Summer is here, and with this season’s adjustable double strap sandals, (and after a long and isolating winter), we all want to walk the runway with our feet. But have your feet really been getting the TLC and medical-grade attention they need?

Since I have started my practice in 2020, I’ve seen a “boom” of people coming to see me for my medical expertise on how to keep their feet healthy. The truth is the pandemic has been an eye-opener on Infection and Prevention Control for many. Although Covid-19 had nothing to do with our already established and elevated standards of practice and infection prevention and control measures, it has sensitized our community on their health, wellness, and safety.

As a Registered Nurse and Podortho Nurse, specialized in advanced foot care, Medical Pedicures are one of my expertise. I don’t just clip toenails every 20 minutes. As a Nurse, I provide a standard of care that is unique to my practice. You see, even if I’m specialized in Advanced Lower Limbs & Foot Care, I don’t just look at your feet. I look at the overall person, and therefore I pride myself in saying that I offer a holistic approach. Nurses acquire judgement, knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care, reduce pressure on the health-care system, improve access to care, and involve individuals in decisions about their care. With this reputation, nurses are not only valued and trusted by their patients/clients, but they are integral part of the health care system

Ok I got carried away there about how I am proud of our profession. Now back to foot care. What can you expect with me? Every first appointment starts with a thorough assessment, which also includes the first treatment. During this initial consultation, we review your medical history and your lifestyle and how your feet keep you going daily. We also discuss about pain, aches, and any concerns you may have. We’ll chat about preventive strategies, footwear assessments and self-care management. Then, I’m off to work. I’ll conduct a full nursing assessment and provide you your foot care. Bye-bye corns, calluses, cracked heels, ingrowns, and thick toenails! And we finish off with skin moisturizing and a hot towel treatment. (ahhhhhhh, who doesn’t like hot towels?) In other words, you get the experience of an amazing and thorough pedicure but with a medical eye.

Your feet are the foundation of your body and they need that special attention. Now, why the medical part? Well, we get our eyes and teeth checked, why not our feet? They’re kind of a big deal. Foot complications can lead to serious physical, mental, social, financial and emotional impacts. I could spend all day talking about how devastating it is when you’re forced to be off your feet, but I will leave that for another blog.

Now let’s chat a bit about pedicure safety. I do get a lot of people in my practice seeing me after a “bad-trip” from the nail salon. Some salons are volume-based and that’s how they run their business. But this means that when you work quickly, you pay less attention to sterilizing your instruments and providing safe care. And the foot baths… I don’t mean to scare you, but if those are not cleansed properly (especially the ones with the jets), then you’re bound to pick up an accumulation of micro-organism from the crowd that dipped their feet in there before you. Oh, and the nail polish, just think of it as being double dipped. I will leave it at that. So you can imagine the infections and ingrown toenails that come to visit me after.

At our clinic, we don’t soak the feet. We do use a skin softener to spot treat the areas that need to be cared for. And if we have someone who is diabetic, soaking their feet would only put them at risk of foot complications. We use medical grade podiatric equipment, which means no cheese-graters in my clinic! Our tools and equipment are packaged and fully sterilized in our health Canada approved autoclave. All of our reprocessing is done in our in-house sterilization room by myself. It’s a full time job, but it’s the right way to do it. And what I can’t sterilize goes in the trash. Simple.

With a medi-spa-like atmosphere, cozy chair, relaxing environment, private treatment room, professional equipment and quality care, you can relax and have your feet taken care of. How often do we recommend maintenance and treatments (because we nurses are obsessed with prevention)? Every 6 to 8 weeks is great to keep everything as healthy as possible from Soul to Sole!

This content was created for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.