Skin & Nail Care

Athletes Foot is a common fungal infection of the skin caused by fungus. The signs of this complaint include itchiness, redness and peeling skin between the toes. In some more advanced cases, this appears as small red and white blisters.

How we fix it?
Firstly we must recommend an anti-fungal cream to kill the fungus. Once the fungus has been destroyed, it is imperative we give advice to prevent it from reoccurring.

Calluses (Hyperkeratosis) is a build up of thick skin on the foot caused by friction in high pressure areas of the foot. This complaint is often accompanied by corns and can be mildly uncomfortable to painful and debilitating. Calluses often appear on the bottom of the foot around the forefoot, as well as the heel and around the sides and tips of the toes. If Calluses are left untreated, they can interrupt the blood (vascular) supply to the area and ulceration may result. It is recommended that people with diabetes are regularly screened and treated accordingly to prevent the development of a callus that can cause ulcerations.

How we fix it?
We will remove the callus gently and then smooth this off. Unlike some podiatrists who want you to come back regularly, we will give advice to prevent the reoccurrence of this complaint.

Corns are a very small concentrated area of thickening skin they are usually round in shape and press into the deep layers of the skin causing pain and discomfort to the individual whilst walking. They are often described as like having a stone in your shoe.

As we walk or stand our body weight is first carried on the heel then on the ball of the foot, here the skin is thicker to withstand greater pressures. When this pressure becomes intense, corns may develop due to the thickening of the skin. Corns can also appear from wearing tight or poor fitting shoes or by your foot not functioning properly, where orthotics could help.

Always purchase shoes that completely accommodates your feet, making sure that they do not rub or pinch your feet. Do not use corn plasters as they contain an acid which can cause harm to your skin. Do not try to cut away the corn yourself with a knife or scissors.

How we fix it?
These are easily treated by removing the corn painlessly and then addressing the cause so the corn does not come back. Satisfaction is instant!

Dried Cracked Heels and Callus (hard skin) is a very common occurance after the long winter, where the feet have dried out. Cracked Heels and Callus can be painful, unsightly and cause infection if not treated.

How we fix it?
We now offer a Complete Cosmetic Podiatry Service to prepare your feet for the summer. This Cosmetic Podiatry treatment will leave your feet feeling fresh, relaxed, comfortable, smooth and a pair of feet to be proud of.

This is done by gently removing excess skin and smoothing it with files and sanding disks. Treatment is completely painless and highly effective within just one session.

This is a toenail grows into the skin at the nail borders (the sides of the nail). This ‘digging in’ of the nail irritates the skin, often creating pain, redness, swelling, and warmth in the toe.

If an ingrown nail causes a break in the skin, bacteria may enter and cause an infection in the area, which can present as pus, redness, swelling and odour.

How we fix it?
If minor, these nails need to be trimmed or filed to remove pressure from the side of the nail.

In some cases they need to be cut out if the nail is deep or the nail is deformed.

Antibiotic creams can be used and in some cases oral anti-biotics are needed.

Our nails naturally thicken as we age but this can be made worse by infections by fungus, trauma and also light trauma over a long period of time from running or wearing a pair of poor fitting shoes.

How we treat it?
These nails can easily be trimmed and filed down. We use nail files and also electric burrs for this. Unfortunately there is no long term solution for this and the nails need to be reduced again from time to time. A nail takes roughly around a year to grow from the base to the tip.