Learn all about pedicures, from cosmetic and medical treatments to the latest fish pedicures, plus get tips on regular vs dry methods and answers to common questions.
With the arrival of the summer season, interest in personal care increases, especially foot care. And the best way to do that? A pedicure! Let’s dive deeper and discover more about this treatment.
What Exactly is a Pedicure?
A pedicure is a cosmetic treatment designed to improve the health and appearance of your feet and toenails. It primarily focuses on the skin around the toes, often addressing issues caused by friction with shoes. This treatment has become incredibly popular in recent years, enjoyed by both women and men alike.
Types of Pedicures
There are 3 main types of pedicures, and here they are:
1. Cosmetic Pedicure
This type of pedicure focuses on the overall health and beauty of your feet and toenails. It’s mainly about making your feet look good. This type of treatment is ideal if you’re aiming for aesthetic results, like a fresh coat of nail polish.
A cosmetic pedicure typically begins with soaking your feet in warm, soapy water, often enriched with salts and essential oils. Then comes trimming, shaping, and cuticle care, followed by the removal of dead skin and a foot massage.
2. Medical Pedicure
A medical pedicure is similar to a cosmetic one but goes a step further by addressing specific medical issues affecting the feet. This includes a range of treatments that help with medical foot problems such as:
- Ingrown Nails: Where the nail grows into the skin, causing pain and sometimes inflammation.
- Eczema: A skin condition that causes itchy, inflamed skin.
- Foot Problems for Diabetics: Medical pedicures can offer specialized care for common foot issues in individuals with diabetes.
Medical pedicures emphasize sterile conditions, ensuring that all tools are properly sanitized. The specialists performing this treatment often use disposable tools.
3. Fish Pedicure
The newest type of pedicure is the fish pedicure, where you can only get it in specialized centers.
A typical session lasts about 20 minutes. You simply soak your feet (and hands!) in a tub of water filled with special types of fish that nibble away at the dead and rough skin.
It’s said that this treatment can help with skin diseases and other skin conditions that might affect your feet.
It’s important to know that these fish don’t have teeth, so you won’t feel any pain. In fact, some find it relaxing! This treatment is eco-friendly and considered a natural alternative to other pedicure methods.
What’s the Difference Between a Regular Pedicure and a Dry Pedicure?
There are multiple ways to perform a pedicure, including a traditional one (regular) and a waterless version (dry pedicure). So, what are the differences between these methods?
Regular Pedicure
A regular pedicure involves these steps:
- Soaking the feet in water for about 15 minutes.
- Removing dead skin and calluses, which are hard layers of skin caused by viruses.
- Shaping the nails and treating the cuticles.
- Moisturizing the feet with a cream or lotion designed for feet.
- Applying nail polish as desired.
Dry Pedicure
This modern technique focuses on removing dry skin without soaking the feet in water, so it’s done with the equipment.
One advantage of this technique is that it minimizes the growth of dead or dry skin, which can help with some foot problems like ingrown nails.
For this technique, it is also important to shape the nails and remove the skin around the nails, and this must be continued as in the wet pedicure completely.
It’s worth noting that this technique doesn’t use water to treat foot problems, but relies on effective products to break down and remove dry or dead skin from the feet, which helps improve the appearance of the feet and treat its problems.
FAQ
Q: Is a pedicure safe for diabetics?
A: Yes, but it’s essential to choose a salon or specialist experienced in diabetic foot care. They’ll use appropriate techniques to avoid injury and infection.
Q: How often should I get a pedicure?
A: It depends on your lifestyle and foot condition, but generally, every 3-4 weeks is a good guideline.
Myths
Myth: Pedicures are only for women.
Fact: Men can benefit from pedicures too! It’s all about foot health and hygiene.
Myth: Pedicures are just about pretty nails.
Fact: While nail polish is a fun part, pedicures also focus on removing dead skin, preventing infections, and overall foot health.
