although in many states in the US these spas have been banned for health and safety reasons, the same was not the case in the UK, since authorities there said they are currently unaware of cases of infection associated with their use.

“We looked into the matter a few months ago. There is no scientific evidence which implicates a public health risk from the activity. There are currently studies being undertaken in the UK, which we are closely following,” a spokesperson for the Health Ministry told this newspaper.

“Until such time that we have scientific evidence of a risk, we have no plans to introduce any regulatory requirements,” the spokesperson said.