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Nail Cutting & Foot Care Maintenance
What is it?
Nail trimming and foot care maintenance helps people who may otherwise struggle to maintain their feet themselves. Foot health appointments care for any foot health concerns and your general wellbeing.
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How can I help?
Routine nail cutting, maintenance of any other foot health concerns and advise.
Ingrown Nails
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What are they?
An ingrown nail is when a nail has pierced the skin and is growing into the tissue. The tissue can be red, swollen, open to infection and they are painful. Common causes are genetic nail shape, ill fitting footwear, bad nail cutting or trauma.
How can I help?
Removing the ingrown nail spike (relieving discomfort), trimming and shaping the nail, dressing if necessary, foot care maintenance and advice.
Thickened & Rams horn nails
What are they?
The most common causes for overly thick nails are aging, trauma and skin conditions such as psoriasis. Rams horn nails are extremely thickened nails with the added characteristic of being abnormally curved. Both of these can be difficult to cut and can cause discomfort.
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How can I help?
Thinning down the nails, trimming and shaping, foot care maintenance and advise.
Fungal Nail Infection
What is it?
A fungal nail infection means the nail is infected with a fungus, of which there are different types. Usually first presenting in the big toe; fungus can cause nails to become discoloured, thickened, brittle and in some cases can be sore and smelly. Some common causes of fungal nails are warm, damp feet (Fungus thrives in these conditions), nail trauma or wearing ill fitted/ill ventilated footwear for prolonged periods of time.
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How can I help?
Thinning down the thickened nails, removing any loose fungus under the nail plate and trimming any nail no longer attached to the nail bed, creating the best suited treatment plan, foot care maintenance and advice.
Callus & Dry skin
What is it?
Thick, dry areas of skin caused by persistent pressure or rubbing. Common on weight baring or chafed areas of the feet and toes. Can present as yellowish in colour and can become tender if left to build up.
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How can I help?
Offloading callus build up, removal of dry skin, deep moisturising, paddings if necessary, foot care maintenance and advice.
Corns
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What are they?
Corns are often (not always) found under a layer of callus as they too are caused by pressure or friction over time. However, they penetrate deeper and are usually more painful than callus as they contain a hard nucleus of built up keratin. They can cause a similar sensation to a stone lodged in the foot when under pressure. There are five main types of corns, the most common that I see are hard corns and soft corns. Hard corns most commonly present on joints or bony areas of the foot. Soft corns are most commonly found between toes.
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How can I help?
Removal of the corn (relieving discomfort), paddings if necessary, foot care maintenance & advice.
Skin Fissures
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What are they?
Skin fissures are splits in the skin caused by a lack of elasticity. They are commonly found on heels along with callus and dry skin. If left untreated the area can potentially become tender or even infected if the skin breaks leaving it open to bacteria.
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How can I help?
Offloading surrounding callus and dry skin, deep moisturising, dressings if necessary, foot care maintenance and advice.
Verruca's
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What are they?
Verruca's are stubborn benign lesions caused by the human papillomavirus. They can become painful and can be contagious. They are identifiable by the rough flat surface and small black dots within (clotted blood vessels). Sometimes hidden under callus, they can be mistaken for a corn.
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How can I help?
Removal of overlying callus (topical treatment is more effective without a barrier between the verruca and treatment), personal topical treatment plan or referral if necessary, foot care maintenance and advice.
Diabetic foot
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What is it?
‘Diabetic foot’ refers to any conditions which effect the feet and legs of people with diabetes. Being a diabetic increases the risks of ulcers and diseases such as peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy.
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How can I help?
Routine neurovascular assessments (Checking nerve health and circulation in the feet), foot care maintenance and advise.
