If you’re going to get a pedicure to make your toes look fresh, how do you know if it’s safe? A local nurse practitioner gave WTOP tips on what to look out for.
It’s the middle of summer, which means sandal-wearing weather is in full swing. Here are some tips from a D.C.-area nurse practitioner on how to keep your feet in good health.
“The summer produces some challenges for our feet with the heat,” said Ginger Freese, a nurse practitioner and University of Virginia School of Nursing clinical instructor.
Summer foot health begins with protecting your feet.
If you’re out at the pool or in a public locker room, you want to protect yourself from fungal infections that can lead to athlete’s foot.
“So wearing a flip-flop or a sandal out in an environment like that is going to be really important,” Freese said.
And if you’re hiking or spending more time in nature, you need to find a sturdy shoe for support and protection.
“You should have a supportive shoe that’s going to protect you from cuts and scrapes. I was out hiking recently and almost stepped on a snake. So had I been wearing sandals, that probably wouldn’t have gone well,” Freese said.
If you get a callus from ill-fitting shoes this summer, you should be careful with sanding them down.
“It’s OK to shave down the top part of a callus very gently, but I would not recommend going in and cutting off the callus again. You’re going to open that area that’s really tender underneath, and that can create a site for infection,” Freese said.
Is the air conditioner or fan making your feet cold at night? Freese said not to put socks on under those sheets.
“We want our feet to breathe well during the summer because we want to protect against any sort of fungal infection, and so I would not recommend wearing socks to bed in the summer because it can create that breeding ground for fungus,” Freese said.
Why is that?
“Fungus likes warm, moist places like sweaty feet inside socks,” she said.
What about pedicures?
If you’re going to get a pedicure to make your toes look fresh, how do you know if it’s safe?
“It can be relaxing. It’s a luxury. It’s something that’s fun to go and do with your friends or your family,” Freese said.
While pedicures can be a treat, you should be checking the facility you go to first.
“They just need to make sure that they’re going to a facility that is licensed,” she recommended.
She suggested watching how the facility employees clean things as you’re waiting.
“Hopefully, you can observe their sanitary practices to make sure that the foot bath area is being cleaned in between uses, and that the tools that they’re using for your feet are properly sterilized,” she said.
Freese also said that if you have certain skin or nail conditions, you need to check to make sure it’s safe before you to head to the salon.
“If someone does have problems with circulation or if they have a condition like diabetes or neuropathy of their feet, they should talk to their health care provider before they go get a pedicure,” Freese said.
And if you’re having issues with fungus and other skin conditions of the feet, you should wait it out.
“If you do have an infection on your feet — like a wart, which is a viral infection; if you have a fungal infection, like athlete’s foot; or if you have fungal infections of your toenails, which can have yellowing or thickening of the nails be present — you really should not go get a pedicure in a public space,” Freese said.
She said that if you have an infection, it’s not healthy for you to get one, and it could be a hazard to those who go to get a pedicure after you.
“Because those beds and those tools are areas where infection can be spread. So we would definitely recommend avoiding getting a pedicure if you have any sort of active infection in your feet,” she said.
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