The problem is, our industry is made up of everyday, ordinary people. Every state in the U.S. has different rules and regulations for regulating the industry and different criteria and requirements for determining who’s “qualified” to perform services. Not to mention how much more different those rules and requirements — or lack thereof — get once you’re outside the U.S.

The Internet has come of age; we are a world united now. Well, if not exactly “united,” in contact. I have “friends” on Facebook from all over the world — countries that I didn’t even know existed or couldn’t find on a map until I received a message or a friend request or saw a photo posted that spurred me to send a friend request myself.

All this adds up to an increased chance of —and occurrence of — the same misinformation making it far past the local grapevine and traveling around the world.

And not everyone working in this industry is in the top 1% — not the top 1% on any IQ test or in the top 1% when it comes to dedication to her profession. It’s not that most aren’t trying, but it’s hard to wade through the waters of misinformation out there.

Some people just put their faith in the wrong authority. How many of you have been listening to clients who think Dr. Oz knows more about doing nails than you do, for example? Not everyone who presents themselves as a quality source of knowledge actually is — no matter how much they truly believe they know what they’re talking about.

It’s up to us to apply some serious critical thinking skills to what we hear, who’s saying it, and why we should believe them before we repeat them.

Which is a pretty profound series of thoughts on the subject, but I think it’s important to point this out because all too often I see well-meaning folks in my own business standing up, waving a “part of the problem” flag when they should take a minute to do some research and put up the “part of the solution” flag instead.

Yeah, I’m only human too, folks. I admit it. I do try.

Meanwhile, here’s a photo that I see is making the rounds of the Internet again. I think a lot of us have seen it and know it’s a fake, but just in case: http://www.snopes.com/photos/gruesome/fingers.asp. Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet...or TV, even if it comes from a “real live doctor.”