Why do you need peeling?
Every day, people travel long distances on foot or spend hours standing because their jobs require them to do so. We wear uncomfortable shoes made of artificial materials, drink little water, so the skin on our feet is constantly exposed to external and internal influences, which is why it becomes rough. Living skin cells do not receive sufficient nutrition and become covered with a layer of dead epithelium. In this case, peeling comes to the rescue. Its action is aimed at renewing skin cells and cleansing it of growths. Regular exfoliation will help prevent foot fungus, keep your skin youthful, and get rid of unpleasant odor. This procedure is painless and even pleasant.
Proper peeling is carried out in three stages:
- Preparing the surface of the feet. Depends on the type of peeling. In some cases it is necessary to steam the skin, in others it is necessary to treat it with an antiseptic.
- Cleansing the skin of rough epithelium. What is usually called peeling. It is carried out manually, using hardware or a combined method.
- Hydration. After cleansing, apply moisturizer or other care products to your feet.
Learn more about use
Before using socks, perform the following procedures:
- Wash your feet with soap.
- Wipe dry.
- For painted toenails, remove the polish.
- Cut the socks along the marked line. If the active substance is applied separately, open the sachets and pour the composition inside the socks.
- Put on your socks and secure them with Velcro or ties to restrict air from getting inside. Wear regular socks over the mask.
- Keep peeling for the time specified in the instructions (duration ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours).
- After completing the procedure, wash your feet using a cosmetic product.
After the effect appears (3-7 days), the skin begins to peel and peel off, as with a sunburn. At this time, you cannot peel off peeling skin, use scrubs, files, pumice, moisturizing and nourishing creams or ointments.
Contraindications
Everyone wants to show off their smooth and clean feet, but not everyone benefits from exfoliation. An irresponsible attitude towards this procedure, especially when performing hardware peeling, will lead to serious health problems.
Peeling will have to be abandoned if the skin contains:
- Inflammation.
- Scratches, cuts and other damage.
- Insect bites.
- Cracks.
Allergic reactions, dryness and irritation, wounds - all these are possible consequences of improper peeling. Take care of yourself and pay attention to contraindications!
Review of effective store-bought masks
Among the large assortment of exfoliating foot masks, products of Asian origin: Chinese, Korean, are the most trusted by consumers. European analogues do not provide such fast and powerful peeling.
Review of the best products:
- Skinlite. This product was one of the first on the market and is a permanent leader. It eliminates roughness and nourishes the skin of the feet. The product is sold in one size and can be stretched.
- SoSu. This peeling mask is the development of Japanese cosmetologists. Causes exfoliation of the roughened layer. To achieve the effect, a course is required, after which the sole will begin to renew itself. The process will take up to 5 days.
- Feet Mask 7 in The product helps to get rid of and prevent fungal diseases. The roughened epidermis begins to fall off the next day. An excellent way to carry out emergency peeling.
- Bon Voyage from the L'Etoile brand. One of the best analogues of European origin. The sock has a neutral smell. The product is designed to moisturize, nourish rough skin, and exfoliate dead cells.
The choice of product depends on personal preferences and financial capabilities.
According to consumers, an inexpensive cream from Avon called Foot Works with the scent of lavender has a good restorative effect. It can be used to enhance and accelerate the results of socks, leaving it overnight.
Main types of peeling
Hardware
Attention! This type of peeling is carried out only in beauty centers. An unqualified “master” can damage the skin of the feet and even cause infection. Be careful, do not trust such work to homeworkers with a dubious reputation.
During hardware peeling, a technique is used - for example, rough areas of skin are cut off with a grinding machine. This processing is distinguished by its thoroughness. At the end of the procedure, the skin is moisturized with cream.
Mechanical
The simplest type of peeling is using small abrasive particles. For mechanical cleaning, pumice stones, files, graters, scrubs are used, and all this is easy to use at home. The effect of this procedure is noticeable immediately, but does not last long: the body actively reacts to the mechanical impact on the skin and quickly creates new growths on the heels.
Before mechanical peeling, steam your feet in a bath of warm water. Herbs - chamomile, sage and essential oils - lavender or tea tree will help enhance the effect of steaming. Cream will help moisturize the skin after the procedure.
Chemical
This type of peeling is often called “acid” because the effect of this procedure is achieved with the help of acids. This is one of the most effective types of cleansing the skin of the feet. It will not only rid your feet of growths, but will also eliminate pigment spots and speed up skin restoration.
There are two types of chemical peels for the feet:
- Surface. Renews the upper layers of the skin. The acids used for superficial peeling are non-aggressive, which makes it possible to carry out this procedure at home. However, do not forget about precautions: check for damage to the skin.
- Median. Acid peeling with a stronger effect on the skin. This prolongs the peeling effect for up to six months. Only a beauty salon specialist has the right to carry out such a procedure.
Three acids are suitable for home superficial peeling: fruit, lactic and salicylic. The rules for the procedure are slightly different in each of the three cases. The main thing is to pay attention to the instructions attached to the chosen product so as not to get burned.
Fruit peeling
To perform peeling using fruit acid you will need:
- Disposable gloves.
- Bath with water.
- Product based on fruit acid and a brush for applying it.
- Disinfector.
- Cling film.
- Pumice.
- Towel.
- Moisturizing foot cream.
If there is no damage to the skin, proceed to peeling. First, treat the feet with an antiseptic to prevent infection. Next, soak your feet in the bath for 10 minutes. Then dry the skin with a towel and disinfect it again. Before applying fruit acid, do not forget to wear rubber gloves - they will save the skin of your hands from burns. You need to apply fruit acid with a brush and only to problem areas, and then wrap your feet in cling film. After just 5 minutes, your feet are ready for cleansing. Rinse thoroughly and rub your feet with a pumice stone. There is no need to be overzealous - the acid has already penetrated the skin and prepared it for this step. Apply moisturizer - now you're ready!
Milk peeling
Peeling using lactic acid is almost no different from peeling with fruit acid. One additional tip: going to the solarium two weeks before a milk peel can cause a burn, so it's best to postpone tanning until later.
Milk peeling products are different: some contain only 10% acid, while others contain up to 70%. If milk peeling is something new for you, use the most gentle means. This will make it easier to avoid an unexpected reaction to lactic acid.
Salicylic peeling
And again the same rules - disinfect the skin, soak it, apply the peeling agent for 5 minutes and rinse it thoroughly using a pumice stone or a wooden spatula. For the procedure, use a product with 25% salicylic acid.
Alkaline peeling
Another type of chemical peeling. It is no longer called acidic, because during the procedure the acid affects the skin of the feet only after activation with a special composition. As a result, salt is applied to the keratinized areas of the skin. Alkaline peeling acts even faster than acid peeling; the composition is kept on the feet for no more than five minutes.
Peeling in socks
Peeling socks are a solution for those who value simplicity and convenience. Freely sold in cosmetics stores. Peeling in socks is comparable in effectiveness to acid peeling; its main advantage is safety. However, not everyone will like this type of peeling, because after it the skin of the feet actively flakes off and does not look very aesthetically pleasing.
To perform peeling, put on special socks and regular socks on top of them and leave both pairs on your feet for one and a half to two hours. At this time, you should not walk a lot, so you will get the maximum effect from the procedure. When enough time has passed, rinse off the product with water.
Enzyme peeling
To carry out enzyme peeling, specialists in beauty salons use preparations containing enzymes. Penetrating into the stratum corneum of the skin, enzymes help get rid of its rough particles. Enzyme peeling is more gentle than acid peeling, but it is only carried out by professionals, since at home there is a risk of applying the product incorrectly.
Attention! If you decide to carry out enzyme peeling at home, do not massage your feet while applying the drug and do not rinse it off with water.
Enzyme peeling is carried out in three stages:
- A small amount of a preparation containing enzymes is applied to the feet.
- The legs are wrapped in film for 15-20 minutes.
- The product is removed from the feet with napkins.
How do exfoliating socks work on your skin?
The idea to release such a product belongs to Korean companies. In Asian countries, care cosmetics are produced in larger volumes than decorative ones, since women there strive to improve what nature has given without creating artificial beauty. Here is the effect the producers achieved:
- The 2-in-1 mask and sock are presented as an innovative product that allows you to do without salon treatments or even a pedicure exfoliating bath. The product helps remove dry calluses and corns and activate regenerative processes in cracks.
- In addition to the classic skin renewal, socks help the feet: they make a healing mask.
- The special composition with which socks for heels with a mask are impregnated will exfoliate the top dead layer of skin.
- Some socks with a mask eliminate the unpleasant odor that appears during the warm season due to sweat.
To understand how a Korean or Chinese mask in socks works, you need to know the main components. This:
- fruit acids to remove dead skin cells;
- plant extracts to soften, nourish and moisturize feet.
This exfoliating mask-sock for feet looks like classic socks covering the ankle, although the working composition is applied only to the foot area - the top of the product is needed for tight fixation. The sock material is thick cellophane, but it is disposable. The masks are distinguished by their low price, thanks to which more and more women are choosing this quick and convenient way to get their legs in order.
- The first symptoms of stomach cancer
- How to pump up your pectoral muscles at home
- Puff pastry dough - recipes with photos. How to make yeast puff pastry at home
Contraindications to chemical peeling
Despite the fact that chemical peeling, when carried out correctly, is safe, there are still several contraindications to it. The products used for such peeling contain substances that can sometimes endanger human health.
Chemical peeling is contraindicated:
- Pregnancy and lactation period. In early pregnancy and during breastfeeding, you should not apply acidic compounds to your skin.
- Colds, fever. During illness, the body directs all its forces to fight the virus. After an acid peel, our body seems to be a little “distracted” to restore skin cells, so the patient’s condition after such a procedure risks worsening.
- Abrasions and purulent wounds. Remember how wounds hurt if lemon juice gets on them? The same thing can happen with acid peeling if there are damaged areas on the skin. Moreover, getting the product into a wound sometimes leads to a subcutaneous infection.
- Diabetes. This disease, among other sad consequences, often causes dry skin and cracked heels. If you are a diabetic and are concerned about these symptoms, seeing a doctor is the best option.
- Oncology.
- Skin diseases.
Peeling with Garra Rufa fish
This type of peeling is done by special fish. In nature, they feed on algae and bacteria, and in spas they help visitors get rid of growths on their feet. Sometimes garra rufa fish are even called “doctor fish,” because peeling with fish temporarily saves psoriasis patients from plaques.
Garra rufa does not have teeth; they latch onto dead skin particles on the legs and pluck them. This lasts 15 minutes. The saliva of the doctor fish softens the skin and has a healing effect, and the pinches of these little pedicurists cause a slight tickle, but not pain.
Cleaning your feet at home
Home peeling is not as effective as salon procedures, since at home we use much less aggressive products. And yet, such procedures, if carried out regularly, will change the appearance of the feet for the better.
Almost every grocery store will have ingredients that are suitable for exfoliating your feet. Choosing a composition to suit your taste and budget is not difficult.
Mechanical cleaning
Recipes for home mechanical peeling are similar. Here are just a few of them:
- Ground coffee and sea salt are mixed in a 1:1 ratio.
- The tomato pulp is mixed with a tablespoon of sea salt.
- Soaked oatmeal is mixed with a small amount of honey and olive oil.
- To two tablespoons of sugar add a tablespoon of body cream.
- Coffee or coffee grounds are suitable for peeling without mixing with sea salt.
Gentle acid peeling
The most unexpected foods from the refrigerator and other supplies are suitable for clearing build-up from your feet. This acid peeling does not pose any danger if you are not allergic to the components of the home remedy.
- Put plastic bags on your feet, pour kefir into them, heated to 35 degrees. Socks will help enhance the effect.
- Grind the citrus fruit in a blender along with the peel, but without the seeds, and apply the resulting mass to the feet, leave for 7-10 minutes.
- Grind five aspirin tablets and add the juice of half a lemon to the powder. Apply the mixture to your feet and put plastic bags on top. Leave for 40-60 minutes.
Video on how to do an acid pedicure at home
If you want to see how to do an acid pedicure, check out the following video. It shows in detail the stages of performing such a pedicure.
The master also paid attention to the treatment of the toenails. By following the advice given in the video, you can get a completely professional pedicure using acidic products.
Among the advantages of acid pedicure, which those girls who tried this procedure indicate in their reviews, it is worth noting its painlessness and absence of injuries.
Please note that acids dry out the skin, so you should not forget about nourishing and moisturizing creams. Have you tried an acid pedicure? Share your impressions in the comments!