nAIL tRIM AND fOOT hEALTH cHECK

Having a home visit from Soft Soles isn’t just about your feet!  I look at the bigger picture, taking a holistic approach, which gives you a sense of overall well-being.  Having a Foot Health Check, and a little pampering, not only affect your physical appearance but also has a profound effect on your mental and emotional state.  As we know, wellbeing is linked to happiness and don’t we all want a bit of that!

The Foot Health Check and Nail Trimming service is not only for people with problematic feet but also for those that have difficulty looking after their feet, such as poor eyesight, back trouble or arthritic hands.

One of the most common problems I find people experiencing is nails have become too thick or tough and everyday nail trimmers just aren't up to the job. This is where I can help.  I can bring professional nail care equipment to your home. 

So whether you can’t manage your own foot care or simply prefer not to, Soft Soles provides home visits to support you with your Foot Health. 

In addition to cutting toe nails I also provide a Fingernail Service whilst I am there.  From basic cutting and filing to a thorough clean, this service leaves your fingernails not only looking good but hygienically clean.  

Foot Health Check - £35.00

Fingernail Service - £10.00 

Onychauxis is a common nail disorder that causes fingernails and toenails to grow abnormally, their appearance can also change they turn slightly brown in colour and enlarged around the sulci area, this is due to the thickened lateral edges of the nail. This condition is commonly seen in the Hallux (big toe) but can also be present in other nails.

As we get older our grow rate of the nail decreases which results in the nail cells piling up which thickens the nail.

The excessive growth makes the nail cutting more difficult and is often neglected due to the difficulty one has in cutting the said nails. If left untreated it can cause shoe pressure followed by pain and discomfort.

There is a variety of causes, most common one is damage to the nail matrix, stubbing your toes, or dropping something onto your toe, repeated trauma from poor shoes, or neglected nails that have become so long they push against your shoe and then apply pressure to the nail bed, fungal nails, and psoriasis.

Deformity can often be present can cause your nails to curve often looking like a rams horn. 

Nails that have the above characteristics should be reduced to normal size to relieve pain caused by pressure on the nail bed tissue. 

Can also help fungal nails as part of the treatment.

Treatment cost for a reduction full set of Thickened Nails

£45.00

An “Elim foot peel” typically refers to a type of exfoliating treatment designed to remove dead skin from the feet, leaving them smoother and softer. These peel's often contain a blend of acids (like glycolic acid, lactic acid, or salicylic acid) and other ingredients that help to break down and remove the outer layer of dead skin.

 Benefits of Using a Foot Peel:

Smooth Skin: Removes rough, calloused skin, leaving your feet smooth and soft.
Improved Appearance: Helps improve the appearance of your feet by removing dead skin. Hygiene: Promotes better foot hygiene by removing layers of dead skin that can harbor bacteria.

 Treatment cost £35

What are heel fissures? Heel fissures, commonly referred to as cracked heels, are a simple problem that could lead to severe medical issues if left untreated. The fissures can be moist or dry cracks in the epidermis at the sites where the skin is under tension common sites for Fissures are interdigital and dry fissures present around the heel.

To prevent Fissures optimum levels of skin hydration are required, cracks / fissures require nourishment with emollients which include components, urea, lactic acid, glycerine. Don't ignore dry, cracked heels, as over time you may develop deeper fissures, which increases your risk of infection.

Fissures occur when the skin around the heel becomes hard, dry and cannot stretch so therefore cracks instead. In most cases, heel fissures are caused by very dry skin. For most people with cracked heels, this problem is only cosmetic and doesn't cause any further problems. However, people with deep cracks may experience pain or even bleeding. The cracks often start small on the heel and can get bigger and deeper over time

How do you heal a heel fissure?

Apply a heavier, oil-based cream or petroleum jelly (Vaseline, Aquaphor Healing Ointment, others), then slip on a pair of thin cotton socks at bedtime to help the moisturiser work

How long does it take to heal a heel fissure?

Superficial heel cracks can heal as fast as a week with removal of the dead skin and topical creams. If thicker skin or deeper cracks are involved, they can take two to four weeks to heal, even with proper medication and care.

Are cracked heels a symptom of diabetes?

It is common for heel fissures to occur in those with diabetes. Diabetes can damage the nerves in the feet. The damage to the nerves results in the feet not being able to sweat and provide needed moisture to the feet. Those with diabetes often have dry skin on their feet due to this reason.

Fissure management, file the hard skin once or twice weekly with a foot file when the skin is dry, cream your feet daily after a bath or shower with a thick moisturising hand or foot cream, consider wearing socks or stockings or closed in shoes even in hot weather if you find the dry skin is worse or the skin cracks

Treatment cost £35

Verruca and warts are the same thing and are caused by the HPV (Human Papilloma virus), Verruca are different in appearance due to the compress and flattened appearance caused by walking, warts are fleshier.

The HPV virus is normally found on the floor in changing rooms or around swimming pools, if unlucky enough it can be picked up and then is passes through your outer layer of skin. 

Unlike bacteria this virus invades the cells of the body and reprograms them, once inside the cells of the growing layer of your skin the virus gets to work it multiples and caused the growing layer of skin to produce cells more quickly than normal, end result is normally thickened skin which very often has black dots that are visible to the naked eye, those black dots are blood vessels in the skin which grow up inside the Verruca. 

For most people the verruca / wart will disappear with out any treatment. 1-3 children have warts Verruca they are usually harmless, 50% of children warts will resolve within a year, for the unfortunate other half treatment is normally needed. They tend to last longer in adults and can be problematic when treating them, they can last around 3-10 yrs in adults.  Most people with Verruca or Warts will just disappear without any treatment.

To help prevent infection, it might be wise to wear flip flops around changing areas and pools, if you do find a verruca keep it covered up, and do not share shoes.

There are various treatments for Verruca’s depending on your budget. Treatment list below:

There is other products that you can use at home which you can buy from Amazon with amazing results

£35.00

There are a variety of corns, we have Hard Corns, Soft Corns, Seed Corns, Vascular Corns, all of which are caused by Intermittent mechanical stress / friction and tension and can mostly be found in older adults. 

Corns cause pain and will influence the functional mobility they can impair balance and increase the risk of falls in the older adults.

The most used treatment is Scalpel debridement, and suitable footwear should be discussed following the debridement to ensure long term management of the corns.

Some points to remember when purchasing shoes, ensure the shoe is 1cm longer than the foot, and you have adequate space available Width and Depth across the ball of the foot and toes.

Treatment cost £35

Callus is caused by Intermittent mechanical stress / friction and tension and can mostly be found in older adults. 

Callus build up can cause pain and will influence the functional mobility they can impair balance and increase the risk of falls in the older adults.

The most used treatment is Scalpel debridement, and suitable footwear should be discussed following the debridement to ensure long term management of the corns.

Some points to remember when purchasing shoes, ensure the shoe is 1cm longer than the foot, and you have adequate space available Width and Depth across the ball of the foot and toes.

Treatment cost £35

 Having Fungal Nails can not only affect your physical appearance, for most will also influence your mental health, they can be thick, crumbly, yellowish/brown and often smelly, and overall, not very pleasant. 

Fungal Nail Infections effect 15% of the population although not serious if not treated will progressively get worse and spread

When treating the fungal we are often thinking the fungal is in the nail itself when in fact the nails are not the problem, the problem lies beneath the nail in your nail bed, and therefore a lot of over-the-counter products are not able to kill off the fungal. 

It’s a bit like having a raincoat on and going out in the rain, the coat is waterproof so I’m not going to get wet, however if I have holes in my coat some rain will get through and my clothes underneath will become saturated Lacuna is based on the same principle.

Lacuna is a 4-stage treatment process, it involves drilling micro holes in the infected nail plate to allow the medicaments to reach the fungal infection, you will be apply Terbinafine  spray twice daily and I will visit you a further 3 times to drill further holes due to nail growth and to check any holes still visible are not clogged with dead skin cells.

 
The Lacuna Method does require the patient to be committed and compliant with the process and aftercare, reinfection rate is high if you don't follow the plan.

You will need to have a further 3 visits during a 6-month period, over time you may not need the holes drilling in all your nails, this can be discussed on each visit, each visit will incur the treatment cost below.

We are seeing results within the first 5 weeks; however, people do respond at different rates, and nothing is guaranteed. 

Treatment cost £55.00 plus £10 per toenail

 Pedisafe is a specialist product. It is like the traditional 'Gel' nail products you see in the salons and nail bars for fingernails. However, Pedisafe was created specifically for toenail reconstruction by Canadian company, Fanair Cosmetiques.

Products such as Acrylic, Polygel and plastic tips are made for fingernails, so haven’t been developed to be flexible for the foots movements. 

Unlike products designed for fingernails, Pedisafe’s formula includes powerful antimicrobial and antifungal agents. Also, its 2 Gel formula layers can be created to make the gel as flexible or as stiff as required so that it doesn't damage your toenails when forces are exerted on them through the course of the day. 

Toenail reconstruction can offer a short term fix if your going away, or have a family wedding and you need to cover up your unsightly toenails, however it’s not just for those special occasions, this treatment can be worn all the time and in most cases last up to 2-6 weeks, and by doing so regains confidence and feeling of emotional wellbeing, so you could once again (or in some cases for the first time ever in your lives) enjoy a sunny beach holiday, wear sandals, taking your kids swimming, and enjoy other fun family activities they had previously avoided.

Pedisafe can work wonders even with those that have lost 90% of their nail!

Those patients with Damaged, Dystrophic or Fungal Nails feel a real emotional impact that is often overlooked as purely 'cosmetic' and mental health is not considering, the feeling of embarrassment, and being self-conscious effects our day-to-day life.

Just painting over the nail to disguise the appearance is a thing of the past, book your Pedisafe consultation today, and let’s heal this emotional pain that plagues you every time you look at your toes.

Toenail Reconstruction can help with any of the below:

Damaged nails
Thickened and unsightly nails
Genetic abnormality
Nail discolouration
Fungal nail infections
Cracked / split nails
Nail Trauma
Psoriasis Nails
Poor nail growth

Reconstruction cost:

1 Nail £40

2 Nail £55

3-5 Nails £70

6- 10 nails £90

For all those Ingrown / Involuted nail owners, hereditary or through poor cutting or trauma

Nail Bracing is an alternative solution to Nail Surgery or repeated painful removals. This is a class 1 medical device which over time returns the nails back to a natural shape without tension, pressure, or pain.

It is strong, long lasting and no harmful chemicals are used.

It reduces nail pressure / spike to the lateral nail folds in just over 30 minutes in some cases and remains in place for 8-12 weeks, its also effective for pincer and split nails

Inexpensive

Simple & Safe 

Painless

Any age groups

No down time

No time off work

Nail varnish can be applied immediately to the braced nail

Footwear can be worn immediately 

Nail Bracing cost:

1 Nail £45 

2 Nails £60

3-5 Nails £75

6-10 Nails £100

For all those Ingrown nail issues This is typically caused when a nail edge grows into the surrounding skin, causing pain, swelling, and often infection.

Procedure Overview:

1.  will trim or cut away the ingrown part of the nail, removing the portion that is digging into the skin.

3. Cleaning & Dressing: After the removal, the area is cleaned, and an antiseptic dressing is applied if the nail has broken the skin this is to prevent infection and promote healing.

Benefits:

• Immediate relief from pain and discomfort.

Recovery:

• Healing typically takes a few days and patients are advised to keep the area clean and avoid pressure on the toe.
• Pain is generally minimal after the procedure and can be managed with over-the-counter pain medications.
• A follow-up appointment may be necessary to ensure proper healing.

Should you need a full removal PNA we can refer you onto a local Podiatrist in Bingham.

You may wonder what diabetes has to do with the feet. The answer is…everything! There are many complications of diabetes that end up affecting the feet. They, unfortunately, also put the feet at risk. Therefore, you may hear about people with diabetes having toes or parts of their feet amputated.

That’s why my mission is to help every person with diabetes keep their feet in good health. If you're worried about a diabetic foot problem, please contact any FHP or Podiatrist we are all here to help. 

What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a disease where insulin is not produced. This leads to an excessive amount of sugar in the bloodstream. The sugar circulating in the bloodstream causes health problems. If this goes on for a long time, it can affect the feet. 

Warning Signs of Diabetic Foot Problems

• Increase swelling of legs or feet
• Change of skin colour
• Burning or tingling sensation
• Lack of feeling in the feet
• Numbness in the toes
• Ingrown toenails
• Slow to heal sores
• Cracks between toes

There is much to be said about Diabetes and its effects, but those with Diabetes will fully understand the implications if not managed. 

Treatment cost £35.00