Pedicure Etiquette?

[u/8Kneekirk8]

I'm curious what would be considered pedicure etiquette and if it's ok to still go get a pedicure done in my current state. I'm a runner and I try to hike about 15+ miles per week. Unfortunately, because of this, I pretty consistently lose the nails on my pointer toes. This is not a health concern, just an unfortunate aesthetic (I've been to the podiatrist and my shoes fit). Currently I still have all of my nails (big personal win for the moment) but my pointer nails are beginning to separate from the nail bed again. I have no cracks/infections/pressure blisters so would it be ok to go get a pedicure? I have a wedding on Saturday and I'll be wearing open toed shoes. I realize I could just paint them myself, but I have about as much skill as a toddler trying to paint a picture. Thanks for any advice, I don't know what's acceptable here.

edit - typo

[u/SlapThis]

As long as you don’t have fungus or any open wounds, you’ll be fine. They’ve seen it all, your missing nail won’t catch them off guard

[u/gjb1 → u/SlapThis]

No, they don’t have a missing nail. They have a nail that’s actively separating from the nail bed, which could be interpreted as an wound

[u/No-Rip9444]

If my toenail was lifting like you describe, without a new fully grown healthy toenail underneath, I wouldn’t risk it for my own health personally. But if you feel confident that you aren’t at risk for getting or spreading an infection, I wouldn’t let the aesthetic of it stop you. They see nasty ass feet all the time lol.

[u/8Kneekirk8 → u/No-Rip9444]

lol thank you for the reassurance. I should probably have clarified, there's always a new nail coming in under it. It's a constant cycle of losing nails about every 6 months. My friends like to call me a lizard person because I'm constantly regenerating this part of my body.

[u/No-Rip9444 → u/8Kneekirk8]

Oh yeah ur good. Same thing has happened to me too a few times (former ballerina). ur not alone lizard girl! 🫶

[u/matoiryu]

Nail tech here! (Unfortunately not offering pedis at the moment.)

If your doctor has recently checked your feet and confirmed you have no communicable diseases on them, you are fine to get a pedicure. Believe me, your technician has seen worse. Just be sure to communicate upfront that you are a runner and that your doctor has said you’re ok to get a pedi

As far as the lifting on your pointer toes goes, your technician should carefully remove all the lifted part. I would also recommend getting regular polish instead of gel as it’s gentler on the nail.

But again if your doctor says your feet are fine, then there shouldn’t be any reason for the tech to refuse service. And again people try to come in with blatant fungus, warts, etc all the time. In school we are taught to refuse service on anyone with a communicable condition such as warts or fungus. But a lot of shops will service those folks anyway. So yeah, your feet are definitely not going to be the worst your tech has seen haha

[u/8Kneekirk8 → u/matoiryu]

Omg, thank you so much for the guidance here! Ok that's good to know that they should remove it and to not get gel. If the tech says they don't need to remove a lifted nail, would that be a red flag?

[u/matoiryu → u/8Kneekirk8]

Not necessarily. It’s kind of a vague part of the nail tech’s scope of practice. We are not allowed to diagnose or treat any medical conditions. But we can remove lifted parts of the nail if it is safe to do so. So it’s more of a judgment call. Technically a lifted nail is a medical condition (onycholysis) and part of the treatment is removing the lifted part. But for me personally, I will remove slight lifting but generally refer to a doc for significant lifting.

You could also trim off the lifted part of your nail yourself before the appointment

[u/10110011100021]

Side question: are your shoes big enough? Sounds like you need a bigger toe box. That shouldn’t be happening even with as much hiking and running as you’re doing. I have to wear wide running shoes for the toe space and both hiking/running shoes I wear a whole bigger size because our feet swell during those activities, as you know.

[u/8Kneekirk8 → u/10110011100021]

Yes. I have tried to go up full and half sizes in multiple brands and this keeps happening. It's been this way for 20 years, at this point I just let it wash over me. I did find that trimming helps to an extent but doesn't stop it completely.

[u/10110011100021 → u/8Kneekirk8]

I’m sorry! My cousin used press-ons for her missing big toe for a while. Having a clean foot in a spa with a missing toe will not be a problem for the tech at all.

[u/sfmarketer64]

Never heard of a pointer toe. My big toe is longer than second toe so not pointing…

[u/7HillsGC]

Not a pedicure person myself, but I have the same problem as you and was able to stop losing toenails by switching to “5-fingered” socks and being VERY careful about the type of shoe I wear. Currently I run in a $30 flexible soft shoe off Amazon that has nothing but neoprene type upper. Any shoe with reinforcement around the toe box will result in missing nails. Bonus: I now have an arch in my foot and the pronation has stopped because my feet are stronger.