Keeping Feet Neat Not Just A Matter Of Vanity

Dear Tazi:

I have a problem. My mother likes to wear sandals as soon as the weather gets warm. This is not my problem. She will wear socks with her sandals if the weather is not yet warm enough for sandals. I only wish this was my problem. My problem is that Mom has the most disgusting feet I have ever seen. He toenails are long, gnarly, dirty, ingrown, and full of fungus. The skin on her feet is cracked and yellow and they smell. They are disgusting.

I have offered to take Mom for regular pedicures, but she always refuses, saying that pedicures are an expensive waste of money. Tazi, it is not like we cannot afford it! Both of us live in an upscale neighborhood and have plenty of disposable income; Mom just chooses not to “dispose” of her income on what she considers vanities.

Ok, I admit it is vain to want Mom’s feet to look nice! It’s embarrassing to see her troll feet on display whenever she leaves the house! She wears sandals everywhere – from the grocery store on Mondays to church on Sunday. Is there any other way to frame this problem so she might consider buffing up her tootsies?

Signed,

Neat Feet

Dear Neat Feet:

Your mother needs to see a podiatrist, not a pedicurist! Foot fungus can lead to other types of infection by leaving the nail beds open to germs and viruses. If she does not walk around barefoot there is no reason for her feet to be cracked and yellow; this could be a sign of diabetes. I suggest you push your mother to get a complete physical check-up with her primary care physician, requesting special attention be paid to her feet. Cracks in the epidermal layer of skin can also leave a person at risk for dangerous infections.

Basic foot care is not a matter of vanity. Our feet bear the weight of our entire body, and allow us to freely move from one place to the other. Proper foot care is a matter of preventative health. Explain to your mother that a pedicure does not have to include toenail polish. After a primary visit to a podiatrist to deal with the foot fungus, ingrown nails, and other potential problems regular visits to a pedicurist for trimming, filing, and buffing will keep her feet in proper health. Rather than think of it as a vanity, tell your Mom to try and look at it as a form of preventative health, because that is what it is.

Snuggles,

Tazi

P.S. you could get a pedi with her, making it a weekly or biweekly mother-daughter event. This may mean more to your Mom than simply sending her on her own.

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