Attention: To All Flip-Flops Lovers

...including myself. Get this. :) I got this forwarded email from a friend yesterday and it said that I should forward it to all my contacts - well, why not let everybody know about it?;)

These are photos of someone's feet who reportedly bought a pair of flip flops made in China and later on developed one of the worst kind of skin irritation.


There was no clear information found on the email so I tried to investigate on it and this is what I got: (a commentary posted at Hoax Slayer dated October 2007)

This emailed message includes several photographs depicting a woman's feet with a severe skin reaction apparently caused by a pair of rubber flip flops (usually called "thongs" in Australia and "jandals" in New Zealand). The message claims that chemicals used in the manufacture of the flip flops caused the rash. According to the message, the flip flops were made in China and sold cheaply in Wal-Mart stores in the US.

The case described in the message is true and the photographs are genuine. The afflicted feet shown in the images belong to Kerry Stiles of Marion County, Florida. Stiles has created a website that features information and a series of photographs depicting the results of apparent chemical burns caused by a pair of flip flops she purchased for $2.44 at the Marion County Wal-Mart. She bought the flip flops for a photo shoot and then wore them for around an hour. But she later developed the painful and debilitating skin reaction shown in the photographs. The strap-shaped appearance of the rash strongly suggests that it was indeed caused by the flip flops.

Yes, I didn't stop until I found what I was looking for - a confirmation whether this is indeed true. Well, if you still have some doubts, you can just ignore this. I am not trying to single out Chinese people for that matter, I just mean to make others aware of the danger that awaits those who are not careful in choosing the products they buy.

Actually I have sensitive skin and I almost always get skin reactions from mild to something like this one whenever I use products which are high in chemical. So what I do is, I try to avoid experimenting with products which I haven't or no one has ever tried before. Haha. :P