The Christmas party season is upon us once again — and there's no better time to start thinking about getting your feet comfortable for party season.
Whilst not everyone will be wearing high heels this Christmas time, Lorraine Monck from Tewkesbury's specialist footcare clinic, ProPodiatry, offers her best tips for preventing and treating ailments on your feet throughout the winter.
About the expert - Lorraine Monck from ProPodiatry
Qualifying from The Birmingham School of Chiropody in 1984, Lorraine Monck initially worked for the NHS before going into private practice. Monck set up ProPodiatry seven years ago with two colleagues, but is now the sole owner, working with two associates, Liz Brown and Peter McQueen, providing specialist foot expertise to those in Gloucestershire.
For more information, visit propodiatry.co.uk.
How can people treat corns?
The best way to treat many things is to prevent them in the first place. Corns can be very painful and unpleasant and are normally exacerbated by ill-fitting shoes, therefore it would make sense not to wear footwear that causes you pain.
The best time to buy a shoe if you suffer from corns is when your feet are painful as you will be able to tell immediately if the shoes hurt you. It's pointless to have your feet treated and made comfortable before you buy shoes as you will not be able to tell if they will cause you a problem. If you have a corn, the best course of action is to seek treatment from a Healthcare Professional Council (HCPC) registered podiatrist, such as the three HCPC registered podiatrists at the ProPodiatry clinic.
Do you have any advice for preventing fungal infections throughout winter when wearing thicker socks and boots?
Fungal infections are less prevalent in winter, but the following tips can help:
Treat your footwear with an anti-fungal preparation as well as your skin.
Do not use preparations that have been opened and have sat in the medicine cabinet for more than six months as they will have lost their potency.
Dry feet well after bathing or swimming.
Avoid wool socks as these encourage your feet to sweat more — stick to breathable fibres like cotton or bamboo instead.
Do not wear the same pair of shoes day in and day out — allow your shoes to air out for at least 24 hours in between each use. If you can, then use a UV dry warmer in your shoes — we sell these at ProPodiatry, as they help to remove fungal spores in your shoes, and also deodorise your shoes at the same time!
Make sure to wear clean socks every day.
If your shoes and socks get wet, change them as soon as possible.
What advice would you give to clients who have lost toenails but still want their feet to look good for Christmas?
If there is any nail
left on the nail bed, a nail reconstruction can be offered. These look very
authentic and should last up to six weeks. If there is no nail on the nail bed,
sometimes you can paint the area to simulate a nail. You can also use a press
on nail, however do be aware that this will not last very long.
Rather than simply painting over the problem, do you offer any nail discolouration treatments?
Painting over the nail
is one solution but often having the nail professionally thinned will improve
the appearance of the nail. Finding the cause of discolouration is important in
finding the solution, and a podiatrist can help with determining the cause. The
causes of nail discolouration can range from natural pigmentation, trauma and
bruising to the nail, infection, or even skin cancer. Finding out the cause
from a qualified and registered professional is very important to ensure you
know what you're dealing with.
What’s the difference between a regular pedicure and the treatments you offer at ProPodiatry?
Pedicures are performed by beauticians and are thereby a beauty treatment and cosmetic in substance. A treatment from a podiatrist will be a medical-based treatment where foot conditions can be noted and treated with an onward referral to further specialisms, if necessary — and obviously attending a podiatrist should ensure the use of sterilised equipment thereby preventing any risk of infection.
While a podiatrist and a beautician
are both able to cut nails, a podiatrist is more able to prevent ingrowing
toenails if you are at risk of these — or provide appropriate treatment if you
have an ingrowing toenail. Podiatrists are also able to treat many other conditions of the
feet.
What other treatments do you offer at ProPodiatry?
We offer warm wax therapy which is a great treatment for dry skin, achy joints and muscle relaxation. Anyone suffering arthritis, mild Raynaud's, prone to chilblains, or with very dry skin will benefit from this treatment.
We also offer Lunula Laser treatment, which is a painless treatment for fungal nails; Swift microwave therapy and Verrutop treatment for verrucae; nail surgery for
ingrowing toenails; insoles for treatment of painful foot conditions; and nail
reconstructions for damaged toenails.
