People who have been diagnosed with diabetes should monitor their health more attentively and be selective about the choice of beauty treatments.
What are these recommendations connected with, and why in articles devoted to this disease, the question “Can diabetics get their nails done?” appears so often.
Let’s answer all the questions below.
Diabetes and beauty treatments: where the danger lies
Diabetes mellitus is a disease that “unsettles” the functioning of the body, so people need to adhere to certain rules that relate to:
- Food culture
- Control of glucose levels
- Care procedures
Their health and well-being depend on it.
As for beauty procedures, the question: “Is it OK for diabetics to get pedicures?” didn’t arise by chance.
The fact is that for diabetics nails are an indicator of their physical condition.
If the nails change their color from pink to white, this is the first sign of anemia. And it is the color coating itself that covers up an important signal that needs to be responded to in time.
If the nails have changed their shape, they have become slightly concave inward, this is a sign of the development of an infectious disease. Due to the dense coating, the natural process of changing the shape and structure of the nail is restrained, and it is problematic for a diabetic to respond to the problem in time.
Another reason why many people think about the importance of beauty procedures for people with diabetes is the high probability of catching a fungal infection (onychomycosis).
This disease is diagnosed in every second diabetic. The danger is that the nails become thin and brittle. And with the sharp edge of the nail plate, you can cut the skin, and create all the conditions for the further spread of the infection.
Manicurists also note that diabetics are less sensitive to external factors:
- High and low temperatures: they almost do not react to changes in the temperature of the compress. Sometimes this leads to redness on the skin.
- Cuts and injuries, their covers are more resistant to pain, so they do not always react when the manicurist inadvertently cuts the cuticle or rough skin from the lateral nail folds.
Do diabetics need to totally abandon beauty procedures?
The answer is no. But, it is important to take into account some important factors, which the health and general condition of a diabetic depend on.
So, how do diabetics pedicure their feet or manicure correctly?
The first rule is high-quality instrument sterilization.
What is meant by “quality”? This is the cleaning of the tool, carried out according to all the rules:
- After work, the master soaks the tool in a concentrated chemical solution
- Then washes scissors, shovels, nail clippers under running water
- Further drying of the tools
- The final stage is the processing of the tool in a special apparatus, hot air sterilizer. Processing temperature is 180, 200 or 220C°.
Only after the whole chain of actions we can say if it is safe to work with all the manicure supplies.
One more thing is what if you bought toe nail clippers for diabetics and plan to use them only at home? Do they need to be sterilized?
Yes, this procedure is important to carry out at home. The only difference is that you can use a concentrated solution to clean the tool. That will be enough.
The second rule is to choose a transparent or translucent coating.
For many girls, this is a significant limitation, but this is the only way you will control the process of changing the shade of your nail plate. And if you notice that it has become lighter, you will be able to visit a doctor in time.
The third rule is to make a thin coating that does not put any pressure on the nail plate and does not distort its shape.
Do not make the coating thick. Some manicure masters use base, gel polish and top, that does not look natural and not aesthetically pleasing.
In addition, it is difficult to track changes in the body and raise awareness if necessary.
The fourth rule is to carefully monitor the beauty procedure.
During a manicure or pedicure, you want to relax and switch off. But, if you have diabetes, it is better to control the process.
The manicurist may have a lot of experience and the best manicure equipment, but accident cuts are still possible. And it is important to eliminate, disinfect and fix the damage in time.
How often should a diabetic get a manicure or pedicure?
This is another important issue that needs to be addressed.
One of the recommendations is to do beauty treatments as needed, in order to prevent:
- The emergence of ingrown nails;
- Damage to the lateral nail folds;
- Violation of the structure of the cuticle or nail plate;
- Calluses;
- Dry skin cracking.
These factors may become a source of discomfort and the occurrence of infections.
Therefore, how often should diabetic cut their toenails is up to them to decide, since the rate of nail growth is an individual factor.
Pedicure can be done every 3-4 weeks, while once every 2-3 weeks is sufficient for a manicure. You can choose the most comfortable schedule.
What additional precautions exist for diabetics in beauty salons
To do a pedicure or manicure in a beauty salon safer, it is recommended to follow some additional rules:
1.Choose a beauty salon with an impeccable reputation
Look through the reviews, evaluate the cleanliness of the room and find out whether the beauty salon has devices for sterilizing tools – hot air sterilizers or autoclaves. With them the level of instrument sterilization is higher, which means that the procedures in this salon do not pose a threat to the health of a person with diabetes;
2.Visit the beauty salon in the morning
It is in the first half of the day when the room is cleaned more thoroughly. In this case, there is a simple rule for diabetics: the less bacteria, the better;
3.Tell the owner of the salon and the master about the illness
It is important to warn about your diagnosis so that the owner of the beauty salon takes all necessary measures for proper sterilization of instruments and cleans it, and the master is attentive and accurate when cutting the cuticle or correcting the shape and length of the nail plate;
4. Explain to the master the specifics of working with you
Unfortunately, not all masters are ready to pay attention to studying the issue of how properly to do a pedicure or manicure for a diabetic, so it’s better to explain that you can’t cut your toes too short and make sure that the edges of the nails are not sharp. It is useful to warn about paying attention to the use of pumices and other abrasive materials;
5.Get your own set of tools
This is a recommendation for those who are afraid that the tools in the salon aren’t sterilized properly. If you have your own set of tools (nippers, scissors, manicure and pedicure spatulas, nail files), which you will personally look after, this will make you feel calm and confident. But at the same time, it is important to agree with the beauty salon employee that you will bring your own tools. And one more nuance is that the master will need time to get used to working with nail clippers or scissors that you will give them;
6.Adjust the process of the beauty procedure
If you can refuse dangerous manipulations, for example, cutting the cuticle with sharp scissors, then it is better to do so. The cuticle can be carefully removed with a gentle remover or with an orange stick.
These are quite simple and clear rules that will make a visit to a beauty salon or a manicurist’s office safer.
Now you know for sure whether pedicures are good for diabetics and whether they can attend other beauty treatments.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
