Also known as Tinea Pedis, Athlete’s Foot is a foot fungus found between the toes. Because of their appearance, many people mistake them for moisture blisters. We recommend following our tips below if you believe you may have Athlete’s Foot.
The fungus is localized during early stages. However if it starts to spread, it goes all over the foot often mimicking dry skin. This may cause some people to think their feet are just simply dry. However, it is contagious, so it’s best to seek Athlete’s Foot treatment immediately. A good indicator is if it’s only affecting one foot or one section more than others.
In its developed stages Athlete’s Foot leads to scaly, dry skin and can become itchy and hot in its bad stages. Plus, it smells! Be on the lookout for a particular musky smell.
Athlete’s Foot Causes
Foot fungi are often spread through cross contamination in locker room floors, swimming pools, sharing shoes/socks. Their preferred environment is humid and therefore thrive in feet enclosed in humid shoes, as well as toes that have not been dried properly.
Home care tips
Wear cotton socks.
Change socks and shoes regularly.
Wear flip flops in public places.
Avoid home slippers made of cloth material on the inside.
Get clean regular pedicures.
Avoid close-toed slippers at home.
Athlete’s Foot Treatment
Use a scrubbing glove to get rid of dead skin between the toes. Getting rid of that dead skin eliminates food sources for the fungus to grow. Afterwards when getting out of the shower, use powder in between the toes to absorb moisture. In addition, you can use over the counter foot sprays with urea.
Regular Pedicures
Regular pedicures are important to maintain foot health. Our pedicures are designed to provide you with all the benefits of a traditional pedicure combined with our treatment approach and signature touch of luxury.
Follow the MICROBLADING POST TREATMENT GUIDE until your brows have completely flaked and healed. The healing process can take up to 10 days and varies with each individual.
MICROBLADING POST TREATMENT GUIDE
Hot temperatures will irritate your brows during the first 12 hours, therefore remain indoors and fan if necessary.
DO NOT touch brow with unwashed hands, doing so can cause infection.
DO NOT soak brows. Showers and baths are safe; keep your brows away from direct water contact as this may cause color to fade.
Face washing and moisturizing instructions:
Gently cleanse lower half and forehead with your daily cleanser in the morning. When rinsing cleanser away, use a warm face cloth avoiding drip from forehead onto brows.
Dampen a clean gauze or cotton pad with the cleanser and gently wipe brows in outward motion. Blot dry with dry gauze/pad.
Once your brows begin scab or flake, apply a small amount of the moisturizer over the brows after washing in the morning and evening.
5. DO NOT use ANY makeup or SPF directly over the brow area until brows have completely healed. This may alter color tone or blur strokes.
6. AVOID direct sunlight, this can cause the pigment to fade and irritate the skin.
7. DO NOT pick or lift scabs or flakes from brows, this may pull the pigment prematurely causing fading or gaps in strokes.
8. Brow can be lightly tweezed around area treated but not directly over for 3 weeks. Waxing procedure can be performed 4 weeks following procedure.
Questions?
Call us or submit your questions to our “Ask Dérmica” feature.
Heel fissures are deep cracks in calloused areas of the foot. Callous is an overgrowth of dry dead skin. This is often caused by improper foot care. For instance, not removing callous on a regular basis and allowing it to get abnormally thick. However, there are other causes of fissures. Medications that dry out the skin, bad foot wear, and improper weight distribution can cause excessive callous which can then lead to fissures.
How long does it take to heal a heel fissure?
Fissures do not go away on their own. They need to be shaved down. Heel fissures treatment includes a series of pedicures to safely and effectively remove excess callous.
Careful though…
Sometimes, excessive callous is caused by bad pedicures. If too much callous is removed, the skin will overcompensate and build twice as much callous. Fissures can be taken down by means of either a pedicure blade, drills, and rasps in a spa pedicure.
Garbage to some, gold to others.
Aftercare includes using a foot cream that contains urea. Urea is derived from urine. More specifically, it is a waste product excreted by your kidneys when you urinate. Though this sounds gross, urea helps to soften and eat away the dead skin. While your kidneys may consider it garbage, urea is gold to your sad feet! Urea has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that heal and protect your feet.
Tips: Moisturizing often, regular pedicures, and home care.
After applying foot cream, try to use soft socks, for example, cotton socks. Avoid pantyhose as they can get caught in the fissures. Consequently, this can cause snagging and even bleeding which can lead to infections. Moreover, using a foot paddle or pumice stone in the shower will help maintain foot care.
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
April 1, 2022 marks Dérmica’s 8th year anniversary. A passion for esthetics and a strong bond between friends created this skin and beauty haven on Whyte avenue. See below for client appreciation days.
Did you know?
Dérmica MedEsthetics was in the making for over 6 years before its founders took the plunge. The pair of friends mulled over all the risks and possibilities of enterprising together. Believing their joys would double and their disappointments be cut in half, they dove head first into the world of spa business.
Each friend brings their strengths to the business. While they take their business very seriously, neither of them take themselves too seriously, as evident in the fact they chose April Fool’s Day to open their spa in Edmonton, Alberta.
Every year on April Fool’s day, they toast to their business and ask themselves, “What did we ever talk about before starting our business?” They think for a moment before they both remember, “Oh yes, boys!”
Client Appreciation Days- April 1 & 2, 2022
Thank you for trusting Dérmica with your skincare and beauty needs. We are thankful to have clients like you and to show our appreciation, we’d like to offer you some deals!
👉BOGO Photofacials
Combine any 2 photofacials for the price of 1. This special is limited to full face photofacials and is delivered in the same session. Not valid with any other promotion.
Booking instructions: Book one photofacial only. Advise your technician during your appointment of your second selection.
👉FREE brow microliner with Brow Lamination
Brow Lamination promises plush volume and coverage, and tames unruly strands.
The process involves securing the hair in an upward stroke pattern, then setting them into place with a gentle brow perming solution. Once complete, the brows appear fuller, bolder, and the strands remain in position.
👉Lash Package
The Lash Package includes a Lash Lift and EyEnvy conditioner (2.0 ml.) for $140. Upgrade your Lash Package to a Lash Lift with Tint! Upgraded Lash Package can be purchased for $160.
Proven to work, EyEnvy® feeds hair follicles with a vitamin-peptide combo for longer and thicker growth after just 4 to 6 weeks!
👉Free Boost with Facial or Dermaplane
Receive a complimentary boost with any facial our a full face dermaplane treatment. BOOSTS are great for seasonal maintenance and anti-aging.
