Skin & Nail Problems

If you’ve had enough with thickened or crumbly nails sticking out of your sandals or shoes that you regularly try to hide or paint over, we’ve got the perfect solution. Using specialised podiatric equipment, we’re actually able to reduce the nail thickness across the entire nail and leave a smooth and clean surface. This not only improves the look of your nails, but the reduction in thickness also reduces any painful pressure from the nail rubbing against the top of the toe box of the shoe. There are multiple causes that can lead to thickened toenails such as poor circulation, nail fungus, trauma/injury and some skin conditions that affect the toenails. We’ll chat about your cause and how to control this problem in the future.

Feel like you’re walking around on painful pebbles? Corns and calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin that develop when your skin tries to protect itself against friction and pressure. Corns have a central core which will often cause pain with direct pressure. Both can be removed efficiently and painlessly. They also don’t occur for no reason – we assess the cause of formation for you specifically and give recommendations on prevention so you don’t have to regularly struggle with them! To learn more about corns, click here. To learn more about callus, click here.

Don’t worry, there’ll be no scrubber brush here that will irritate your skin and has likely been used on hundreds of other patients this week like they have in the salons! We manage heel cracks by removing the hard, overgrown skin around the cracks with a scalpel and sanding the rest down with a medical sanding disc to produce a clean and smooth appearance – and an incredible feeling when you put your feet down. We’re often shocked at salons that try to ‘scrub’ these cracks away as when you have a heel crack, there is a significant chance of cracking the healthy, viable skin in the fissures and causing them to bleed – not to mention a significant risk of infection. Once the cracks are reduced, they are much easier to maintain with regular moisturising – plus we’ll fill you in on other tips and tricks to stop them from coming back. You can learn more about cracked heels here.

Having a fungal nail infection is one thing, but having it significantly affect the appearance of your nail, causing white/yellow discolouration, brittleness and/or thickness is another ball game. We not only offer treatments for fungal nail infections and educate you on how to get rid of them and keep them gone (and from spreading to your family), but reduce any thickness and work to optimise the appearance of your nails right there in the appointment. We often have patients remarking about the significantly improved appearance – and feeling much more confident about their feet and wearing those sandals! If you’re unsure if you have a fungal nail infection – don’t worry! We’re able to test and confirm the presence of fungus in just 5 minutes and with 99% accuracy. You can learn more about fungal nail infections here.

Also known as “tinea”, Athlete’s Foot is a common skin infection of the webs of the toes and soles of the feet. It quickly becomes itchy and frustrating for those affected. It is caused by a fungus, and may spread to the palms, groin, and body. Treatment may include taking samples and sending them to Labtests to confirm diagnosis. If fungal, we can start you on a range of topical treatments. In severe cases, referral to your GP may be needed to get oral medications. To learn more about athlete’s foot, click here.

These are small rough lumps on the skin caused by a virus (human papillomavirus) which causes a reaction in the skin. The shape and size of warts all vary, and they can easily spread on the foot. Treatment of verrucae varies depending on the size of the lesion and the health of the person. We’ll determine the best treatment for you at your appointment and can start treating immediately. Treatments include: Occlusion therapy, Silver nitrate, Salicylic acid Treatment, Multiple Puncture Technique (Dry Needling) and Surgical removal under local anaesthetic. You can read more about warts here, and about surgically treating verrucae here.

An ingrown nail can be excruciatingly painful, frustrating and dangerous. It occurs when the nail starts cutting into the skin next to the nail, causing pain, redness, inflammation and potential infection. Treatments can range from conservative treatment to surgical correction. Conservative treatment involves reducing the nail and clearing the borders. Permanent correction of ingrown nails is a very commonly performed procedure here in our clinic. It offers permanent relief of a very painful problem that sometimes lingers for years. You can read more about what causes ingrown toenails here, and about surgically removing ingrown toenails here.