The nail plate (the pink part under the nail) of a toe completely regenerates itself over a period of 9 to 18 months. While a cosmetic pedicure is recommended about once a month, particularly for preventative purposes to monitor and keep your feet healthy, you should get a medical pedicure if certain skin or nail conditions appear.

Less serious conditions can be treated at home or at a pedicurist without any problems, while more significant ones should be examined by a specialist: podiatrist, chiropodist technician, dermatologist, etc. The treatment will depend on the condition.

Cosmetic pedicure

Cosmetic pedicure treatments are light and quite pleasant. The hard surfaces of our cities and closed-toed shoes aren’t very gentle with our feet, which need our attention. In reflexology, they’re even the nerve centre of good health. Cosmetic pedicures come in various options:

  • the complete treatment, generally including calluses and cuticles, a massage, and the application of a polish
  • the spa pedicure, which consists of the complete treatment plus a scrub, a mask, and often a paraffin wax treatment
  • the reflexology massage
  • the simple foot bath and treatment with plant extracts

Your feet appreciate moisturization and nourishing oils. All parts of your feet are sensitive to the treatments: the ankle, the sole of the foot, the toes, and the nails.

What are the different treatments offered in a cosmetic pedicure?

Cosmetic treatments generally include:

  • cutting and filing the nails
  • cleaning the cuticles and dead skin
  • nourishing and revitalizing damaged feet
  • applying a moisturizing cream
  • applying polish

Medical pedicure

When is a medical pedicure recommended?

Medical pedicures help treat skin or nail conditions. Besides a few rare conditions that can be identified by a dermatologist, here’s a short list of cases where a medical pedicure may be necessary.

  1. Skin conditions

Most of these should be treated medically, sometimes by multiple specialists, especially the most serious ones such as congenital or hereditary conditions.

  • eczema: 30% of all visits to a dermatologist are motivated by this widespread condition
  • warts: one of the main causes leading, in some cases, to a medical pedicure
  • thick and painful calluses (cracks)
  • corns, bunions
  • melanoma
  • lichen planus: a skin condition appearing between the ages of 30 and 60 characterized by small, protruding, sometimes itchy spots (lichen neuroticus can sometimes be fatal)
  • Bowen’s disease: skin tumour
  • Darier’s disease: a type of goosebumps associated with stretch marks.
  1. Nail conditions

There are many medically proven links between various internal disorders or injuries that cause the fingernails and toenails to take on an abnormal appearance.

Here are the most common nail conditions:

  • minor anomalies: discolouration and inconsistency of the nail
  • ingrown toenails
  • fungal and bacterial infections
  • onychoschizia: detachment, weakening, or splitting of the nail lengthwise
  • nail psoriasis: almost half of all patients who suffer from psoriasis find their nails afflicted with it
  • peeled nail: discolouration of the nail and general weakening
  • anonychia: absence of all or part of the nail

How does a medical pedicure work?

These procedures are generally carried out by podiatrists, nurses, or nursing assistants in foot care. Sometimes, they’re performed by specialized technicians who have received specific training and can operate on calluses, corns, warts, minor anomalies of the nails, ingrown toenails, etc. The most serious conditions should of course be treated by specialized doctors.

While the main goal of a cosmetic pedicure is to improve your well-being, a medical pedicure requires more attention and special operations.

The advantages of choosing a medical pedicure are multiple. They not only help prevent the occurrence of diseases, but also detect them, as the case may be. We highly recommend not letting foot pain develop, nor problems related to the appearance of your toenails. Our feet are the pillars on which our existence physically rests.

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