Jhoenna has taken her 15 years of experience in the beauty industry and known expertise to develop the Dérmica line of results-driven esthetic treatments that are sure to surpass your expectations!
A bunion is a bony overgrowth at the metatarsophalangeal joint. Bunions are hereditary, however, some factors are known to cause flareups.
For example, people who wear tight and/or pointed toe shoes, stand for a long time, or do a lot of walking tend to see exacerbated symptoms.
Bunions are a painful condition that feels like a throbbing ache.
Bunion treatment
Bunions will not go away on their own, but the symptoms can be alleviated. Bunion treatment varies by severity. In mild cases, changing your footwear and regular pedicures should do the trick. Massaging the joints and warming them with paraffin alleviates the pain.
Ask your Service Provider for foot care tips. Practicing regular foot care helps improve the esthetic appeal of your feet. It also helps maintain the overall health of your feet.
Other treatments for mild cases include toe separators. Wearing them throughout the day or sleeping with them on will reduce tension. More serious cases require a bunion corrector that will fix the issue, not simply reduce the tension. Bunion correctors are a step before surgery.
In general, poor foot hygiene is a cause of nail fungus. It is important to cut the toenails and clean underneath regularly. Keeping them long creates unnecessary pressure.
Properly drying your feet is a must. Wiping your feet on the bath mat after your shower or bath is not enough. A proper drying is necessary, especially for overweight people.
Aside from poor hygiene, there are 3 major categories of nail fungus sources:
Ill-fitted shoes
Tight-fitting shoes create pressure that traumatizes the nail therefore making it vulnerable to infections.
Improper pedicures
What constitutes an improper pedicure? Examples include reusing of disposable tools, poor cleaning protocols, and cross contamination. The risk of cross contamination is high when a Service Provider jumps between two simultaneous pedicures in order to maximize the number of clients served.
People with healthy, unbroken skin won’t regularly have an issue with improper pedicures. However, someone with unhealthy feet may fall prey to a fungus infection.
Shoe humidity
Athletes are most likely to develop fungus infections due to the humidity in their shoes. In addition, they often use locker rooms which are known to provide conditions that make fungi thrive (humidity).
In addition to humidity, runners in particular create extra pressure as their feet pound the pavement. This pressure traumatizes the nail therefore making it vulnerable to infections.
Can nail fungus cure itself?
Nail fungus cannot cure itself. A nail fungus can be compared to a parasite. Unless you remove one of the ideal conditions, fungus will continue to thrive. Ideal conditions include humidity, darkness, warm temperature, and nutrients (for example, dirt or dead skin cells).
What happens when left untreated?
There are many reasons to treat a fungal infection aside from the foot not being esthetically pleasing. Firstly, it will cause embarrassing odour. If left untreated long enough it starts to mutate. The fungus starts growing roots under the nails which bury themselves in the nail bed causing it to “pump” itself up. This pumping manifests as thick nails. Once roots starts growing, the fungus can spread to other nails or other people.
Can I wear nail polish if I have a fungal infection?
We recommend that you not apply colour nail polish on an infected toenail. A clear coat is ok, but colours will create an umbrella effect giving the fungi the darkness it needs to thrive. Its like a bug living under a log.
Another reason to refrain from nail polish is to avoid contamination of your nail polish. Once a bottle of polish has been contaminated it can spread to other fingers and people who use your polish.
Prevention tips
Do not share socks or shoes.
Sock material- not all socks are made of cotton. Some are made of acrylic/nylon material which are more likely to cause feet to sweat.
Do not wear the same shoes 2 days in a row, especially closed-toed shoes made from material that builds moisture.
Do not wear poor quality shoes. Some shoes are made of plastic and the paint on the shoes is also plastic which causes sweaty feet and bacteria.
Clean and dry feet properly.
Do not cut nails so short that it breaks the seal.
Wear sandals in locker rooms.
Nail Fungus Treatment
There are different levels of nail fungus treatment.
Anti-fungal drops
This is something you can do at home. The natural toenail takes one year to replace itself. This is the amount of time it will take to care for your feet with drops.
Advanced pedicure
In an Anti-Fungal Tx, we cut the nail down to a safe point in order to cut and scoop as much fungus out. We then insert soaked therapeutic pads where the fungus was removed. As a result, there is less area for moisture to collect.
Your service provider will provide you with post care to continue to care for your infected nail at home.
An ingrown toenail is caused by an overgrowth of nail along the side of the nail. Consequently, this condition creates pressure which can lead to swelling, a lot of pain, and even infections. The extra nail growth can be caused by many factors. For example, incorrect nail cutting, trauma or injury to the nail, or genetics.
Can an ingrown toenail heal itself?
With proper nail care, cutting, and trimming, an ingrown toenail can grow out by itself. However, in certain cases, the ingrown nail will continue to come back.
For instance, ingrown toenails due to the way the shoe forms pressure on the foot will return as long as the specific shoes are in use.
In cases where its hereditary or due to the shape of the foot, ingrown toenails may have to be surgically removed or sometimes the whole toenail is surgically removed.
What happens of an ingrown toenail is left untreated?
If it’s a mild condition ingrown toenails can be treated with proper foot care and nail care.
On the other hand, they can turn into an infection which can turn sepsis. In other words, the infection makes its ways to your bloodstream and can become severe.
How do we fix ingrown toenails?
In mild cases, your service provider will clean the area and file down the sides, properly trim and monitor growth.
DIY and tips to prevent ingrown toenails
do not cut nails down too short
wear properly fitted shoes
above all, practice regular foot care including cleaning around the nails or regular pedicures
Texture scars are also known as “pitted acne scars”.
What causes textural scarring?
Pitting is caused by enlarged pores that once held a large cystic acne lesion. Cystic acne is different than whiteheads. Whiteheads are blockages in the pores whereas cystic acne lesions are attached to the skin. They feed on the skin’s nutrients. As the lesion grows it creates a pocket deep in the skin. Eventually, through the skin’s natural process, the lesion comes to the surface. Once the lesion is at the surface it can be extracted, however the empty sac is left behind.
“January 2022”“June 2022”“January 2023”Cystic acne comes to the surface over time.
Extracting through facials
Successful and complete removal of the sac is important. Failure to remove all contents from the sac leaves the surrounding tissue exposed to infections. The service we recommend for extractions is our Pore facial.
Do pitted acne scars go away?
Yes, texture scars go away over time with your skin’s daily shedding process. However, you have to “do the time” as they say and may have to wait years before seeing smooth skin. This depends on the frequency and number of lesions, your age, and other factors.
“June 2023”“January 2024” “June 2024”As your skin sheds, new layers are revealed.
Chemical (a.k.a. acid) peels expedite the shedding process. They speed up the wait time between shedding thereby getting you to that smooth layer much sooner than the natural process.
On the other hand, photofacials accelerate the healing process by building extra collagen and plumping the skin. They add volume to damaged skin.
How long after my last breakout should I start treatment?
We recommend having your skin under control before starting treatment. A dermatologist can help to manage acne before starting repair treatments. We define “under control” as acne that has been decreasing over the course of 6 months, and in remission for another 3-6 months.
In the meantime, exfoliation helps to maximize skin shedding, however, selecting the right exfoliant is important. Mechanical exfoliants may be too abrasive for sensitive skin types or skin with large pores. For these skin types we recommend the Phyto Calm Enzyme Mask.
Free of fragrance and dyes, this formula has been clinically tested for skin not well suited for manual exfoliation.
Closed comodones are called whiteheads. They are a backlog of secretions trying to make their way out of our bodies. At this stage, they do not have dirt or pollution, only waste products from within. Once these comodones open, they become blackheads. They are the result of the stuff making its way out and coming in contact with external surroundings.
Pore Size and Blackhead Prevention
If your pores are bigger than normal your struggle with prevention may be more of a challenge. However, blackheads can be reduced with proper care.
Washing your face with a professional cleanser is important to keep the pores as clean as possible. Go for a foaming cleanser, or gel cleanser–these will help wash away debris trapped underneath the oil buildup.
Prevent increasing pore size by avoiding mechanical exfoliants and opt for a chemical alternative.
Understanding your skin type will help you select products that make and keep your skin balanced.
Is it safe to remove blackheads at home?
In some cases, blackhead removal at home is safe. However, we recommend seeking professional help to prevent scarring or spreading.
Can pore size be reduced?
We can treat enlarged pores caused by external factors, for example, heat exposure, misuse of products, excess of dead skin, lack of hydration, etc. Above all, our treatments are safely delivered by skin experts.
Whiteheads and milia are not the same thing. Think of a whitehead as as an “oil pocket” containing oil buildup and debris. Whiteheads occur because the oil pocket is causing a blockage as things are entering and leaving the skin. As that blockage moves closer to the surface of the skin, the whitehead opens. When opened it becomes a blackhead due to exposure to oxygen.
A whitehead is a closed comedone, that is to say, a blocked pore.
On the other hand, milia are nodules (abnormal growths) that have formed in a sack. Think of milia as little “placentas” attached to the skin. These “placentas” are feeding and pulling nutrients from the skin. Extraction of milia involves the physical removal of the sac fully intact, whereas whitehead extractions involve emptying the pore.
Because milia is caused by internal factors, their treatment requires medical care. At Dérmica, we can help alleviate symptoms of conditions that show on the skin.
Milia are micro-cysts filled with keratin.
Don’t try popping at home!
We know milia are tempting to extract, but we highly recommend against popping your own milia. Successful and complete removal of the sac is important. Failure to remove all contents from the sac leaves the surrounding tissue exposed to infections. The service we recommend for the removal of milia is our Pore facial.
Is my eye cream to blame for my milia?
The presence of milia is caused on an internal level. If milia would be caused by topical factors, it would create a blockage problem, like whiteheads do.
