MANICURES AND PEDICURES FOR THE ELDERLY
movement of the skin. These clients love the attention and personal contact and become exceptionally loyal clients, but injury is always a possibility, so special care must be taken. The service recommended is usually a hydrating manicure or pedicure, but this can be adjusted according to other skin conditions. These manicures and pedicures usually include a paraffin treatment or electric heat mitts that provide soothing relief from pain that is welcomed by these clients. These clients could be offered a “drop-in” treatment at the salon. The client stops in, cleanses their hands well with a nail brush, applies a soothing lotion, then paraffin or the heat mitts are applied. They relax for a time, until the paraffin cools or for 10 minutes in the heat mitts, then it is removed and they are on they way with less pain and a grateful heart. applied and dries. During drying, the acrylic in the polish hardens into the normal shape of the nail plates—a more flat shape than the nail is naturally. Later, after the nail plate dries to its usual shape, a deeper curve from side to side, the polish is stressed into the new shape and weakens, often damaging the retention of the polish. At this point, the polish tries to return to its shape before soaking, a flatter shape. The result is that the polish is more susceptible to chipping and peeling. For this reason, many nailcare professionals believe the soakless method improves polish retention. A heat mitt treatment replaces the soak. The manicurist will apply a good lotion, then cover the hands with plastic wrap and put them into the mitts for as long as they would normally be soaked. Pedicures are another issue, however. Most clients prefer the whirlpool soak because of the bubbling of the water, and pedicures generally have no problems with polish coming off. (Actually, polish will stay on so long it may grow off because the feet are not used as working tools.) However, some clients—at-risk clients who heal slowly—should not have soak pedicures. The secret to handling the situation is to ask clients to check with their doctor to see whether the use of a whirlpool is permitted. All podiatrists will say there should be no soaking for clients who have any type of lymphedema or swelling of the legs, and most will include people with diabetes in the soakless group. Some will also say patients with certain other immune-suppression illnesses should not have their feet soaked. The final word on the subject is to always ask clients who have chronic diseases to obtain permission to have a pedicure (soak or no soak) from their doctor or podiatrist. It is the safest route to take and reduces the possibility of lawsuits from client injury. In addition, implements should be autoclaved to reduce transmission of infection. their appearance. Clients’ feet also tell a story—their feet will “say” whether they go barefoot, if they stand all day, or if they wear quality shoes. Are nailcare professionals recommending customized treatments for clients, according to what their hands and feet “say” they need? Those nailcare professionals who do are treatment-based professionals who recommend and then perform a custom service during a hand, foot, skin, and nail consultation.
Elderly clients have thin, weak skin on their hands, arms, and elbows, and their blood vessels have weakened walls. Their skin may easily split with a carelessly firm massage, or a bruise can happen, even showing up during the massage. Gentleness is the key. These clients are massaged by nailcare professionals using the palms of their hands, gently and carefully moving in more of a rub with very little Arthritic hand and foot care These clients are in pain and have a high possibility of even more pain from personal contact. Their massage must be gentle and carefully performed. Their hands, feet, and joints are stiff and usually painful to the touch and will be even more painful if the person providing the service does not take special care. Do not perform the pull movement on the fingers or toes during the massage because it has been known to separate weakened joints, which results in excruciating pain. These clients require gentle, slow-moving massage with only the palms of the hands exerting little pressure, and no pressure by the fingers. Water—or not Nails have always been soaked in water prior to treatment. It has always been thought to be important and the best option to soften the skin and thus allow the best treatment. Few manicures and pedicures were willingly performed without the soak. This practice is now being questioned, for several reasons. First, a fingernail is constructed horizontally in layers that appear similar to fiberboard. They are held together by intercellular adhesive materials that stiffen and shape the nails—the healthier the intercellular adhesive, the healthier the nail. However, when in water often, these oils and natural adhesives may be softened or damaged, often causing a condition referred to as layering or peeling. This condition often prevents much nail growth past the hyponychium (the skin just under the free edge of the nail) because of the tearing of the nail free edge. Nailcare professionals are often asked to solve this problem for clients. Water is a universal solvent, meaning it will dissolve something when many other solvents will not, but will not usually cause damage to the natural adhesives in the nail plates without an additional solvent’s help. Professionals often add another product to the water to increase and speed up softening of the nail plate and cuticles (eponychium), and many times this is a detergent because it is effective in dissolving oils (other soak products are similar). Nail plates and the skin around them become weakened by the water and added solvents, which can result in layering. The soakless service prevents layering caused by soaking. Another reason many nail professionals are opting for the soakless protocol for services is how soaking the nails affects the retention of polish. When nails are soaked, the water is absorbed into the nail plates and changes their shape, usually to less of a curve horizontally. The nails maintain this soaked shape for the entire service, and while the polish is Analysis in hand and foot services The nails and skin on clients’ hands say a lot to nailcare professionals: That the clients work manually with their hands or that they don’t at all; that they work on a computer or write a lot with pens; that they wear gloves while they work or don’t. And don’t forget how they shout their age and health issues! Wise nailcare professionals performing nail services will “listen” to what their clients’ hands say and then recommend the treatments they are asking for through
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