Nails Your Way

Safe Pedicures For The Older Set

The skin and nails change with age. With the elderly, the blood circulation system is usually diminished. The older we get, the poorer our circulation becomes, particularly in our hands and feet. The skin starts to get thinner and it's easily injured so it must be handled with more care than usual.

When soaking the feet of an elderly person, the temperature of the water should be no warmer than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If the skin is very thin and dry, like paper, then the pedicurist must be very, very careful with it. Oxygenated lotions are specifically formulated to treat the elderly clients thinning skin. If the skin is relatively intact, however, sloughing lotions and other moisturizing lotions can be used just like you would with anyone else. Sloughing lotions work best on the bottoms of the feet because it's gentler than a callus file. Because elderly people usually can't reach their feet, they need a pedicure service from a safe, good quality foot care professional.

If the toenails get too thick or long, they will hit the top or the end of the shoe, and every step puts pressure on the matrix bed and the nail bed. Each little step can cause a micro-injury, so to speak. These injuries can add up and cause a thickening or lifting of the nail plate. Keeping the nails properly trimmed promotes good foot and nail health.

The cuticles and calluses of the elderly should never be cut during a routine pedicure. If the skin needs cutting, or if there is an infection, the elderly client should see a podiatrist. Foot paddles and callus softening cream should be used instead of cutting callused areas. The rule of thumb is to soften and smooth the callus, not to completely remove it.

There are long-term cumulative benefits for the elderly client who chooses to get regular, consistent pedicures. Routine pedicures will help calluses become less and less coarse and hard. Also keeping the nails trimmed regularly can prevent them from being injured. If you get routine pedicures (every few weeks to start with and then once a month), the feet will be more likely to remain healthy. The key to a good pedicure for the elderly is to gently trim the nails and carefully clean out along the margins. Elderly peoples nails must be taken good care of so the feet will stay comfortable and pain free. Make an appointment today to visit your Therapeutic Nail & Skin Care Spa Salon to get safe, good quality professional elderly foot care.

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Nails Your Way
Jeanne Grace Curtis
5900 Orchard Road
Douglasville GA 30135-4726

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770-949-3113