Pedicare – Toe-Nails

Diabetics needs Pedicare and not just a pedicure which is normally done at Salons.

Diabetics have different needs than a regular pedicure due to the complications that Diabetes can bring about.

Loss of sensation, dryness of feet leading to callosities and fissures, in turn can be the portal of entry of bacteria and can lead to infections and there by wounds. Nail changes like thickening of nails, in-grown toe nails with trophic changes can be noted in diabetics.

So, to combat all a good pedicure routine at regular intervals can be done at our clinic.

PediCare  – A sterile way to clean, cut and maintain Diabetic toenails.

Complete diabetic PediCare with trimming of brittle and trophic nails at regular intervals.

During every PediCare  visit careful inspection of the feet occurs.  This provides the patients with a way to keep an eye on the health of their feet.  Many times serious issues can be avoided with regular PediCare visits since the feet would be regularly inspected for any suspected changes.  Anything suspicious is thus taken care off by advising patient a correct solution.

Precautions to be taken by diabetic patients during the nail cutting and pedicure:

• No Scrubs – due to the thinning of the skin a diabetic is more prone to skin tears.  The use of scrubs could be a potential problem since many times they are just too abrasive and even the mildest of scrubs can lead to minute skin tears that could cause infections and other problems.

• Use Luke warm water temperatures – Because of neuropathy, diabetic patient’s feet are sometimes hypersensitive and too hot water temps would be uncomfortable and painful or they have a loss of sensations altogether making it difficult for them to be able to tell if the water is too hot.  By using lower water temps (luke-warm) both of these issues are addressed.

• No nipping/cutting of skin tissue – There may be poor circulation in the feet if the skin is nipped too deep it may create the perfect entry for infection to set in.  Second, if blood thinners are taken the tiniest little nick can cause bleeding.

• No BLADES should be EVER USED!!!! – Use of blades is dangerous especially for diabetic patient.

• Very little use of a foot file if any at all – There may be times that a foot file must be used in order to SMOOTH (not remove) rough edges of nails.  However, special attention and care must be taken if a foot file is used as   thinning of skin, susceptibility to infections, possible use of blood thinners all pose as risks if a foot file is utilized so extra care and attention must be used.

• No deep massage of the feet and legs –Massaging runs the risk of throwing (dislodging) blood clots that may be present – either known or unknown – causing further complications for the patient.  In addition, due to the possible thinning of the skin over-massaging can also cause skin tears and a dreaded complication known as necrotizing fasciitis.