Do you want your feet to look beautiful and well-groomed? Or do you have skin or nail disorders? If you then go in search of support, you will find that not all foot care is the same. And so we provide an enlightening look in the following article: The difference between medical foot care and cosmetic foot care.
What makes the different offers different?
If you’re looking for support, you’ll often do a Google search. But if you search for foot care, the answers can be confusing. And it is not always clear at first glance what the differences are. Whether it’s the summer beautification of feet or nails, the removal of calluses in winter or treatments for nail fungus or warts. Depending on the area of application and previous illness, legal regulations specify who is the right person to contact. And this is also reflected in the designations.
Differentiation between medical foot care (podiatry) and cosmetic foot care
Healthy feet do not need medical expertise. Foot care can be used to beautify the feet and prevent foot problems. This description makes it clear that this is cosmetic foot care. This includes services such as a soothing foot bath or exfoliation, a color change or nail trimming. It also includes the removal of calluses, albeit with certain restrictions. In other words, everything that relaxes, cares for and improves the appearance of your feet. It is important to note that the boundary for cosmetic treatment always ends where medical treatment begins. Anyone wishing to practise non-medical medicine requires a license in accordance with Section 1 of the Heilpraktikergesetz. This can be obtained through appropriate training with a state examination (further information on the relevant training can be found here). Medical pedicure, on the other hand, is the treatment of patients in the sense of practicing medicine and is reserved for doctors, alternative practitioners and podiatrists. Only podiatrists are licensed in accordance with Section 124 of the Fifth Book of the German Social Code (SGB V), so only they can bill the costs to the health insurance company. Treatment of athlete’s foot, thickened or ingrown nails, corns or even pathologically thickened calluses, on the other hand, is classified as medical foot care, also known as podiatry. The focus here is on foot health and its preservation, as well as the alleviation of existing foot problems or complaints or pathological changes. When treating people with diabetes mellitus, there is another special feature, as this is usually prescribed by a doctor and may only be carried out with the professional title of podiatrist. This type of treatment requires medical necessity and appropriate expertise, as nerves or blood vessels may be damaged in these patients, with the corresponding consequences (e.g. diabetic foot syndrome). Podiatry treatment can help to avoid such consequences.
Briefly summarized:
So, the next time the question is asked whether cosmetic pedicures or podiatry. Then the answer should be clearer. In a nutshell (quote from the Hamburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce): “Cosmetic pedicure is the practice of care and decorative measures on healthy feet. Podiatry is the preventative, therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment of healthy feet, feet at risk of damage and feet that are already damaged” (source: https://www.ihk.de/hamburg/produktmarken/beratung-service/gruendung/gruender-abc/medizinische-fusspfleger-podologen-1152554). If you have any questions about cosmetic foot care or podiatry (medical foot care) or how our products can help you with your skin and nails, please send us an email to: info(at)ocean-pharma.de