WE all know the importance of personal hygiene, yet our feet can often get overlooked.
They don't just help us get around each day, they're the foundation of our bodies and they can take a bit of a beating.
But this grim video shows one person who clearly was neglecting theirs – especially their toes.
Tackling these trotters was no easy feat, yet it was one that podiatrist Dr Binh Nguyen was happy to take on.
The patient turned up to Healthy Feet Podiatry in Tampa, Florida, in March, with fungal nails that were so long that they stretched over the width of their feet.
As the nails had been neglected for years, the toenails had not only curled over on themselves but also built up on top of each other.
I feel huge sense of relief and joy in helping patients like this
Using heavy duty nail cutters, the 33-year-old doc painstakingly and carefully cut and chiselled through the thick layers of skin.
It took more than 25 minutes to get them somewhere near a healthy pedicure.
Dr Nguyen said: “I feel huge sense of relief and joy in helping patients like this.
“Some patients don’t feel the process, but others, especially those with thick toenails do feel a bit of pain to the pressure applied.
“The longer and thicker the nails, the longer the process takes.”
How to prevent nail infection
Fungal infections love warm, damp conditions so you want to avoid your feet becoming sweaty and warm.
Do:
- treat athlete's foot ASAP to avoid it spreading to the nails
- keep your feet clean and dry
- wear clean socks every day
- wear flipflops in communal showers
- throw out old shoes
Don't
- wear shoes that make your feet hot and sweaty
- share towels
- wear other people's shoes
- share nail clippers
Source: NHS
Dr Nguyen's no stranger to looking at unsightly feet and has started sharing videos of his work on YouTube.
His channel has a whopping 162,000 subscribers and one of his most popular videos has been watched more than 2million times.
Fungal nail infections aren't uncommon but they are often easily preventable.
They develop when your feet are constantly warm and damp. You're more likely to get an infection if you wear trainers for a long time and have hot, sweaty feet.
You can also get infections in your fingernails.
It's really important that if you have diabetes, you see a foot specialist as any kind of foot injury can lead to complications.
Usually, a pharmacist can help you but if you have severe nail issues like the woman in this video, then a podiatrist is your best bet.
Source: Read Full Article