Cutting your toenails

I do still do mine myself every few weeks (nail cutting) and use one of those corn remover razor blade thingies on hard skin, but have to be very careful not to go at it too enthusiastically as I've taken too much skin off in the past and had very sore feet. I'm also lucky that I'm only 5'3", so not too far to bend down, although I tend to prop my foot on a chair to do them.

What I find particularly awful about my toenails is the amount of horrible build up of dead skin under the toenails when they get longer. My teenage GD described this as "toe jam" which made me cringe! Also, about every 4 or 5 months I use a foot peel mask which works wonders.

I think if I was going to go to a chiropodist/podiatrist I'd have to do the full works beforehand myself to save me the embarassment of my grotty feet...although I'm sure they will have seen much worse!

Another one here who uses a podiatrist every 6/7 weeks she charges me £30 plus a lovely foot massage and we put the world right! My bit of luxury.

I cut mine in the bath too using nail clippers, im still quite supple, at 5’ 11” long legs!

I don’t bend I can bring my foot up to me I can still just touch my forehead with my foot

I struggle to cut mine as very arthritic so have a pedicure and polish applied every three weeks during summer months. I try to give my nails a reprieve from gel polish over winter so maybe this year I will go to a podiatrist

I love pedicures in summer months and getting my toes out in sandals ..the only issue I have is when the beautician starts removing any hard skin around the heel and ball of foot, I scream a bit due to being soo ticklish…I’ve tried hard not to scream but the screams come out but my feet feel as soft as a baby’s skin..lovely feeling …

I used to go to a chiropodist and She did a good job but it was expensive and appointments not always available when I needed.

So I bought a beurer pedicure set (basically a foot Dremel) it is wonderful I don’t need scissors at all.

There is a a widget for each job. Nail shortening, hard skin removal and cuticle remover.

The only problem is, I will need to keep fit and flexible enough to reach down to use it!

www.beurer.com/uk/p/57400/

I have a pedicure once every couple of months - I don’t think I need a Podiatrist - quite frankly, I don’t really know what a Podiatrist does - will have to ask Mr Google.

I pay £42 for my Eyebow trim and tint plus Pedicure which includes nail polish etc

crazyH

I have a pedicure once every couple of months - I don’t think I need a Podiatrist - quite frankly, I don’t really know what a Podiatrist does - will have to ask Mr Google.

There's basically 3 levels of foot person.
1. More of a beautician type of person
2. Chiropodists
3. Podiatrists.

Even a level 1 person is suitable for just something like toenail trimming and there are ones that do home visits - for which I would expect to pay £35-£40 per visit.

Within each level there are people who are "better than the grade" and those who are "worse than the grade". I've had a lowest level person trimming my toenails and she was good enough she helped in putting right a bodged "partial nail avulsion" (ie removal of side of big toenail - because of ingrown toenail).

On the other hand - I've had a second level person (ie chiropodist) that hurt me when cutting the nail on a toe where it's been turned under a bit as long as I can remember (the lowest level woman hadnt hurt me - so why was that chiropodist doing so?!!!!!!).

I've had a podiatrist who was terrible and it took some doing (by several other people) to put right how bodged a job she did on that partial nail avulsion.

You have to be careful about the attitude of the person doing the job too - as in some parts of the country it's fairly widespread for the person to think "they" make our decisions for us - but I'm from a part of the country where there is widespread expectation that we make our own decisions ourselves (obviously!). Whichever is the case - judge them by their attitude too - as to whether they accept that of course "the customer is always right/always makes our own decisions" or expect to be a bossyboots overriding us.

There are both good/gentle people in all grades and "expletive deleteds" in all grades.

Thankyou CariadAgain x

I thought podiatrist was just the new term for chiropodist.

My DH has a podiatrist who comes to the house every 5 weeks. I have my feet done every other time and cut my own toe nails in between. Can’t manage long handled nail scissors though.

There us confusion about the difference between the two but I always thought podiatrist had slightly more in depth training,
I had a friend who qualified as a chiropodist who did a distance course from home, so had no actual experience with real feet other than her own. It was a ll a bit strange….

I started to find it hard to cut my big toenails even after a good soak, but really heavy duty emery boards (Boots own, in an assorted multi pack) - much too rough for my fingernails - fit the bill nicely.

silverlining48

There us confusion about the difference between the two but I always thought podiatrist had slightly more in depth training,
I had a friend who qualified as a chiropodist who did a distance course from home, so had no actual experience with real feet other than her own. It was a ll a bit strange….

It's six years at University that the first podiatrist I went to in this area did. She was awful in the event - and hence finding that, in some ways, a lowest-level (ie foot beauty) person was better than her.

I don't know whether it's a thing to do with this part of the country (ie West Wales) or different times to my first encounter with a podiatrist (ie think that was the 1980s).

I've been to all 3 levels here and it gets blimmin' confusing even if someone describes themselves as a podiatrist. There are podiatrist - and that is how it is and they do the lot (up to and including "foot surgery") - ie they'd deal with an ingrown toenail (by removing just the sides of it or the whole of it).

Out of the top level (yep they ARE podiatrists):
- I've encountered one here that will only do the foot beautician level of treatment in one's own home - but will do the full level (ie foot surgery on ingrown toenail) in a clinical setting and with a "chaperone" (for her!!!). Yep the exact same woman.

- I've encountered another podiatrist that operates in a clinical setting only for everything - and wants a "chaperone" (for her) in a nearby room

- I've encountered what I regard as a "proper podiatrist" and he did the toenail surgery in a clinical room in his own home and there wasn't a "chaperone" anywhere nearby I could detect. He's the one I now regard as "mine" - even though he is some distance away - as we both work in the same way (ie I know he speaks as perfect English as I do - because he is English too and I know he's top-level - as he ran a hospital department on this years back and set up on his own when they started restricting how he did things and telling him to refuse treatment to people).

I get very confused by this idea of them (yep them...not us) having a "chaperone" around - who may or may not actually do part of the procedure or may just be her flippin' husband (who is not medical) nipping in for 5 minutes (as was the case with the one I won't go anywhere near ever again) and I was just TOLD he would be coming in and no reason given to me. She's one of the people I've encountered that expect that they make "our" decisions for us - rather than us doing so - and it's a way of working I am not familiar with and strongly disagree with. Where I'm from it's much more common for it to be accepted that, of course, we are the ones that make our decisions and they just do what we've decided on.

Way back when I first had an ingrown toenail dealt with - it was in a local hospital back where I'm from and there was no sign of a "chaperone" for the podiatrist concerned. I suspect they have all been told to be much more "scaredy-cat in politically correct times" since then. Waste of time imo - as it takes two people to do one persons job that way.

But the foot beauty level people do work on their own - usually.

I have had a podiatrist who was good but I prefer to file my toenails every week myself to keep them as short as possible rather than cut them - just in case I cut the wrong bit!!! They seem to be in all shapes and sizes probably because of the blood flow. I cream my feet every day to keep them smooth and so far so good

Podiatrists and chiropodists are the same. Chiropodist used to be more commonly used in the UK but now it has changed to Podiatrist - I think to be in line with other countries.
Whichever name they use, they should be fully trained and registered with the HPCP - Health and Care Professionals council.
There are always some who seem more gentle or competent than others, just like other health professionals.

Cariad People work in their clients' homes (or working in a room in their own home) are vulnerable to exploitation, some subtle, some in-your-face.

For instance, there was a case last year (it may have been in the States) of a young woman working as a beautician in her own home, alone, where someone made an appointment in a female name to have a bikini line or a Brazilian depilation. What turned up was a hairy man, who was very insistent that she not only perform this service, but do it while he/she had a tampon inserted for "her" period. when she said that was not what she had been expecting to do, he suggested that a different beautician who had experience in giving this service to trans women (without damaging their family jewels) would be better, he became abusive and told her he would report her for a hate crime and put her out of business if she didn't comply with this odd request for free AND pay over a large sum of money to him for keeping quiet. She did the reporting! and with the publicity the case received it came out that he had done the same to several beauticians - all of them young and just starting out in a small way in their own homes and afraid of defying him. He wasn't even genuinely trans - just after a kinky thrill and money.

There is always the possibility of a client or patient thinking that the services provided while alone on the treatment couch or the make-up chair in the company of a lone woman include sexual ones. GPs and nurses know that very well, and also the possibility of being falsely accused of abuse themselves. If they have gone to the trouble of booking in the knowledge that she is alone, their sexual preferences might be unusual and not generally welcome.

Typo - "he suggested" should be "she suggested" to make sense.

Yes I prefer to file my toenails and keep them neat. A weekly routine for me

After working as a beauty therapist for about 50years I do have opinions on this subject.
If you haven’t got underlying problems with your health or feet that require a specific treatment only carried out by a specialist then I would go to a salon.
A pedicure takes about an hour including polish, slightly less without. It includes soaking, dead skin removal, cutting toe nails, cuticle work and a bit of massage. Sometimes they will just cut nails but you would have to ask.
Like every profession there are good and bad therapists so ask around for recommendations.
If you are concerned about lone practitioners then find one that works with others. There are plenty around.

Elusivebutterfly

Podiatrists and chiropodists are the same. Chiropodist used to be more commonly used in the UK but now it has changed to Podiatrist - I think to be in line with other countries.
Whichever name they use, they should be fully trained and registered with the HPCP - Health and Care Professionals council.
There are always some who seem more gentle or competent than others, just like other health professionals.

It is very confusing - as I've seen a woman here (ie recently) that describes herself as a "chiropodist" and has only done a few weeks training (not years at university) and won't do more complex tasks. She's the one who hurt me when she cut my more "curved-in" toenail - when people usually don't hurt me when they do that.

I think one has to check them all out by seeing what initials they've got after their name and specifically asking them what level of training they've done (ie few weeks correspondence course or years at University).

Another clue that someone really IS a podiatrist is they deal with footwear issues too - eg selling custom-made insoles for your footwear and/or "healthy" type footwear. It is a tendency for some people to want to "big themselves up" and must be hugely annoying to those who are actually top-level genuinely.

"Bigging up" has been going on for decades in various jobs. I saw it happen in my own "line of trade" - ie I was a personal secretary and just after I'd thought "I'm more experienced now and I should be able to get myself a higher level typing certificate - ie RSA instead of Pitmans - and with a thing on it giving my (very fast) typing speed". Cue for I duly got my better certificate - to improve my job chances. But that was followed (only within a year or two after that!) by RSA lowering the marking standards and telling people that are lower-level than myself/slower than myself that they were "top-level" the same as me!!!!! That left (genuinely top-level me) wondering how to get the message over to would-be employers that I was the "real deal" and they were not and their certificate was somewhat of a fake compared to mine - ie all else being equal the job should be mine.

I get the point re there might be the occasional "troublesome" customer and a woman might feel she wants to protect herself against that.

On those lines - if they are going to have a "chaperone" for themselves = they should say so (in advance). Rather than have a customer wondering what the "extra person" was doing there and feeling threatened themselves.

Part of what was wrong with the first podiatrist I saw - in this area - was she just whacked the couch back (when I had never had a foot person do that before and I watch what they are doing obviously - to check) and she didnt ask me. So I was shocked and felt threatened she just put it back without saying a word to me! The other one was her "chaperone" for her sake was a total surprise to me too - and fulfilled no useful function whatsoever from my viewpoint - and was her (big/burly) husband and totally non-medical and me a little/fairly conventional-looking older woman (complete with some "past history" that should NOT have happened to me - ie rape)! All round - I felt threatened by her (and her husband) and that was an accurate perception as regards the very poor standard of workmanship she did on my feet.

I came out with a butchered foot and outraged and upset at her attitude to me.

If it is difficult as we age…you should spthink about professional help. An FHP can trim them safely, the circulation to your feet gets poor as we age…a little nick as you struggle to cut your own can lead to future problems .i am an exChiropodist

You really do need to do your research before visiting any health professional…I am an ex health professional. But it is definitely not an even playing field….ask around, search first