What do you use to remove callus

[sophiegees]

Just wondered what systems you use to remove callus during pedicures. I want to offer this and have been looking at 'callus peel' - is this a good one or are there better systems?

Also what tools do you use for this - do you use files or blades. I see you can get an instrument with a detachable razer/blade - is this used at all?

Callus removal was not covered in my course at all - I don't know if I need to go on another course to learn this or not.

Thanks xx

 

[footwoman]

Sophiegees,
Removing callus with any kind of sharp instrument comes under the remit of a chiropodist.
I was not aware that beauty therapists were insured to do this? There is also the issue of sterilzing the instruments between clients to prevent cross-infection.

If you haven't done a course on callus removal then you shouldn't be attempting it as i doubt your insurance will cover you.

I would suggest you build a relationship with a local chiropodist who will take these sort of clients.
I don't know anything about foot pampering treatments or foot massage and so I am happy to recommend the local beauty salon for these treatments.
Problems can occur when practitioners attempt treatments they are not trained to do.

 

[eskimonailtech]

callus removal was not covered in your pedicure course?!?!?!

WHO IS TEACHING THESE COURSES?!?! AHHHHHH

okay sorry. just had to get that out of my system. seems like people are coming away from so many courses without having learned basic or important things.

you have a few different options for callus removal.

1. simple callus softening product in combination with a paddle/rasp/file/whatever you want to call it. this is an extremely common method which requires more elbow grease but you could consider the "safest" i guess

2. credo blade, sometimes erroneously called a corn cutter, which is where you use a disposable blade inserted into a holder to essentially cut away shavings of the callus. some people swear by this method, others consider it the bane of satan. it's tricky to learn how to use it safely but effectively. i wouldnt recommend someone use it without having been instructed. it's easy to become aggressive and take off too much or carelessly knick their skin.

3. electric file - literally the same type, albeit a more industrial type, of electric file us nail techs use for artificial nails. it has a large sanding bit on the drill bit part. requires much less physical effort than option 1 but you can still easily take off too much as in option 2.

4. chemical peel/pad application - this is actually a pretty cool one. i forget the name of the one i used at my old spa but it comes in an orange foil package and you take out two round pieces cotton type material already saturated in a strong callus softening solution. then i would cut both of those in half and place them accordingly on the clients calluses. then i would put their foot in a plastic paraffin liner bag and into a terrycloth bootie. it would sit for 15 minutes. or i would cut a hole in the end of the plastic bag and i could begin nail shaping and cuticle work while it soaked. it was then removed and the calluses were scraped off with this special knife looking thing. it was actually kind of gross but very effective. it had the potential to irritate their skin though.

my preferred methods are 2 followed by 1. i will however be moving up to method 3 soon. you have to decide how much work/money you want to invest in it. i think it's an extremely important part of a spa pedicure. options 2 and 4 are almost always followed by 1 to smooth it out.

phew, long post. and all of it on my iphone lol anyways, either way, you never want to remove ALL of the callus. you can go too far and they wont be able to walk. so in closing, if you plan on any method except for strictly option 1, then i say yes, take a course.

ah yes and as the person above me mentioned, it also depends on where you live and the local regulations.

 

[realisticbeauty]

I use 2 different products a stand alone treatment of Callus Peel which you place a pad on each heel wrap in cling film for 15 minutes and then using the plastic blade provided you scrape away the dead skin.

I also use a callus eliminator by Be natural which is targeted at diabetic clients I use this in my pedicure treatments as routine and find this works great if there is not to much of a build up.

If the callus is so bad that I don't think they are going to get the results they want then I refer them to the chiropodist.

HTH:hug:

 

[eskimonailtech]

oh yes, be natural has a GREAT callus softener. and cuticle remover too.

i see you're in the UK like these other lovely ladies. i trained under a pedologist (one below foot doctor) so i'm quite confident in my abilities with the blade. and my insurance also covers it.

but esthetics is really loosey goosey here so unfortunately, a lot of the system is abused. i have had clients get mad at me for refusing to use the blade on them when they didnt need it.

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

I only do Callous treatments as part of my SPA pedicure , I Use CND sea serum on feet ,applied with a hands down pad then a few minutes , and the CND foot file the stuff is AMAZING , I then follow it up with the dobble exfoliating treatments from the CND Marine range , and a good soak ,
then a moisturizing foot mask , Marine mask is cooling and LUSH in this weather ,
you need to remember with clause why they are there? its fight or flight ! along time back in human evolution if we couldn't run , we wear dead!
fast forward! our shoes and modern living cause callous, its our body's defense , if you remove with a blade or all in one hit , we will feel it! and it will re-form !
the best treatment , remove the rough hard unsightly surface cells with a product such as sea serum ,

exfoliate to smooth ,

moistures

send client home with cucumber heel therapy ,and solar oil and cuticle eraser (fabulous products for your client and a nice bit of retail for you !)
all of these are available in tiny sizes ! like the mini solar oils if you do not feel your clients will spend this money why not put togever some
"steps to summer" mini treatment kits you can get Small organza bags from e bay to put them in,you could even print out a quick steps list, work out the cost including a Small mark up for your time and effort and put your pedicure price up by that much , people will pay as it includes the home care kit!

tell them to use daily ,

get them back after a couple of weeks repeat your coulose treatment ,
the beautiful nourished conditioned skin from there home care products will be sitting just under the surface ,

they will have notably safer better looking / feeling feet !

I HIGHLY recommend the CND pedicure ranges especially the Marine range in this weather ! as it is mint,spearmint , eucalyptus and menthol based beautifully cooling ! CND pedicure products speak for them selfs !
it was 34 degrees hear last night!!!! and I did a Marine spa pedicure at 9pm! my lady left this on my facebook wall this morning "Thank you Ceri for the mani and pedi on a hot hot evening! I thoroughly enjoyed it!! "

 

[Unique.Tips]

It is not recommended and is highly frowned upon to do callus "removal" during a pedicure. You should only slightly reduce and smooth with a 180 grit foot file and then advise the client to change shoes, or use a non medicated foot or corn pad over the callus to reduce the need for one. There are many softening products you can use to loose up thicker calluses, but use of blades on clients are illegal in most states in the US and excessive filing is not recommended for both can cause rawness and eventual over growth of the callus.

What a callus is: it is a cushion created by your body due to excessive friction on the skin. It is a defense mechanism of the body. So when u completely remove (especially excessively) the callus returns worse in most cases. This is also true for corns.

If you would like to read suggested remedies and the actually function of a callus visit http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/blisters-corns-calluses

We were trained this way in school, but I thought I should share a reputable link to back up my information. Good luck!

 

[Leeanne43]

send client home with cucumber heel therapy ,and solar oil and cuticle eraser (fabulous products for your client and a nice bit of retail for you !)
all of these are available in tiny sizes ! like the mini solar oils if you do not feel your clients will spend this money why not put togever some
"steps to summer" mini treatment kits you can get Small organza bags from e bay to put them in,you could even print out a quick steps list, work out the cost including a Small mark up for your time and effort and put your pedicure price up by that much , people will pay as it includes the home care kit!

"

I love this idea of a home care kit, awesome!

 

[purpleivy]

Interesting thread. In the UK, training to do pedicure treatments does not include blades and normal insurance wouldn't cover their use. As the OP said, it's the remit of chiropodists.

I'm not sure where chemical treatments come in all this, but would be interested to know, as I see quite a lot of hard skin.

SOme therapists can go too mad with removal though. I hate it when they try to take off too much, as you end up with no cushioning. There's someone I know who finds it more aesthetically pleasing to have every last scrap of skin removed. Me? I'd rather have a bit of padding!

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

Hear in Germany the Done thing is using the E-file ... i know there are bits you can get to do this properly but some of the previous techs "callous removal" on my new clients feet makes me squirm!


they LOVE my way of doing it !

 

[gr8nailz]

We offer an add-on service where we apply gauze soaked with callus remover to the affected area. We allow the remover to work for 5 minutes, remove the gauze, then use a foot file to gently file away whatever callus the remover was able to desolve. It only removes a small amount of callus to be honest. The remover, however, is very strong and burns the skin so we have to ensure that we only apply it directly to the callus.

As a sideline regarding different regulations in different areas....in Florida, the credo blade is banned and the fine is several thousand dollars if caught using it.

 

[eskimonailtech]

just a note to whomever said shoes cause callus, not true. ill-fitting shoes CAN cause it. i have my feet bundled up all winter as I live in the great white north and they are as soft as a baby's bum. the second it's summer i'm out in my bare feet and the callus builds up again.

and just to be clear, just because something is banned one place, doesn't make it a bad thing. i'm obviously not advocating anyone use it if it's illegal where you live, but every tech needs to do what she feels is best within her practice (and the law)

 

[sophiegees]

Thank you all for your help and advice. Wow eskimonailtech you have provided so much info – and typed on your phone – thank you – thank you all. I am going to print the thread out so I can refer to it.
I was surprised that callus removal was not included in the course I attended – that was actually one of the reasons I went on it! But that was before I discovered how fabulous it is to do nails! Think I will enquire about the CND pedicure course – hopefully that may cover callus issues! My inclination is to use a callus remover lotion rather than purely a tool.
Footwomen, don’t worry I already have my cleaning fluids, ultrasonic and autoclave and would not dream of doing treatments I am not trained to do or insured for.
Thank you all again for your help xx

 

[sophiegees]

Mizzy Dizzy I meant to say your idea on the mini packs is a brilliant idea - and thanks for the recommendation on the sea serum - that sounds really good xx

 

[Mooey]

If you are kupa e-file trained (CND supply this) there is a special attachment you can use to remove dead skin from the feet.x

 

[Unique.Tips]

just a note to whomever said shoes cause callus, not true. ill-fitting shoes CAN cause it. i have my feet bundled up all winter as I live in the great white north and they are as soft as a baby's bum. the second it's summer i'm out in my bare feet and the callus builds up again.

and just to be clear, just because something is banned one place, doesn't make it a bad thing. i'm obviously not advocating anyone use it if it's illegal where you live, but every tech needs to do what she feels is best within her practice (and the law)

Not sure what reply u were referring to but just to make my self clear, I stated that excessive friction on the skin is what causes callus. Not shoes. When feet are enclosed in shoes with socks the friction is less. Exposed with flip flops and sandals with no cushion or sock, you're feet experience more friction. Thus causing thicker skin Aka callus. ::hug::

 

[eskimonailtech]

no it wasnt directed at you.

 

[Beauty4all]

I use the CND Sea Serum and Cucumber heel therapy and have to say it is amazing. I have struggled to keep on top of my own dry chapped heels for years, yet one application every couple of weeks with the CND products has completed sorted them out. As I believe in the product, I recommend it to my clients all the time and they love it too.

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

you need to remember with clause why they are there? its fight or flight ! along time back in human evolution if we couldn't run , we wear dead!

fast forward! our shoes and modern living cause callous, its our body's defense , if you remove with a blade or all in one hit , we will feel it! and it will re-form !

no it wasnt directed at you.

I don't always get things out the way that I interned but above are 2 quotes from what I was trying to convey ,

the first saying that our callous build up would have been an automatic defense for our feet in the days before modern shoes, and the days in witch we needed them to run with out feeling every rock or splinter under our feet ect ,I personally dont think even before shoes we had build ups like the ones that we have now , for sure they would not have been modern day callous , I think they would have probably been very evenly spared across the feet . !
I believe the ones we have now on in certain areas of our feet are very much linked to modern day living! and Shoes!

the second part should have said modern day living we see them as un sightly and want to get rid of them this and shoes ect DO cause callouses in a round about way as if we had no shoes im sure it would not be a continual build up due to natural exfoliation,
its the start stop start stop start that causes them in modern day living , such as wrapping feet in socks and shoes the winter while there toasty warm and sweating away than getting them out in the Summer may well lead to excess callous issues probably more so than some one who rarely wears shoes all through out the year ,

as a child i lived an out door life on the road a "traveler" , I dont rember wearing shoes very offten up until about 6 years old! , my feet wear hard but not in a calloused type of hard , they didn't change seasonally and thats for sure!, probably because I was continually exfoliating them by being bare foot 24/7!



as this is no longer relative to the opening post feel free to PM me or start a new thread if you want to these are just based on what I belive from my own experince and looking at animmals ect I would love a thread going more in depth on it , Its what salon geek is all about , Learning , Ceri x