These days, clients have high expectations for safe and effective services that only a trained foot care professional can provide. After all, as a qualified professional your education and experience, as well as your commitment to use only professional-grade products, is what sets you apart from the do-it-yourselfers who simply have a knack for beauty.
This is especially important in today’s environment where it’s just not enough to make clients look healthy temporarily. Clients are expecting to achieve truly healthy feet. How can you be sure you’re setting your clients on a path for transformational results?
Practice the three Rs from Footlogix®.
Developed for foot care professionals, these three steps provide a useful framework for any licensed beauty professional.
STEP ONE: RECOGNISE
Clients feet have changed over the years. We see more skin and nail problems than ever before, making the client consultation more important than ever. Start by having your client fill out the Footlogix® Pedicure Consultation Form. It will give you an understanding of his or her foot care needs—helping you to go beyond a simple pedicure to truly Pediceutical® foot care. Next, remove any polish and perform a thorough foot evaluation. It’s imperative that you recognise skin and nail conditions and are knowledgeable about how to treat clients who may be higher risk for infections, such as diabetics and the elderly. Be sure to ask probing questions to get at the root of any issues. Details some clients may find insignificant, may provide good clues into his or her current foot health.
STEP TWO: RECOMMEND
Your clients may not be aware of the range of services and home care treatments available for foot conditions seen every day by nail technicians. As a professional, you understand which Footlogix® products and services are most effective in every situation. A skilled technician will not only recommend an appropriate course of action for the day’s service—for example, a shorter soak time in warm, not hot, water for a diabetic client—but also the correct Pediceutical® at home care products to maintain results in between visits. For instance, Footlogix® Anti-Microbial Nail Tincture Spray is perfect for clients who have unsightly, darkened and thickened toenails prone to fungal infections.
STEP THREE: REFER
Nail technicians, aestheticians and other beauty care professionals, do not diagnose. It’s important to know and understand under what conditions to service a client according to your scope of practice and what conditions you should refer the client to a medical professional instead. Common examples include open sores, bacterial infections, rashes and abrasions of the skin. When referring a client to a doctor, make sure the client understands the importance of continuing with regular pedicures after his or her medical appointment. Regular pedicures will keep the client’s nails clean and neatly trimmed and give you an opportunity to check for changes in the feet and toenails that his or her podiatrist or physician should know about.
Fortunately, many Footlogix® products allow you to alleviate or eliminate skin and nail problems that do not require a diagnosis.