do you have a pedicure?

[hatwoman]

Years of running (and, I admit, neglect) have had a toll on my toe nails. I nearly always have a black one in the process of falling off. they are flakey yet tough. and my skin is dry. not a pretty picture. I find that a good coat of a dark colour conceals most of this (at least from a distance). but I'm starting to wonder if it's worth getting them done professionally...so...will a pedicure cope with my neglected nails? and how long will it last? any views on whether it's worth the time and money much appreciated.

You probably need a chiropodist/podiatrist rather than a pedicure.

IME, you can get the dead skin off yourself, and treat the nail by pushing back cuticles, moisturising etc, it's just a nice treat to have someone else do it! (And they are usually better at the nail varnish application too).

But if you have damaged nails, a pedicure won't necessarily make them better. Would help with the dry skin a bit.

Probably a silly question but do your trainers fit you properly? if your toes are regularly getting damaged that could be a cause

I kind of wondered that. but not sure. I associate chiropodists with old people (perhaps unfairly) and my feet are basically fine - it's just the odd black nail, ragged cuticles, and bits of dry skin. but I don;t want to make an appointment and have someone recoil in horror!

Do you moisturise the rest of your skin - legs, bum etc? Just do your feet when you do that, and push the cuticles back gently once a week when you are in the shower (so that they are soft and don't tear). That solves 2 problems.

The nails I would go to a chiropodist about, because that doesn't sound right.

Once you have them sorted though, a pedicure once a month is a lovely treat and does keep feet looking and feeling good - IMO :)

that first was to alfabetty. cyb - my current trainers are possibly not quite right. problem is I'm not a road runner and need specialist running shoes - which do tend to be a smaller fit than road trainers. and there aren't all that many shops/suppliers that do proper fitting. so it ends up being a bit trial and error. I'm due another pair so might make the effort to get to a particular shop that supplies teh shoes I need and does proper fitting.

I think chiropodists are used to seeing all sorts of people - esp runners like you.

And I think beauticians have seen it all before - although I always give my feet a quick pumice myself before getting them out for a pedicure! They are not my prettiest feature, but a pedicure does make them look and feel better.

I'm a beautician and believe me we see some truly neglected and sometimes even diseased feet and are quite desensitised to it! If you are worried about it pop in to your local salon explain your concerns and ask them to have a look. If you need to see a chiropodist or if it appears that you have any infection they will soon refer you to the ciropodist or your GP. If not they'll make you an appointment for a pedicure. If you dont regularly look after your feet you'll be amazed at the difference a professional pedicure can make.