Tuesday, March 9, 2010

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The medi pedi — the new trend in pedicures By Shavaughn Moss ~ Lifestyles Editor ~ shavaughn@nasguard.com: For years women — and discerning men — have engaged in the standard "fluff and buff" pedicures, the soothing relaxing service which incorporates scents, masks, scrubs, paraffin dips, but a concern for many has been the sterilization process practices by nail technicians which many people have found wanting at best. But there's a trend that could be the answer to sterilization prayers, and it incorporates a medical pedicure with organic and natural ingredients to produce a cosmetic result. The medi-pedi, which is all the rage in the United States, is being performed by medical practitioner Dina Barnett in the offices of Dr. Daniel Johnson at The Foot and Ankle Institute on Dean's Lane. The La Medi-Pedi line is an eight-stage process, with a non-toxic set of products. It has a four-stage core to its foundation known as CERM (cleanse, exfoliate, rejuvenate and moisturize). The foundation has proven to have therapeutic results with all types of food conditions. The final three steps of the La Medi-Pedi line focuses on the cosmetic aspect involving the toenails, and it is always performed under sterile conditions. At The Foot and Ankle Institute, the medi-pedi includes vascular and neurological tests, and uses sterilized instruments. It's a pedicure that Dr. Johnson says he wishes everyone would have at least once yearly, because of the screening process involved to check if anything is going wrong with the feet. "If there is something really dramatic going on we can pick it up, so it keeps you on track, so that's why I like people to have it done, so I want Bahamians to get a medi-pedi at least once or twice a year. It is similar to a pedicure, but really it is debriding all of the dead tissue [and] fungus that accumulates around the nails, looking at various lesions in between the toes, the bone density in women. It's a chemical cleansing," said Dr. Johnson. The foot doctor who has pioneered new techniques in the surgical intervention in the diabetic food, says a lot of diabetics are petrified about going to get a pedicure at a regular saloon, because the nail tech invariably cuts them even after being told they were diabetics. He says some got infections that required them to be hospitalized and had to spend thousands of dollars to save their legs. He says the medi-pedi offered at The Foot and Ankle Institute is an educational process for the diabetic, as well as elderly people, people with hypertension or any kind of chronic debilitating illness as well as people in the finicky category, the people they were initially targeting. He says it's for everybody. Shantell Sands, 39, regularly gets spa pedicures, and has already indulged in her first medi-pedi, and it's one she says she thoroughly enjoyed. Her feet never touched water, but she said her feet felt softer than having gone for a spa pedicure and had a paraffin treatment. Sands also noted Barnett's hands were encased in gloves while she worked and that all of the equipment she used was made of stainless steel. She said she decided to get a medi-pedi because she says she's always been concerned about nail tech's sterilization process and catching a foot disease and was intrigued about the process. She recounted a harrowing tale of going to a hair salon to get her once monthly manicure and pedicure from a technician who charged as little as $40 for both services including a French-tip polish. Sands said she thought she was getting a deal until she started to notice the nail tech's sanitation practices — or lack thereof. She said her thoughts quickly changed to how much money she would have to spend in medical bills if she contracted a foot fungus of some sort. She stopped going to the lady, opting instead to go to a pricier spot with sanitation practices she could see. But she admitted that if her polish chipped she would return to the cheaper technician for a polish change because it was much cheaper than at the spa. "The medi-pedi is done with sterile instrumentation and in a sterile doctor's office, hence it's a medical pedicure. We just started six months ago in office," said Barnett. She says the difference between what she does and what a nail technician does is the sterilization and education behind the process. Barnett can identify certain deformities of the feet. She then talks to Dr. Johnson, who would take care of it. Barnett and Dr. Johnson are looking to create an education among nail technicians on the proper use of sterilized instruments when doing pedicures, because they believe in primary foot care. During the medi-pedi process, Barnett uses a dermabrasion tool to debride the cuticle. Dermabrasion also removes dead cells from the toenails. Barnett also applies an anti-fungal coating at the end of the process which acts as a buffer between your toenail and the nail tech's polish brush which has been used on countless other people. The medi-pedi does not come with a polish job. Barnett also does not follow the same procedure as the nail techs, who work by a routine. She works according to each person's individual needs and what needs to be done to their feet. She says some people require a nipper, and if they do, she would use it. She says most women don't need to have their cuticles cut, and that most men do. She shapes your nails straight across which she says is how it should be done. She says when your nail sides are cut down, that's encouraging the nail to grow ingrown. Persons getting a medi-pedi also do not soak their feet in water like those getting regular pedicures. She says this is unnecessary and that soaking your feet in a plastic bowl, you're not certain is completely sterilized opens you up to running the risk of bacteria and infection. Ideally, Barnett says nail techs should soak clients in metal bowls because they carry less germs and are easier to sterilize, but she says people don't want to soak their feet in a cold, steel bowl. THE EIGHT-STAGE MEDI-PEDI PROCESS Moisturize Exfoliate Soften and brighten toenail Dermabrasion Medical pedicure Hydrate Anti-fungal treatment Anti-bacterial treatment Monday February 08, 2010