Foot care

Important definitions

Pedicure (from Latin pes, pedis = foot) is cosmetic foot care
Manicure (from Latin manus = hand) is the cosmetic hand care
Podiatry (from Greek pous, podos = foot, logos = teaching) describes medical foot care.

General

Foot care is any form of care for the foot, either in the form of Creams or Lotions be which you apply to the skin or it is Care foamto get a Corneal rasp or to Extractswhich one as Foot baths can use. Depending on which Foot care a patient claims, expect him too different prices. The price of foot care also varies, depending on whether it is one cosmetic foot care (pedicure) or a medical foot care, also Podiatry called. In medical foot care, the price often from the Health insurance taken over if it is a necessary foot care, which is necessary due to the illness. For example, patients who have a poor blood circulation in the feet have due to one diabetes, the price for foot care at the podiatrist is often fully reimbursed.

It is about cosmetic foot care, which for example the Painting the toenails or the rasping of the cornea includes, the patient has to pay the entire price of the foot care himself, as this is not a medically necessary procedure. Here, the prices for foot care fluctuate, depending on the application and the measure carried out 15-50€. A patient just wants cut the nails get, he has to pay less than a patient who additionally Corns want to get removed or the Cornea would like to have removed. If the main focus is on corneal removal, you can start with different ones Home remedies for calluses try out.

Even with medical foot care, part of the price may have to be paid by the patient. The price for the Deductible is here from health insurance to health insurance differently but is usually between 10-20 €. Which foot care and which prices are covered by the health insurance, each patient should ideally directly with their own Clarify health insurance and also be aware that basically only medical foot care (Podiatry), never cosmetic foot care (pedicure) is covered by the health insurance.

A patient wants his Take care of your feet yourselfso he can in the drugstore or in the pharmacy Get advice and purchase various utensils such as callus rasps, foot baths, foot foam and much more. The prices for foot care at home range from a few euros to 50 euros for various corneal rasps and the like.

Medical foot care

Medical foot care should be performed by a trained podiatrist. Training to become a podiatrist takes two years. The training ends with a state examination.
The podiatrist may practice medical foot care.
Medical foot care includes:

• In-depth conversation about the complaints of the person concerned
• Cleaning the feet
• Shorten the nails
• Removal of cuticles
• Removal of thickened nails, e.g. with nail fungus
• Check the spaces between the toes for athlete's foot
• Removal of pronounced calluses
• Grinding away painful cracks in the cornea (Rhagades)
• Mushroom treatments
• Removing corns
• Removal of ingrown nails, possibly with the application of a nail correction brace
• Manufacture of orthoses (rails) for toe misalignments to relieve pressure and correct position, e.g. with hallux valgus
• Manufacture of nail prostheses for deformed toenails
• Skin care with a suitable cream (skin cream)
• Advice on suitable footwear, foot gymnastics and foot care at home

Foot care set

Foot care plays an important role for many patients. Many patients also like to take care of their foot care himself. In principle, this is also possible as long as the patient is not under one diabetic foot or the like suffers. In this case it is always recommended the professional help of a podiatrist. For foot care at home there are so-called in drugstores or in pharmacies or on the Internet Foot care sets. The size and scope of the devices in this foot care set vary depending on the manufacturer and the price that the patient is willing to pay.

A simple foot care set mostly includes one or two tweezers, nail scissors for your fingers, toenail scissors and often one as well Clipper for cutting off the nail edges. There is also one in some foot care sets Nail file. These basic foot care sets can be found in a drug store for about 8 € acquire and reach for the daily needs.

Professional beauticians or podiatrists need a much larger foot care set, which then various tools contains around for example also Corns, Cornea or Warts to remove at the foot. This professional foot care kit is not required for everyday use, but should be standard in professional foot care. Even patients who, for example, keep repeating ingrown toenails or at thick cornea should consider whether they want to expand their standard foot care set with different rasps or files in order to ensure adequate foot care.

Pedicure at home for men

Many patients prefer their foot care do it Yourself instead of going to a beautician or pedicure. For Men it is common still uncharted territoryto take care of the feet extensively and therefore instructions for men to do foot care themselves are very important.

First of all, the patient should be clear about which Kind of foot care he needs for his feet, as it depends a lot on what kind of foot care you want. If the man wants to do a foot care himself, which only he Pampering of the foot is used, for example Foot baths on. Here you can use a small tub Fill with warm water and this with, for example essential oils to fill. Are particularly suitable here rosemary- or mint- oils as these also have a nourishing effect. The important thing here is the feet a maximum of 5 minutes leave them in the water, otherwise they will humidity and lose it afterwards heavy will continue to treat them with care.

If a man wants to do his foot care himself, he can also use the relaxed foot bath the feet with a Corneal rasp or a special one Callus foam sponge to edit. Since the toenails have become soft in the warm bath, it also makes sense to cut them after the foot bath, taking care that the Toenails cut as straight as possible.

After this the toenails are cut and the Cornea is removed, the man can now also have one Foot foam on the Heels and from there the Massage the entire foot with it. For this there is extra foot foam, which ensures that the feet as long as possible humidity save and the Cornea does not replicate as quickly.

However, it is important to note that in principle every man can do his own foot care and take it into his own hands. However, he should note that as soon as medical problems arise, such as badly ingrown toenails or one diabetic foot, absolutely a Professional, a so-called podiatrist, should be selected.

Do foot care yourself

Many patients want to do their foot care themselves instead of going to a pedicure or a podiatrist, even when it comes to that Cornea many patients prefer home foot care to professional foot care. There are a few things to consider here.

First of all, it is important that patients who want to do their corneal foot care themselves do an approx 5 minute foot bath thus take to the skin smoother close. Then the foot should rubbed dry with a small towel, then the Cornea with help of a Sponge or using a Corneal rasp removed.

You can now find in Drugstores also Callus remover, which are structured similarly to a Razor and have a rotating callus removal. With this callus removal it is very easy to do the foot care yourself and the callus adequate to edit. Since the cornea is extremely robust skin which is not of annoy is penetrated, the patients do not have to worry that if they do their foot care themselves and remove the callus, it will result in it severe pain comes. However, it is possible that the skin warms up, as the rubbing of the cornea on the skin generates energy, which is converted into heat.

After this After the patient has removed the desired amount of cornea, the foot should be again briefly under warm water are held and then dried. Now the patient can also have a Care foam Apply to the skin to make the skin softer and supple. If you do the foot care yourself and have removed the callus yourself, you should make sure that you do as much as possible instead of the corneal cream, a corneal foam used because it can be better absorbed by the skin and the affected area remains soft longer.

Patients with ulcers or open wounds on the foot must not be treated by a podiatrist, but require medical therapy!
Medical foot care is usually priced higher than the cosmetic one. However, with advanced diabetes or one Rheumatic disease If the skin or toes of the feet are affected, the visit to the podiatrist has been prescribed by a specialist since 02.01.2002 and covered by the health insurance companies. Foot care is not only a therapeutic but also a preventive measure.

Cosmetic foot care

The cosmetic foot care, so the pedicure, is not legally protected and can be learned through weekend training.
Therefore, a cosmetic foot care may only:

• Clean
• Care for
• Nails and Shorten cuticles and
• Remove the callus - but do not take any medical measures.

There are numerous beauty and wellness studios that offer foot care in different sizes and price ranges. In principle, health insurance companies do not bear the costs for cosmetic foot care.
The cosmetic foot care serves that cleaning, maintenance and embellishment of the foot as well as the Relaxation. The measures are not required in a medical sense, but they do contribute to foot hygiene.
Cosmetic foot care involves several steps:

• First, the feet are usually immersed in a warm foot bath. The aim is to soften the cornea and improve blood circulation in the foot. There are tons of bath products to be used depending on the destination. Additions like lavender have a relaxing and deodorant effect, thyme stimulates.
• After that, the toenails are usually cut. Nail clippers and nail scissors are used for this. The toenails are then rounded off with a nail file to prevent the side toenails from growing in. The cuticle is carefully pushed back with a nail fold pusher.
• As a result, excess cornea is removed. A pumice stone, a corneal rasp or a foot peeling with additives that soften the cornea is usually used.
• The toenails are then painted as required.
• As the last step, the feet are creamed and massaged, which on the one hand moisturizes the skin and on the other hand stimulates the blood circulation in the feet and loosens the foot muscles.

The costs for cosmetic foot care vary greatly and are usually around 15 to 35 €.

Diseases where foot care is useful

diabetes

After a long-standing sugar disease there is very often one Polyneuropathy, that means that sugar molecules attach to nerve branches of the feet and legs and thus the Reduce conduction of stimuli. The result is that many diabetics, especially if they are poorly adjusted, develop an increasing sensitivity disorder (emotional disorder).

The problem is, they do minor injuries or Blow no longer feel it through uncomfortable footwear. These also heal badly, as in diabetics immune system and the healing processes weakened are. The danger of Athlete's foot and ulcers that heal poorly are increased.
Nearly 10% of long-term diabetics develop a gangrene (a death) and the amputation of toes or the forefoot can be the result.
Therefore, especially in long-term diabetics, one medical foot care required. This can be prescribed by a specialist and covered by the health insurance companies with additional payment from the patient. However will callus and nail treatments only which must be explicitly on the recipe. This can be an important step towards reducing the amputation rate in diabetics!

It is also very important as a diabetic on comfortable shoes to pay attention. This should be done by an orthopedic surgeon so that calluses and blisters can be prevented. Diabetics should check their feet every day - if necessary with a mirror - check and consult a doctor for the smallest wound (even if it does not hurt)!

Foot and nail fungus

Athlete's foot is a very common but often hidden problem. Every third German has athlete's foot at least once in his life. cold feet - and thus poor blood circulation -, Sweaty feet and a weakened immune system favor the development of athlete's foot. This is particularly popular in the Space between the toes, as mushrooms feel particularly comfortable in dark, damp regions. Are particularly at risk older people aged 65 and over, diabetic, Cardiovascular disease and Immunocompromised. It is a contagious disease that is particularly common in

• Swimming pools
• Saunas
• Hotel rooms and
• Changing rooms, but also in the bathroom at home.

Symptoms are itching, Burn, Blistering and Scaling. Some of those affected experience pain when walking. Athlete's foot can spread without treatment and can also affect the nail. The therapy here is very tedious.
Good treatment for foot and nail fungus is important as the damaged skin can serve as a gateway for bacteria and erysipelas (Sore rose) can come.
Go with the above Symptoms to the doctor.
After washing, dry your feet well, including the spaces between the toes, and wear cotton socks that can be washed at 60 °. Use breathable footwear whenever possible.
The application of Antifungal drugs, these are Anti-fungal agentOn the affected areas and good foot care is vital.
The treatment of nail fungus is very tedious. The podiatrist can help the healing process by removing the affected nails.

Cornea

Cornea forms mechanically stressed areas - usually on the heel or ball of the foot. Corneal formation corresponds to one Protective function of the body. These are dead skin cells that thicken to create a pressure pad. Calluses develop when the shoes are inadequate or too tight or when the feet are misaligned - the heel runner will mainly develop calluses on the heels. Because cornea Contains neither nerves nor blood vessels, it neither hurts nor bleeds when it is removed. A Callus is a limited, very thick and painless corneal layer.

The danger is that the Cornea tears and yourself Cracks (Rhagades) form. These are very painful as they reach into the layers below. In addition, rhagades represent a Entry gate for germs Therefore, the cornea should be removed. If possible, this should be done by one Podiatrist because he is trained not to remove layers of tissue that are too deep. Under no circumstances may planes or cutting devices be used - the risk of injury is far too great! Rhagades may only from medical podiatrists / podiatrists be removed. Cornea and calluses may also from cosmetic podiatrists be eliminated.

Corns (clavus)

It is a callus with a central spur that protrudes into the depths and hence pain caused. There are hard and soft Corns. The Distinction between a corn and a wart can be difficult. The corn forms like the cornea Bruises, mainly by pressing shoes or toe misalignment how Hammer or claw toes. Treatment belongs in podiatry hands. One should no self-manipulation to do on a corn!

eczema

In many skin diseases it also occurs Infestation of the skin of the feet. But there are also sole ones Foot eczema. The skin is very dry and flaky. Adequate care with greasy creams is crucial.The podiatrist can choose the right care.

Conclusion

Carried out at weekly intervals, the feet look well cared for over the long term. The positive side effect is that you pay more attention to the feet, which have to carry our entire body weight every day.
If you take care of your feet regularly, pathological changes such as Eczema, Athlete's foot, WasZen Ingrown toenails or injuries that can be treated by seeing a doctor in good time before complications arise.

Thus, cosmetic foot care also has a medical background.
Who at diabetes or rheumatism If you suffer, you should ask your family doctor whether it is helpful to visit a podiatrist on a regular basis and ask whether the health insurance company will cover the treatment costs in this case.