Essential Elements of a Professional Pedicure

    

Even if you’ve had pedicures- either at a spa or beauty or nail salons- the rudiments of the procedure may be a total mystery to you. Are you surprised? Because of the very nature of the service, anyone with a foot and a few minutes of having it rubbed will more than likely feel absolutely pleased at that specific experience alone. I can’t fault anyone for feeling this way and don’t by any means! An important part of the service is about feeling good and creating a healthful and relaxing experience. If someone pays huge sums of money just to have their feet rubbed, however, my concern as a licensed professional is the ignorance of the entirety of the pedicure service. A professional pedicure is a very specific and involved set of processes aimed at common key issues which are inclusive to any form of the service- very much like a manicure with the emphasis on health and dealing with issues most of the time. Very few people can walk on their hands but everyone walks on their feet so getting a proper pedicure may be essential to the most important part of your anatomy!

     When people come to me for pedicures the first thing I ask them is if they have any concerns about their feet that I should look at and either work on the problem during the service or recommend medical services to follow up. This is even more important for the feet than the hands because many pedicure clients often can’t actually see the problems but they can feel them. For example, they may have soreness in areas which they cannot reach or view well enough to see what the matter might be. When someone fresh out of school (or completely unschooled) works on your feet they most likely will not notice problems that I can often spot on sight. I ask questions to find out if my suspicions are right or to ascertain whether I can proceed with the service safely. In most cases, I can proceed. My obligation to the client is a chance to give each person a professional assessment of what may or may not be going on with their feet. Having your feet examined by a professional with a lot of experience concerning foot problems or conditions is a plus in any case. I have learned quite a bit about foot ailments by working on people with problems, concerns and conditions and also by consulting podiatrists about diseases and conditions which are not within the scope of my work to handle. In addition, at every opportunity I educate myself about various foot diseases or injuries and how they are studied, examined and treated. I’d certainly rather be overeducated than not be able to help people determine what their foot problems may be, in any case, even if I decide not to perform the service and refer them to a podiatrist instead.  

     The following text and diagrams on this entry are the basics of a standard pedicure service according to the national textbook on cosmetology. If more services than these following procedures are given during your pedicure and they do not cause discomfort or problems for you, then you can assume that the individual performing these services are additional rather than standard in the common practice of pedicures according to most state boards of cosmetology. Licensed, professional pedicurists will never skip the following steps. (In other words, more steps are additional; less steps mean you didn’t even receive a standard service.) Word to the wise!

    

Once your feet are examined and cleared for a basic service the (1) first step will be soaking the feet in quite warm (but not uncomfortably hot!) soapy water. The soaking solution may be specifically formulated for pedicure procedures and a common additive is tea tree oil which has antiseptic properties and is non-drying to the skin and other tissues. Other solutions should all have antiseptic properties even under normal conditions. Feet should soak for at least 15 to 20 minutes before actual work on any part of the feet occurs. No nail clipping should be done prior to the soak unless your toenails are thin and weak or fragile. If the latter is true then clipping and file finishing first may be necessary. (Cutting weak nails after soaking them in water may cause irreparable damage to the nails!) Removal of old polish on toenails prior to the soak is preferable but can also be done after soaking. Personally, I always remove old polish prior to soaking.

     Each foot is treated separately during the service. While one foot is being treated the other should go back to or remain in the water, whether it is the original soaking solution or a clear bath refresh to remove materials used during the service. 









The nails should be (2) cut straight across with standard straight clippers. The corners of

toenails should never be cut at an angle or rounded as this may encourage ingrown toenails depending on how convex, tubular or arched the toenails are- especially along the side edges- the large toe being the most commonly prone to ingrown problems than any other. Filing and beveling for smoothness to the edges is also standard procedure. 

     After removal from the water (3) cuticle remover must be applied along the cuticle line before any work on the cuticle. A fine pumice stone cuticle pusher is best to use on toenails as it is gentle for use on the forward growth from the tougher cuticle (eponychium) attached to the base of the nail plate. Otherwise, a metal pusher may be used but is not recommended by myself. A good pedicurist will work around the hyponychium (foundation mantle which nail is attached to and the sides are embedded in along the side nail grooves) to remove debris- not the hyponychium itself. This should be done gently and without uncomfortable pain, of course. 

pumice stone cuticle pushers

Eponychium can be (4) pushed back and any excess removed from the nail plate should be (5) trimmed with a cuticle nipper. Any ragged or torn pieces of cuticle can also be cut with the cuticle nipper. (Note: This procedure is the same for manicures.) The best tool for working around the hyponychium is an orangewood stick alone or wrapped with cotton. 

The pointed corners of the toenail, created by the straight cut, can be beveled with the pumice stone cuticle pusher safely and comfortably. Invasive work on the hyponychium is not only forbidden, it would also be very uncomfortable and compromising. Be sure to alert the technician if you experience any discomfort or overt pain. Hangnails may occur along the pointed corners and if they loosen and become apparent with beveling they can be cut where they overextend the nail edge quite comfortably. Only allow this if your technician is skilled in the practice of removal with quite a few years of experience. Expert removal of hangnails may help prevent ingrown toenails. Take note that the onset of hangnails is quite common and may be particularly bothersome to someone who does not receive frequent or regular pedicures.

   

  (6) Removal of surface calluses and rough spots are gently removed with foot file exfoliaters. These are oval shaped with a large handle and are quite large in order to handle removal of difficult (hardened) or deep calluses. Used in a back and forth direction, they are quite effective for their purpose. They are NOT for removing blisters, bunions or corns. Those are handled strictly by podiatrists and chiropodists. Extensive work on calluses can also be done with lotion exfoliaters which impart additional smoothness and cause excised skin remainders to just roll off in a gentle peel. That must also be rinsed off the foot prior to the next step.

    







   

(7) Massage with lotion specially formulated for feet is most often used for this very important and serious part of the service. No other part of the technician’s hands, other than the tips of fingers, should make light pressure contact with the foot. Manipulations used vary widely and can be quite involved. Those which work well on the foot are small, rotary movements with sweeping motions upward from the ankle up to the knee. Only very light movements with no pressure may be used over the shin. Licensed manicurists can do massages just past the knee so our allowed massage range is sizable enough to create real relaxation. 

    

Fisting or knuckling the bottom of the foot is not only generally quite uncomfortable, it is expressly dangerous and should not be done. Of the 206 bones which comprise human anatomy, 106 or more are contained in our feet and hands which are very small and fragile- even in the largest of feet and hands. Metacarpal bones in the wrists and ankles are particularly small and vulnerable, so should be left alone. The tendons and ligaments in the feet are intricately structured for specific movement and should not be disturbed or manipulated out of their regions. Your knee can be straightened during a massage but bending it backward to bow will cause serious problems eventually. Can you show me anyone who would want to walk away from a pedicure practically crippled?

     Last but not least, (8) polishing is done and making sure the toenails are free of any residual pedicure product is important. The technician may soak and wipe off the entirety of the feet or simply use a damp towel to make sure the nails are completely clean. Toe separators are used to prevent mishaps while waiting for the finish to dry or cure. Base, color and topcoat are used the same as a manicure.  

     It is currently very popular in spas to use pedicure masks made with avocados, mangoes, etc. and often amps up the price of pedicures considerably. My advice is to stick with basic products specifically formulated for pedicures, without giving in to wild claims of these dubious concoctions. They may be pleasant or extraneously silly but are often just an excuse to charge more for the service. If you really want to try these things, try them on yourself first and then consider whether you really want to pay considerably more for these often outlandish products- packaged or not.

     Fish pedicures sounded like a big joke until I started reading about them in my professional magazines as something to warn our patrons about- absolutely true! I didn’t believe any of it until it was confirmed that many Viet salons were using this method for so-called exfoliation of dead skin. Do I need to tell you not to do it? In many cases it may be a good idea to ask to examine the pedicure area of a salon prior to making an appointment for a service anywhere! If something looks (or smells) fishy it probably is so be sure to report them to your local state board of Cosmetology and/or Barbering. It isn’t legal but it’s definitely crazy! As for me, I’ll pass on the piranha pedicure, thanks !

    

California is leading the country at present for having implemented express and detailed regulations on sanitization of all-in-one pedicure spas. (Those are the chair, seat massage and incorporated bath type units which are quite prevalent today in most nail salons or full service salons.) A spa pedicure can be had without the use of these all-in-ones but are generally regarded as standard pedicures. The true classification of a spa pedicure is in the professionalism in the products and service itself so if your feet are placed in a bucket of soapy water alone you technically didn’t get a spa pedicure. The bath you actually soak in is what makes the difference which will move and heat the water. Professional technicians often personally own a free-standing pedicure whirlpool bath so that they can do pedicures anywhere whether or not they have a mobile license. Sanitization of these independent whirlpool baths is simple by comparison to the fixed station all-in-ones. (All-in-ones must be sanitized topically and internally since it has its own plumbing.)

     I have been doing the California standard for sanitization of pedicure spas since its inception in the 90s because I am California and Colorado State licensed. These rules are quite stringent because they were implemented after serious infectious outbreaks of skin ailments and diseases (which were permanently scarring in most cases) on women in California who received pedicure services with the newly invented all-in-one spas. These brand new inventions were not being properly sanitized despite clear manufacturer’s instructions and the laws passed after that time enforced the instructions as regulations. If your state board has not implemented this standard for the regulations, which are now decades old, you may want to urge them to do so! 

     If you want to know for certain that the salon you have selected conforms to these rules check to see if there is a detailed list displayed in the pedicure area notated with specifics of before and after pedicure services with dates, times and products used for sanitizing. If there is no list posted, ask to see one and if that cannot be produced, proceed only with caution. You can call your state board of Cosmetology to find out if specific salons have received citations for not complying with sanitization. Determining the rules for your state will reveal whether they are rather lax or up to the California standard. There hasn’t been implementation of reciprocity of the California standard in all states so you may have to do quite a bit of checking before you can be certain of these standards for any salon. In any case, the list on the wall is very important because these are checked by regulatory department scouts and employed inspectors from state boards across the country. Nearly all the states have state boards.

     In closing I also want to mention the disposable liner type pedicure stations. Even if you personally buy the liner from a wrapped package you’ll still have to sanitize the liner prior to usage. Save your money and find a salon that is up to or above the state code for an all-in-one. The complete experience will be worth the time you spend to make sure everything is state board approved and followed !

Enjoy ! 

The Castle Lady