Feet and Shoes

I have recently completed an advanced nursing foot care course. Although I was aware of many of the foot and nail disorders, I hadn't seen many in person. Feet are generally the last and least attended to parts of a patient in the health care setting.

Curious, seeing how important they are.

But the most common cause or aggravation to conditions is vanity as displayed by the shoes we wear.

I became very aware of the effects of fashion when last year, after never having a foot problem I had a bunion and bunion surgery. I got orthotics and now generally wear shoes that are good for my feet until I can find fashionable ones that still have the features I need to treat my feet well.

I will provide some info in the coming months.

GEL NAILS - AND NAIL ART - AWESOME POSSIBILITIES

Just thought I would share some images of gel nails, gel nail colour and nail art.

DANGERS OF FILLERS

Facial fillers can cause Granulomas if:

• Fillers are injected by an unqualified and/or inexperienced person
• More often with permanent fillers
• Inferior products are used; generally cheap unapproved and untested

How to avoid complications:

• Choose an experienced dermatologist or plastic surgeon rather than a physician who ‘dabbles’ in aesthetics. Never allow a non physician to inject you.
• Make sure the product is from a reputable drug manufacturer.
• If you are sensitive to lots of things, ask for a test dose to make sure you are not allergic
• Ask lots of questions and make sure you are satisfied with the answers.
• If it is cheap it is likely both an unqualified individual and/or a questionnable product
• Don't treat the procedure lightly.

Treatment of granulomas

• Consult a dermatologist or plastic surgeon.
• Minor granulomas can be treated with an anti-inflammatory injection.
• Larger ones will require surgery.
  

WHO IS QUALIIFIED?

You will find almost everyone and anyone putting out a shingle to inject Botox or fillers. There are Botox parties if you believe the "real housewives" series. As far as I know these activities are still a medical procedure to be carried out by a medical doctor. Even within the medical field the skills vary. Plastic surgeons and dermatologists generally claim they are the most qualified, however there are many general practitioners doing private esthetic procedures as well as dentists. The registered nursing body in my Province does not consider these injections in the scope of nursing practice, so I am not sure why anyone would let an esthetician inject them.

Manufactures of these products have an obligation to dispense to qualified individuals.

People who are not qualified to inject are likely either using deception to obtain the products from the manufacturer or are using imported knock offs from countries which have little if any controls on drugs. These imported products are of questionnable quality and purity.

I am sure that I would prefer to age gracefully than to risk significant injury or disfigurement by letting an unqualified individual with questionnable products inject me just because the price is right.

I have heard horror stories. Be very careful. Throughly research. Remember, this is still a developing phenomena and until there are better legislated controls, you will have to be sure to protect yourself.

DERMAL ROLLER

After only a few weeks I am noticing changes. Once I have used the device for at least 4 months, I will update you.

DERMAL SKIN ROLLER FOR FACIAL REJUVENATION, PIGMENT AND SCAR TREATMENT.

I have provided information about the benefits of foam rolling for the body and facial exercise for the face. See free sample exercise. Now there is a new popular treatment that can be supplemented at home for better outcome.

I have not been able to find independent clinical research articles but I will continue to look. In the meantime, here is a bit of information.

Note: I rate this device and procedure as minimally invasive.

Skin rollers are a form of cosmetic micro-needle therapy. The device comes in various needle depths. The ones used by professionals in the clinic give the deepest tissue treatment which I believe is done under local anesthetic and can be supplemented by the regular use of home rollers which vary in depth with the deepest being about ½ of the clinic use device.

Theory

The device creates microscopic punctures into the dermis which causes skin regeneration by persistently triggering the production of collagen and elastin. Noticeable results are claimed to be seen within one week. However, skin renews every 40 days or so, so likely the best results will be after 1-2 months of continued use. And in some cases such as the treatment of scars, it may take 6 months supplemented with clinic visits.

Along with the home device you use recommended skin products which are delivered deeper into the skin layers than with the usual surface application. The products used depend on the condition you are treating, as well as your skin type and age.

This treatment device used with the appropriate products is used for the following:

• Scar reduction including acne scars


• Stretch mark reduction


• Anti aging treatment


• Anti wrinkle treatment


• Cellulite reduction


• Hair loss/hair re-growth


• Hyper pigmentation treatment

I am using the MTS roller device along with Environ products and I will let you know what I think after a month or two.

There are a number of manufacturers and there is online purchase availability, however I strongly recommend you seek treatment through a skin treatment clinic for a proper assessment, office supplementation for the treatment as well as the proper products for your particular skin type and problem along with instruction for the use and sanitization of the device.

Apparently one side effect is skin dryness, so you will have to buy an appropriate moisturizer

BEAUTIFUL HANDS MAKE YOU LOOK YOUNGER

Keep reading for a great inexpensive product tip

Once I lost a great deal of weight I became more interested in esthetics and keeping myself well cared for and up to date.

Years of nursing and frequent hand-washing gave me less than attractive nails and hands. I was not motivated to do much to reverse the damage.

A clinical esthetician pointed out that everything you do to and for your face you should do for your hands. Nothing is more aging than hands.

So when I had IPL for pigmentation I had it done on my hands as well and continued the treatment using Skin TX lightening products for my face, hands and neck.

So my hands were under control but my nails were still a mess. They were dry, split or broke off easily. This was caused mostly because of using my hands as tools and not compensating with good hand care after overwashing them.

I tried for various types of nail enhancements for three years. Most salons offer acrylic nail extensions - they are cheap, easy and fast to apply but I could not stand the smell in the shop or the thought of them putting glue and thick acrylic tips on my natural nails. To remove them they either have to using machines to grind them off or use 100% Acetone - not healthy for the nails or lungs! They are usually unnaturally thick and it is difficult to pick anything up so they are not functional.

During my research (trial and error) I discovered gel nails and loved the Biosculpture product. It is flexible, looks like the natural nail and is strong even with a thin application. The next problem though was getting consistency of skill in the application. Whenever I found someone who did them well it was either too difficult to get a follow up appointment with my work schedule, or I found them when I was travelling far from home. Often if I found someone with openings locally, they used gel overlays but still used tips and glue, grinding machines etc - I realized after taking some training that it is because it is faster, requires less skill and they can process more clients and make more money. However using these techniques with gel defeats the purpose of using gel - for the naturalness of the look as well as protecting the natural nail from damage. An instructor told me those technicians are just lazy.

Yes. After years of frustration, I finally decided to take the training and become certified in the Biosculpture product. I did it and with the help of friends and family and me as my test victims, I have become quite expert at gel nail extensions and I will be starting my own part time business. I know I have developed a skill because I am very right-hand dominant yet I accomplish doing my own nails perfectly not only with one hand but with my useless non-dominant left hand when I do the right.

I like looking at peoples' hands and nails. The nails are very interesting in that there are quite a few medical conditions that can come to light by examining the nails. So there is a tad of nursing background squeezed into the service :)

My hands look young and healthy. My nails are always perfect, I don't try to keep my hands in my pockets anymore.

p.s. My pick - French nails and pedique (French style toenails). French style nails are really classy. The great part about using French technique is that you can create the illusion of length while actually keeping them a bit shorter especially if you type a lot. People always say to me - your nails look great but how do you do anything with them that long. I quickly show them the palm side of my nails so they can see there are not really long at all - a great functional length but with the appearance of longer nails.

Tips to keep hands and natural nails or nail enhancements looking great:

• Use tools NOT your nails. Your nails are not staple removers, screwdrivers, or prybars.
• Always wear gloves when having your hands in water for cleaning, washing dishes, or using chemicals.
• Use cuticle remover and gently push back your cuticles at least once per week.
• Don't cut your cuticles. Carefully cut any hangnail-like tags (white dead skin) that are easy to reach at the side edge of the nail but don't cut the entire cuticle - it will lead to infection and inflammation and hangnails.
• Have a professional manicure from time to time. Pay attention to how proper cuticle care is done.
• For dry hands buy a pair or two of white cotton gloves. Wear them at night after slathering on a good dry skin cream.
• If your cuticles are really dry and a mess get a good cuticle oil or cream and rub in nightly - easy to do while watching tv.
• If you have gel nails avoid getting products with AHA, retinol, alcohol or glycolic on the nails. If you use these products on your face - use a cream (make up scoop) to get out of the jar and put in palm of hand and carefully apply with the pads of your fingers avoiding getting on the nails.
• If you control dryness and protect your hands and nails from exposure to irritating products and treat your hands to the same antiaging treatments that you do to your face - you will have great hands in no time at all.
• exericse - even though we use our hands constantly - generally hands wrists and forearms, particularly in women are quite weak due to all the tools we use reducing the muscular force used
• use acetone free polish remover - make sure you ask the acetone content - "acetone-free" simply means it is 70% or less acetone - try to find 30%

When I was troubleshooting to find why my upper body exercises were not progressing significantly, I found that it was because my hands wrists and forearms were weak - I worked on hand, wrist and forearm strengthening and within weeks got progress with upper body weights.

Hand exercises improve the look of your hands!
You need a few simple things:

Inexpensive product tip.

Years ago I was using a great nice smelling pink coloured product for conditioning my nails and cuticles. It was abourt $20 for 1/4 ounce. I would carry it around and during boring moments would massage it into my cuticles and nails. It worked fantastically.

A horsey friend of mine noticed this one day - took the small container and smelled it and said - how much did this cost?!

Turned out that at the time she bought a huge jar of a very similar looking and smelling product for $5 for her horse's hoofs at a horse supply and saddle shop. Her nails and cuticles were great. I went and bought a jar and it lasted for years and years.

I sort of forgot about it again (it was along time ago) until I was writing this article. I am going to track some down. If you are going to do the same - be careful and ask the clerk what colour it is -there are other horse hoof products including a tar based product that smells awful and you sure don't want to be rubbing that into your nails.

If I do find some I will let you know the name of the product. I think there is also a brand that is like the one above but yellow in colour.

GREAT HAIR

The first thing you need for great hair is a terrific diet: lean source of protein, fibrous and complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. I believe that exercise helps a lot too because of increased blood flow and better circulation in general.

The second thing you need is a great hairdresser?

How do you get one? You look around at family, friends and acquaintenances and ask the ones who always have great hair who their hairdresser is. Or walk up to a complete stranger and ask the same question. That is what I do and I have never made a mistake.

If you have a hairdresser that is good but she is stuck in the same style and is not interested in giving you a fresher and more recent look - it may be time to change.

I have had my current hairdresser for 7 years and she is the best. She is honest with me if I want something that she feels will not suit me or my hair type or which will destroy my hair. She talked me out of extensions and told me we could get my own hair long and looking good with a bit of patience. She warned me that extensions did not last long and that removing them can damage the hair and it was difficult to find someone who does it really well.

My hair is naturally very fine and limp. Until I met her I have never had a perm that I did not have to cut off immediately as it either frizzed my hair and/or did not take in spots.

The first thing she had me do was to be patient and prep my hair. I was already following a great nutrition plan and my skin hair and nails were doing well.

I had frequent trims at least every 6 weeks to get the ends in great shape. I also had it cut into long layers.

She recommended some Grund products - restructuring shampoo, conditioner and strengthener which I used faithfully for 4 months before the planned perm.

I went a bit darker with my streaking which protected my hair from overprocessing with bleach.

The perm has lasted and lasted through trims and streaking. I can wear it curly - very easy care or no care. Or I can use a flat iron and wear it straight. I can use rollers and have a bouncier more full semi-curly/straight look.

Incredibly with her help I have been able to grow it long in a healthy manner even with the perm and colour.

I always know when I have let it go too long between appointments - people comment 'you look tired." I get my hair done and get the opposite response!

Interesting that something as simple as a trim can make a person look refreshed.

p.s never have roots showing - nothing looks worse. Consider streaking with some of your own colour in the mix to go longer between colours without it looking ugly between.

Eye lift - INSTANT AND FREE

From Facial Magic


Eyelids that droop? Is your forehead weak?
Sagging upper eye skin?

Upper Eyes and Brows
An Instant Lift for Beautiful Eyes.
Your upper eye area will improve as your forehead muscle strengthens.

1 Relax your eyebrow area and then place the three middle fingers of each hand directly under your eyebrows.

2 Drop the palms of your hands flat against your face.

3 With the pads of your fingertips directly under your eyebrows, push your eyebrows upwards and slightly outwards.

4 Hold your eyebrows in this position with your eyes open.

5 Slowly push your eyebrows down against your fingertips while holding your eyebrows high, and hold the contraction for five (5) seconds.

6 Remove your hands from your face.

7 Breathe in deeply through your nose, and exhale through your nose.

8 Repeat the exercise again. This time hold the contraction for ten (10) seconds. At the seventh second, close your eyes, keeping your eyebrows held high.

9 Remove your hands from your face. Breathe in deeply through your nose, and exhale through your nose. Begin again, holding the contraction for ten (10) seconds and closing your eyes at the seventh second. Repeat the movement again so that you have exercised for a total of thirty-five (35) seconds.

This exercise begins to “awaken” your forehead, concentrating on the area above your eyebrow to the hairline. Initially, you may see a line develop over your brow when you first perform this exercise - THIS IS TEMPORARY and a clear indication that your forehead has lost its firmness.

Facial Magic Program

Typical Timeline for Visable Results
Week 1: Forehead - Upper Eyes - Upper Cheeks
Week 2: Jowls - Pouches
Week 3: Chin - Neck
Week 4: Upper Lip - Lower Eye
Week 5: Vertical Forehead Lines - Chin & Lower Lip
Week 6: Horizontal Forehead Lines - Neck
Week 7: Lower Eye - Back of Cheeks
Week 8: Back of Cheeks - Crows Feet
Week 9: Bridge of Nose - Laugh Lines

For More Info on Facial Magic Click Here