Get Ready for Sandal Season!
The seasons, they are a-changing. Your toes are probably waking from their winter slumber as we speak, emerging from their shoe caves, sleepy-eyed and ready for refreshment. Be ready to help them greet the sunshine. Spruce them up with an at-home pedicure or a safe, professional one.
How to perform an at-home pedicure
- Fill a sink or basin with warm water.
- Add Epsom salts, peppermint soap, or another favorite fragrance.
- Soak your feet for 10-15 minutes.
- Use a pumice stone to gently rub against tough calluses on your heels or soles.
- Trim your toenails straight across and not too short.
- Wipe your feet clean and dry them thoroughly.
- Apply a thick moisturizing cream, taking care to avoid putting cream in between your toes.
Certainly, you may also paint your toenails as you wish. However, if at any time during your at-home pedicure you see something unusual, contact board-certified podiatrist Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm for an appointment. Things to look out for include brittle, discolored, or crumbling toenails; open sores that aren’t healing; thick, painful calluses that no pumice stone can help; loss of feeling in any part of the foot; and new growths on the skin or changes to existing moles.
When you choose to get your toenails done professionally, go to a professional!
Not all nail salons are created equal. In Fairfax County and, in fact, all of Virginia, strict rules regulate the number of training hours a nail technician must have. They must also pass a written and a practical exam.
Furthermore, the salon itself must be licensed to practice safely in our state. Avoid salons that don’t post their credentials.
Finally, notice if the salon employees are following safe practices, including sanitizing tools, changing pedicure basin liners, and cleaning the basins between customers.
If you have diabetes
It’s safer for our patients with diabetes to treat their feet with a medical pedicure than to perform one at home. We’re happy to schedule one at your convenience at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center. Call our Centreville podiatry office at (703) 996-3000 or make an appointment online.
