Pedicure is a medical foot care to maintain the health of the skin of the foot with special attention to toenails and calluses. In many cases, it is performed foot care at home under their own direction. Professional foot care by trained professionals is called podiatry.
What is pedicure?
Pedicure is a medical foot care to maintain the health of the skin of the feet with special attention to toenails and calluses. In the word pedicure is the Latin syllable pes or pedis, which translated means foot. Thus, the cosmetic pedicure is the counterpart to the manicure, the hand care. Feet are subjected to heavy daily wear and tear and great stress. If care is neglected, calluses, too long toenails, fungal diseases or sweaty feet can form, among other things. First and foremost, cosmetic foot care has a prophylactic function in that it prevents the development of these symptoms of disease through regular use. By supporting with foot care products, a podological application also serves for general cleaning and deodorization of the feet. Today it is recommended not to do foot care on one’s own, but only to have it done by specially trained professionals in podological practices. From the layman much too often possible errors and dangers of a not properly executed foot care overlooked. Therefore, today a distinction is made between medical and cosmetic pedicure. The cosmetic foot care at home is thereby considered only as a supplement to the medical foot care by the podiatrist.
Function, effect and goals
In the subject catalog of the training as a podiatrist, possible procedures of a comprehensive medical foot care are presented. However, there are explicitly no standards, which leads to the fact that in some podological practices only on previously soaked feet, but in others only on the dry foot is worked. Pedicure is not an invention of modern times, as some Egyptian wall paintings impressively prove. Since professional chiropodists have been trained in Germany as podiatrists with a state license, the terms cosmetic foot care and pedicure have been assigned to the cosmetic area for self-application. Training as a podiatrist is regulated by law in Germany, and the professional title podiatrist is protected by law. Anyone who worked as a medical podiatrist before the introduction of the law enjoys grandfather protection for a transitional period. Training to become a podiatrist is a matter for the states and takes between 2 and 3 years. A pedicure includes several steps that can be performed in succession to achieve the goal of well-groomed feet and toenails. The procedure is usually started with a neutral, warm foot bath lasting up to 20 minutes. Deodorizing or callus-dissolving bath additives can be added to the foot bath. After careful drying, the toenails are first cut with nail scissors and a nail file or with an electronic pedicure set. This set contains special diamond cutters for the care and shortening of toenails. Then corns, if any, are removed and calluses of the cornea and dead cuticles are carefully removed. Since the risk of injury is relatively high, it is recommended that this be done in a podiatrist’s office. After the feet have been gently massaged and creamed with a greasy cream in a final step, the toenails can still be painted. Depending on the condition of the feet, different additives can be used. The application of special nail fold tinctures, remedies against nail fungus or corns fall under the spectrum of medical foot care, podiatry. Means for care, cleaning and deodorization are assigned to cosmetic pedicure. Foot balm with coordinated invigorating ingredients fragrances and disinfects the skin of the foot after a care procedure. The preceding foot bath refreshes and promotes softening of the callus, which can then be easily removed with a special scraper. Foot baths with deodorizing additives also serve to reduce perspiration and odor problems. Cosmetic preparations for the feet often contain camphor, creams containing lavender and fat. The care products should be used sparingly to avoid overgreasing and to facilitate absorption into the skin. Pedicure may also include the application of foot powder. It absorbs increased moisture and therefore acts against sweat and foot odor.
Risks, dangers and special features
Pedicure, in particular, always involves risks and dangers if it is applied improperly or if the pathology of the feet is not taken into account. The greatest danger comes from micro-injuries caused by the planing or cutting tools used during pedicures. These often invisible skin injuries represent entry points for various pathogens, which in turn can result in dangerous infections. Therefore, under no circumstances should invisible or visible tissue bleeding occur during a pedicure. In otherwise healthy people, these small wounds will usually heal and have no further consequences, except that scars may remain. For predisposed patients with diabetes or hemophilia, however, even the smallest micro-injuries can become a serious medical problem. So-called diabetic feet should therefore only be treated by trained podiatrists. In the podiatrist’s office, a medical history is taken before each treatment, so that if diabetes or other relevant diseases are known, increased care is taken when performing foot care. All cutlery for pedicure must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected beforehand. In podiatry practice, legal regulations also require sterilization when reusing medical-grade utensils for pedicure. If only disposable items are used, the requirement for sterilization does not apply. Infected cutlery can transmit dangerous diseases, such as hepatitis C or MRSA, during pedicures.
