A neuroma is a thickening and/or inflammation of the nerve. The most common area to have this is between your third and fourth toes. A neuroma, often called Morton’s neuroma

Here are the best tips, tricks and hacks to make your heels feel better.

Inflation getting you down?

Rethinking your beauty budget?

Do you even have to rethink your beauty routine?

Nobody likes making tough choices.

Your feet are often at the bottom the bottom of your body often get the least attention and priority, but you have to keep moving.

Whether you are a Mom, Runner, Nurse, Commuting to your desk, WFH or just a couch potato that has to make it to the fridge. You need to have your feet looking their best and feeling their best. 

The best think that can happen to you is that your feet don’t shout for attention from wakeup to wind down.

How can you navigate, your needs to care for yourself and your budget?

Yes, you can spend less, use less products and have healthier feet that feel and look better.

Yes, you can save money, save your feet and unclutter your medicine cabinet.

Keep Moving by using our hard multi-tasking high value products. 

Yes you can…..

• Moisturize softening the skin of your feet, soothe aches, exfoliate and disinfect all in an easy to use roll on. No mess on your hands either!
• Ease joint and muscle aches, reduce swelling and itching with one product. Our best seller for those who love to run or love heels, but hate the pain.  Hint: pretreat and post treat for best results.
• Treat both brittle nails and the driest skin with our super strong moisturizer and exfoliator combo product.
• Cleanse, moisturize, control odor in a convenient easy to use wipe. Great for hands too.
• Effective relief of itching, burning and cracking skin with antifungal ingredients while cleansing. Great for minimizing athletes foot infection.
• Reduce and soften thick skin and calluses, exfoliate and minimize callus buildup with our own no mess stick. Feel instant relief.

You are washing your hands more often. It seems that your washing them all the time. The CDC’s recommendation is that washing hands with soap and water is the best wayt to get rid of germs.

Your feet sweat a lot.  The 125,000 sweat glands in your feet seem to all be working at full speed.  You want to wash off the sweat and smell, but soap dries your skin.

The skin on your hands and feet feels dry, peels and cracks.

Mayo Clinics #1 suggestions is to:

“Apply a quality moisturizing cream several times per day.”

What is a “quality moisturizing cream?” 

• A quality cream will hydrate your skin and repair, restore and smooth.
• A quality cream will often have the ingredient Urea to help the skin retain moisture.
• A quality cream is free of parabens, harmful preservatives and coloring.
• A quality cream leaves you absorbs into your skin and doesn’t leave a greasy residue.
• A quality cream is one that leaves you with a pleasant experience that you want to repeat again.
• Get the correct strength moisturizer for your level of dryness. Pedicurian offers you four levels of moisturizer.  Everyday hydration, Extra Strength help (20% Urea), spot treatment for rough spots and calluses (30% Urea), and ultra-strong nail and skin conditioning gel with salycilic acid (42% Urea).

How often should I moisturize?
The recommendation is for “several times a day.”

What is the difference between cream and lotion?
Lotion is a diluted cream.  It often conveniently comes in a pump bottle (the pumps often clog).  Pedicurian recommends sticking with a cream for best results.

What if I don’t want either greasy or dry hands at work, or on the go?
There is good news for you.  You can sanitize both your hands and feet while at the same time restoring the natural Ph balance of the skin and moisturizing with a non-drying, no alcohol wipe.  These wipes come in both a 72 pack and individual wipes for on the go clean.

How can I continue to sanitize and cleanse my hands and feet without drying the skin?

• Avoid soaps that contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is drying. Try soaps that clean and condition your skin, or a gentle cleanser/exfoliator.
• Avoid wipes and hand sanitizers with alcohol.
• Avoid wetness. Wear gloves on your hands and socks on your feet. For excessive sweat on your feet. Use non-drying antiperspirant formulated for your feet.
• Wear moisture wicking socks to absorb sweat on your feet and gloves when your hands are in water.

One final tip.
Don’t share your jar of cream.

Are Your Feet Ready to Travel?

“America is on the move again”  President Joe Biden, April 27, 2021

You’re ready to travel.  Are your feet ready?

Airports are already crowded.

Will your feet slow you down?

Do you remember?

• The miles you have to walk in an airport just to get to your gate?
• The hours you sit in a plane or a car?
• The cramping muscles and foot pain?

You may have planned a special itinerary.

Lockdown and WFH is a novelty that has worn off.

You are looking forward to getting away. You’ve spent a lot of time at home at home the last year and a half.

You have planned an itinerary.

You want to stay healthy, enjoy your travels and make sure you and your surroundings are safe and clean.

Your fun is dependent on your feet. And things can happen to your feet:  swelling, aches, blisters, abrasions, dirt, grime and sweat.

We won’t let your feet slow you down.

Here are seven best recommended travel essentials recommended and tried by our professional staff and patients to keep you moving while traveling.

Soothe and Heal Silicone Tape: For blisters and abrasions, shoe rub or sandal straps that dig into your feet at the end of the day.

Topricin Foot Therapy Cream: Use for joint and muscle aches.  Works on bites too. “This cream is a miracle.”

#3 Mini File: Compact and perfect for toenail grooming.

Travel Nail Clipper in Leather Case

Fearless Foot Finisher-Therapeutic Balm: The ultimate multi-use product to hydrate, deodorize and soothe feet.

Pheet Moisturizing and Cleansing Wipes: Great for hands and feet (but not the air plane seat).  Cleans, disinfects, restores skin and moisturizes.  Available in single disposable packets.

SoreSpot Blister and Skin Protection Bandages-When blisters do occur, be prepared to protect and heal quickly.

These items take up barely any space or weight in your luggage.  Their benefits to you can be enormous.

Safe Travels. Pedicurian keeps you moving.

Can I take care of my feet naturally?

If this sounds like you, you likely fall into one of these categories…

The natural products you have used don’t work well.

You need to keep on your feet, but painful cracks, calluses or joint pain slow you down?

You’re reluctant to try again? You don’t need another unused product in your medicine cabinet.

Do you want the products that you put on your skin to be as pure as what you eat and drink?

There is good news for you. Your wait is now over. Pedicurian now offers a wide range of premium foot care products that are 100% natural, safe and effective.

THEY CONTAIN RARE DEAD-SEA REGION PLANT EXTRACTS, STUDIED FOR 22 YEARS BY ISRAELI RESEARCHERS.

These are foot care products that work and that you can trust to get the job done. Foot care products that are organic and free of animal testing.  Foot care products that combine new technology with old recipes, medicinal plants and powerful antioxidants.

You can now get effective natural foot care to treat:

• Dry Skin
• Thick skin and calluses
• Irritations and chafing
• Thick nails
• Joint and muscle pain
• Massage and recovery
• Flawless finish nail polish, basecoat, polish remover, cuticle remover and nail strengthener.

What can these natural foot products do for you?

• Keep the skin of your feet soft, smooth, crack free, soften thick hard skin, and minimize the formation of calluses—naturally without greasy residue.
• Nourish, restore and help skin recover.
• Soften thick, hard nails.
• Pedicure products formulated with plant based ingredients to maintain cuticles without cutting, remove old polish naturally, nourish, hydrate, strengthen and repair your nails without harmful chemicals.
• Hard, flawless polish finish that is 10 Free*, nourishing, breathable in over 50 fashion colors.
• Therapeutic massage oil to relieve the aches and pains of your run, or just a day on your feet.
• Pain relief cream to ease muscle and joint stiffness.
  Podiatrists tip: Pretreat your feet before you have pain.

You can now have natural products that work and feet that keep you moving. 

What is 10 Free?

We are often asked this question.  These products are free of ten harmful chemicals commonly found in beauty products.  These 10 ingredients are:

• Formaldehyde
• Toluene
• Formaldehyde Resin
• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Ethyl Tosylamide
• Camphor
• Xylene
• TPHP
• Animal Products.

You have the vision, motivation and discipline to get running, but… are you dreading the toll running takes on your feet?  Every time you land on your foot a force of up to three times body weight can be exerted on the human foot while running (as reported by The Saucony shoe company).  Are you dreading post run pain?  Are you one of 20% of runners who experience a foot injury? How much is foot pain preventing you from running?

Yes, you can get more foot comfort with your run.  Prep, Pad and Pamper your way to more foot comfort, health and post run recovery with our podiatrist approved expert running tips.

Prep.

1. Make sure the skin of your feet are not callused, cracked or have peeling and itching symptoms of a fungus infection. Keep the skin of your feet healthy and intact. You can soften calluses and exfoliate. (Deep calluses may need to be professionally removed by a podiatrist). Never attempt to cut calluses or corns yourself. 
2. Nails. Cut nails straight across. 
3. Sweat. Anti-perspirants specially formulated for your feet prevent the discomfort that excessive sweat can cause runners. When you combat sweat you combat bacteria and fungus that love the wet, dark environment creating in wet shoes. Why an antiperspirant for feet?  It doesn’t contain alcohol which could dry and crack your skin.
4. Shoes.
   Get rid of old worn out shoes.
   
   Get to know your feet and get the right shoes for your foot structure. A perfect foot is neutral 90 degrees from your heel up, a pronating foot is one where your weight causes the foot to roll in towards your big toe and a supinating foot is when your weight rolls to the outer edges of your feet toward your little toe.
   
   Larry Gershberg owner of New Balance stores in New York and New Jersey had been fitting runners for years. He put running shoes into three categories.  What you need depends on your foot structure and the shoe that is best for your feet is best for your run.
   
   Cushioning shoes:  Best for a neutral foot, light weight and bouncy. Best for young feet, And supinators.
   
   Stability Shoes: These are typically built with an arch support. They are not neutral and best for a pronating foot.
   
   Motion Control Shoes: These are the heaviest shoes, they have the most support and an arch support.  Good for older runners and pronators and runners with flat feet.
   
   Special fit shoes: Shoes with extra wide toe boxes or wide forefoot and narrow heels are available.  You just have to know your feet!
   
   
5. Sock it to me:
   Sock are important for attacking moisture, improving fit and cushioning your run.
   
   Moisture wicking is the best for running comfort. Avoid cotton that absorbs sweat and takes a long time to dry.
   
   Wear “smart socks” with trail running bottoms that have more cushioning when you run on surfaces that are not smooth.
   
   Another one of Larry’s tips. When you can’t find the perfect fit use the thickness of the socks to “adjust” fit of shoes.
   
   
6. Warm Up.
   Yes, your ankles and toes need a warm up just as much as your hamstrings and quads.

Pad.

What about orthotics? An orthotic is a device that is designed to maintain your foot in the correct neutral position. Orthotics realign a foot that pronates or supinates and provides extra padding to soften your landing.

When your foot is neutral your feet feel better and there is less stress on your knees, hips and shoulders.  Aligning your feet improves your entire run and reduces pain in other joints. Our podiatrist recommended orthotics  for runners: Pedag Sport and Saluber 480 insoles.  For more information on orthotics read our orthotic blog.

How can I avoid Turf Toe? Avoid yellow, thickened nails caused by micro trauma to the toe by making sure your shoes fit correctly. Shoes that are too tight/small or too large can cause this condition. Avoid this condition with a heavy duty toe cap designed for runners.

What about irritations on my less than perfect feet?  Avoid abrasions on hammertoes, bunions and heels with medical grade silicone padding.

Pamper:

Attention to post run recovery will ease the stress your feet have just gone through and get you ready for your next run.

1. Treat the pain. Blisters an abrasions. Bruising and excessive pain may be a sign of a stress fracture that needs medical attention.
2. Cramps? Hydrate with an electrolyte drink.
3. Therapeutic foot massage. Self massage with our therapeutic oil or use a massage ball to ease overworked muscles.
4. Soak. Our soaking bowl accommodates up to size 14 feet.
5. Rest your feet. Yes, this low tech, easy tip is the best.

One last tip:
Vary your route and vary the types of surfaces you run on.

Do Home Remedies Work for Ingrown Toenails?
How effective are home remedies for Ingrown Toenails?

You’re in agony.

Each step is torture.

It Recurs.

It often gets infected.

You may have even received treatment,

But it keeps coming back.

You’ve tried wearing different shoes.

Even after you’ve been on antibiotics.

You may even have tried to dig under your skin to cut out the nail.

Here are some common recommendations for home treatment of ingrown nails.

Take this True or False for home care remedies and see what works best for home care of ingrown toenails:

T/F: Soak your feet in warm water or even apple cider vinegar.

T/F: Put Cotton or Floss under the nail

T/F: Apply antibiotic ointment or take oral antibiotics.

T/F: Pain relief medication such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen will help me.

T/F: Topical or oral antibiotics will make the ingrown nail problem go away.

The answer to all of these questions is FALSE.

What should I do if I have an ingrown nail?

Podiatrists best advice on treating ingrown toenail is to treat an ingrown nail immediately.  The longer you wait the worse it becomes. If it is not infected it may become infected. Antibiotics treatments haven’t worked because the cause of the problem has not been addressed.

This problem is almost never self healing.

How does a podiatrist treat an ingrown toenail?

Podiatrist are medically trained to treat this condition. Often you have to not only cut the nail, but you have to have the piece of nail growing under your skin removed. Not all ingrown toenails are treated the same way.  A podiatrist does hundreds of these procedures and understand what type of treatment you need. Sometimes local anesthesia is used to minimize your pain. Don’t rely on an Urgent Care Center to resolve the problem they have neither the experience or the expertise.

What can I do to prevent ingrown toenail?

The best home care treatment for ingrown toenails is to avoid the problem with accurate knowledge of how to care for your toenails and a small investment in  simple self-care.

1. Use precision instruments to cut the nail straight across leaving the nail to grow approximately 1mm beyond the nail fold (corner). Get the right implement whether it is a nail nipper for thick nails, a nail scissor, or if you prefer a toenail clipper.  Never round the edges or cut the corners.  This may sound counterintuitive, but it works.
2. Make sure your shoes fit well. Shoes that are both too large, or too small can cause the nail to grow into your skin.
   
   Shoes that are tight will put pressure on the nail,
   
   Shoes that are too large will cause micro trauma as your feet keep sliding around and bumping up against the top of shoes.

3. If you have excessive pronation, your foot turns in too much, your big toe may keep bumping against your shoes. You may need an orthotic to correctly align your feet to prevent ingrown nails.

How Can I Get Rid of Hot, Sweaty Summer Feet and Grunge?

We all wait for the great weather, sunshine and outdoors of summer.  You can’t wait to get into open shoes.  Feel the breeze on your feet and have the grass tickle your  toes.  You want to keep it light and easy down to your feet. Yet, it’s not so poetic and simple.  Reality check.   

• Your feet get hot.
• Your feet sweat a lot.
• Your feet get dirty and grimy.
• Your sandals may fit well when you leave the house, but as your feet swell during the day do sandal straps dig in and chafe your skin?
• When you wear shoes without socks you worry about odor.

Feet exposed are more susceptible to injury, and the fungi that cause athlete’s foot thrive in hot, humid, wet weather.

You can minimize these hazards and enjoy summer days.  Prep, pad and pamper.

Prep:

• Minimize sweat with an antiperspirant formulated for your feet.
• Moisturize and make sure the skin of your feet is intact.
• Disinfect your shoes

Pad:

• Silicone tape works like “magic” to prevent straps from digging in.
• Podiatrist’s recommend wearing socks.
• Improve alignment and shoe comfort with an orthotic. We even carry a terry lined summer orthotic that absorbs sweat when you don’t wear socks.

Pamper:

• Easy with wipes, bar soap or liquid cleanser. All are anti-fungal and will not dry your skin.

If you don’t like too many products you can try these multi-tasking all in one solutions:

• Fearless Therapeutic Foot Finisher: Hydrates, nourishes, deodorizes and soothe tired feet.  
• Pheet Wipes: Cleanses, moisturizes and controls odor in a convenient easy to use wipe.
• DD Double Defense Mousse for Dry Skin:  Revitalize, hydrate and smooth the skin of your feet without feeling greasy.