A pedicure can offer you more than just a coat of polish!

by April Nguyen.

A pedicure can offer you more than just a coat of polish!

Whether or not you get the color, the heath benefits of pedicures are not imagined and are a part of proper foot care. And it’s not luxury just for women! Everyone deserves to get good foot care.

A good pedicure can be very relaxing and if you have foot problems, it can be very therapeutic.

By the end of a typical day, feet have endured several hundred tons of force. The average person walks approximately four miles every day or even more miles for an active person. A proper pedicure protects the ends of your toes from trauma. For example the impact of improperly cut nails and calluses is compounded by the repetition of all that walking. By making sure the nails are properly trimmed and calluses are removed, walking is more comfortable.

The Benefits of a Pedicure
1. A pedicure includes cutting, clipping and cleaning the toenails to prevent them from growing inward and causing infection. This is the first step in helping you walk pain free. Proper nail cutting along with gently pushing back the cuticle allows nails to grow better. Consequently they will look smoother and grow straighter.

2. Exfoliation of dead skin cells encourages newer skin cell growth on the legs and feet. Dead Skin = Unhealthy Skin. Dead skin prevents your feet from breathing. Skin is an elimination organ and it’s important to have it functioning at an optimal level.

The feet offer the perfect conditions to harbor bacteria —warm, moist, and confined to socks and shoes. Cleaning the cuticle and under the nails inhibits the growth of microorganisms. The elimination of dirt and bacteria from your feet prevents nail diseases and disorders and helps eliminate foot odor. Exfoliation, can prevent the early stages of skin accumulation that would lead to painful bunions or corns. It also encourages newer skin cell growth creating a smoother, more appealing foot. 

Fungal nail infections are easy to deal with if they are spotted early and your pedicurist will be able to advise you on treatment if you appear to be susceptible. (Because some nail diseases are highly infectious, you may have to seek medical treatment before you can have a manicure and pedicure. Some diseases will need professional medical advice and medicine).

3. Foot massages on newly exfoliated skin increases blood circulation and relaxes muscles. Many pedicurists also use foot reflexology while giving pedicures. This helps stimulate the blood flow to the feet and legs. And of course it also helps you feel relaxed. But reflexology points in the feet are said to help the vitality of the whole body, so that is a nice bonus! Depending on the amount of pressure, the area being worked on, and the ailment of concern, you might see results elsewhere in the body, like the stomach, the back, the shoulders, even the eyes.

4. Eliminates cracked heels and softens calluses. Again, removing or softening calluses helps your feet breathe. It also helps you walk more freely. Calluses can cause an imbalance in how you distribute weight on your feet, leading to painful and tired feet after a full day’s use. An uneven walk will also make things worse for your knees, hips and all the leg muscles.

5. Aromatherapy: In the case of spa pedicures with various scents there are additional benefits above and beyond the physical. Studies keep finding ways that certain scents and oils can help circulation, focus, memory and mood. Pedicures that incorporate scents often have several of these benefits included with them. The smell of lime invigorates the mind, sugar excites, vanilla relaxes. All of these may seem like simple scents but they help make a pedicure great, instead of just good. Other oils uplift, stimulate immunity, energize, relax, relieve congestion, detoxifyies, and much more!

6. Emotional Benefits: You get to relax, having your feet up promotes good circulation. In the case of ingrown nails, corns and thick calluses, a pedicure will help you get pain free. The massage lets other parts of your body know to distress.

7. Aesthetic Benefits. Your feet look great, and if you got a nail polish, they’ve got a fresh look!

Things to look for at your nail salon
All instruments should be new or sterilized to prevent the spread of fungus or disease. A pedicurist should be licensed and accredited and make you feel comfortable. If you are not at ease with your pedicurist, you should not proceed with the pedicure.

Tell your pedicurist what you want before they begin and if they do something you don't like, tell them.

Avoid acrylics on your toenails. "Toenails need to be able to breath and applying acrylic to them suffocates them and can lead to numerous problems," reports Dr. Jason LeVitre, DPM podiatrist at Evanston Family Foot Care.

With normal wear and tear, you can expect a pedicure to last up to 5 weeks. Neat, well-cared for nails add immeasurably to the appearance of your feet, so I hope to see you come in soon!

April has been in the beauty business since the mid 80's. Over the years she's touched on every aspect of beauty maintenance, all of which contributes to her deft touch with manicures, pedicures and waxing. April has been with Atelier Emmanuel from the very start, grounding the rest of us. A pedicure with April will draw you out of your head and worries, and back into the world.


Further Reading
http://www.footcaredirect.com
http://voices.yahoo.com/foot-care-tips-benefits-pedicure-finding-39693.html?cat=69