Cuxson Gerrard First Aid Direct Blog

If the glossies are anything to go by, sandals; be they fringed, caged or gladiator, are still high on the style-o–meter this summer. Warm boots and ballets have no doubt been worn all winter and so the thought of baring your toes can fill some women with dread.

Regular trips to the beauty salon can be expensive, so for an affordable way to prep your feet for sandal season, why not try some of the fantastic foot-friendly products on offer from Carnation Footcare.

Dave Wain, Carnation Footcare Podiatrist, says, “The change from closed shoes to sandals in the summer can leave women with a host of footcare woes to contend with, from corns to cracked heels. Luckily, with the help of Carnation Footcare’s range, walking tall this summer is easy.”

To get rid of hard skin that may have built up whilst the sun was in hiding, Carnation Exfoliating Foot Scrub, containing apricot seed and walnut shell, will not only revive your feet but put much-needed moisture back into tired toes.

If trotting around town in this season’s latest shoes and the high summer heat leads to painful blisters then Carnation HydroBlister is on hand to help. By creating a discreet gel barrier, HydroBlister allows the area to heal quickly and effectively, leaving your feet pain-free.

To prevent any further sore spots, pop a Carnation Anti-Blister Stick into your handbag. The Anti-Blister Stick provides an invisible protective layer for any friction points, allowing you to show off summer’s stylish shoes, minus painful pinches.

There’s nothing like walking around in the hot summer heat to leave feet sore and swollen so try new Carnation Refreshing Foot Spray with cooling citrus to revitalise weary toes.

Visit www.carnationfootcare.co.uk or call 0121 544 7117 for details on the full product range.

Note: Diabetics and those worried about their feet should always take advice from their pharmacist, GP or chiropodist.

We’ve all noticed how, after a day of walking, our feet can really feel the strain. During a lifetime, we take enough steps to walk around the planet more than four times – approximately 115,000 miles, which means proper foot care is imperative to keep feet healthy.

Powerstep from Carnation Footcare is a unique podiatric support system designed to correct and stabilise foot alignment. By aiding foot posture and mechanics Powerstep helps to relieve heel and arch pain and protect against injury.

Podiatrist, Dave Wain says, “Hard surfaces and lots of walking can cause more problems for people who excessively pronate (excessive rolling inwards of the feet). Research indicates that up to 90% of the population excessively pronate, which causes arches to flatten, collapse and soft tissue to stretch abnormally, causing the joint surfaces to function at unnatural angles to each other.

“At first this causes fatigue and strain on the arch, heel, ankle, knee and back, often resulting in great pain, but Powerstep can provide great relief.”

Excessive pronation will be diagnosed by a visit to a podiatrist but Dave Wain has some tell tale signs that you can check for yourself:

1) Look at wear patterns on the bottom of your shoes, extreme wear on the balls of the feet especially towards the big toe area is often a sign.

2) Place your shoes on a level surface and look at the heels at eye level, look for heels that tilt the shoes inwards.

3) Stand barefoot with a mirror behind you, the Achilles tendons at the back of your heels should run straight in normal feet. Also look at the bony prominence each side of your ankle. They should look fairly equal, but if one side is more pronounced than the other this can be an indicator.

Dave Wain says, “By preventing excessive pronation with Powerstep, the likelihood of other related conditions such as bunions, corns and even ingrown toe nails occurring can be reduced.”

Powerstep helps feet withstand the most gruelling of walks with a 4-part design, including:

- A heel cradle and platform for stability
- A prescription standard arch support
- A unique double layer cushion casing
- An anti-bacterial top layer to help prevent odours

Powerstep is available from pharmacies in S, M and L, priced £22.99.

For further information about Powerstep contact Carnation Footcare on 0800 018 7117 or visit www.powerstep.co.uk. For more information on the complete Carnation Footcare range, please go to www.carnationfootcare.co.uk

When faced with a pandemic influenza scare, worries about health during air travel are common. In buildings, minimum ventilation standards have to be met for occupants’ health and comfort. On an aircraft no such ventilation standards apply, and the ratio of fresh to recycled air on a typical jet is 50:50, but this varies among airlines and no definite figures are known.

Practical precautions to take if you’re worried about contracting any type of flu include; regular handwashing, using and disposing of tissues appropriately and using a face mask of the recommended level to protect yourself from airborne virus particles.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends masks with a P3 filtration system – the specialist filter protecting you from the flu virus particles.

Protex Respiratory Protection 3 Flight & Flu Face Mask is the recommended protection level as advised by WHO and The Health & Safety Executive. The Protex S3 facemask also protects against particulate dusts, fumes and pollens.

Additionally, the NHS under their Pandemic Influenza Guidance for infection control in hospitals and primary care settings, advice the use of P3 respirators such as the Protex Flight and Flu Mask.

Small and compact, the Protex Flight & Flu Face Mask is lightweight and durable. The elasticated straps hold it in place while its cotton inner coverstock fits the face comfortably.

Protex Flight & Flu Facemask costs £8.99 and is available from www.1staiddirect.co.uk. Delivery and VAT included.

Dancing the night away and pounding the pavement shopping can leave feet sore and blistered, particularly if you are vulnerable to the lure of impractical shoes. The rubbing caused by sparkly skyscrapers, strappy sandals and even cute pumps can be unbearable, but with the launch of the Limited Edition, Invisibliss from Carnation Footcare, you can take the pain away with barely there footcare.

Limited edition Invisibliss by Carnation Footcare is a nearly invisible plaster, designed to provide immediate relief from the pain of blisters. Brand new to the Carnation collection, these unique plasters act to cushion the area, relieving pressure while providing optimum healing conditions to get feet back to their revealing best.

The near invisible design means that you can keep your feet protected without spoiling this season’s look.  Designed to allow your own skin tone to shine through, both plaster and blister are cunningly disguised, placing your shoes, not your feet in the spotlight.

Available with fabulously glossy, collectable, ‘Sex and the City’ inspired limited edition cover, fashionistas can now party pain-free.

Whether it’s a night out on the town or a mad shopping spree, Invisibliss ‘invisible’ plasters will be every shoe lover’s saviour. Available for just £1.99 on limited edition release from www.1staiddirect.com, Invisibliss looks set to be the handbag essential of 2009!

Whether you chose wedges, sandals or flip-flops this summer, making sure your feet are buffed to perfection just got easier with the new Exfoliating Foot Scrub from Carnation Footcare.

Containing apricot seed and walnut shell, Carnation Footcare Exfoliating Foot Scrub will slough away hard, rough skin gently, while mineral oils soothe and moisturise, leaving your feet smooth, soft and looking gorgeous.

Ensuring your feet look their best for any eventuality is especially important in the summer heat when wearing skin-baring, strappy shoes. With Carnation Footcare’s 75ml Exfoliating Foot Scrub you can indulge in your foot care routine with an affordable beauty product that smells divine and adds a real luxury element to a relaxing foot soak whilst adhering to hand luggage restrictions.

Carnation Footcare podiatrist, Dave Wain says; “Carnation’s nourishing, new Exfoliating Foot Scrub is the perfect pampering product to keep feet looking and feeling soft and healthy.”

“Gentle enough to use regularly, Exfoliating Foot Scrub is best used weekly as part of your regular foot care regime. Apply to clean, dry feet in circular movements, before rinsing thoroughly.”

Carnation Footcare’s complete range of products can offer a solution to all common foot health woes and now it’s easy to bring the spa to you and enjoy a relaxing, home treatment with its Exfoliating Foot Scrub, as often as you like.

Carnation Footcare Exfoliating Foot Scrub retails at £3.29 including VAT and are available from our website www.1staiddirect.co.uk

This winter, temperatures are set to plummet to record-breaking lows, but before you rush out to stockpile on sheepskin and fork out for fleeces, there is an option to avoid serious woolly overload, Carnation Silversocks.

Typical thick, winter socks are the perfect environment for odour-causing bacteria to thrive (and great for stretching shoes too) as moisture can easily collect between the fibres. However, Silversocks are made with pure silver threads, which are anti-microbial to kill over 400 types of nasty bugs, keeping feet sweat and odour-free.

The unique fibres in Silversocks act as a natural heat thermostat, regulating foot temperature and helping to keep toes toasty when the temperature drops. The silver will not wash out nor lose its thermal and antibacterial properties over time, so will keep feet warm from winter to winter, and keep feet cool in the summers between.

Those with poor circulation can really suffer during the colder months and Silversocks’ temperature-regulating properties ensure that when blood supply to the toes is poor, skin is kept warm, preventing winter health worries like chilblains.

Snug winter boots are a definite must when combating the big chill but enclosed footwear can create all sorts of problems, not least of all, blisters. Silversocks reduce the heat caused by friction that can occur with tight shoes, helping to keep painful blisters at bay.

The socks were developed with Great Ormond Street Hospital for children who suffer from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), and they are given freely there to children who need to control the temperature of their feet and prevent blistering.

Carnation Silversocks retail at £5.99 including VAT and are available from our website www.1staiddirect.co.uk

Blisters are painful bubbles of fluid caused by a combination of heat, moisture and friction on the skin of the feet. The space between the layers of skin fills with fluid to cushion the affected area, causing it to swell.  

It is important to treat blisters quickly, protecting the stretched skin from further damage, which could cause it to tear or become infected. Hydro Blister, from Carnation Footcare works by cushioning the area, protecting it from infection and absorbing fluid to help it heal as quickly as possible. It is made from an advanced hydrocolloid, a material that absorbs fluid (up to 3 times its own weight) to form a gel barrier that protects the skin from bacteria, while creating an ideal healing environment.  

The cushioning effect of the dressing relieves pressure around the blister to prevent pain and further damage to the area.
The dressing can be applied to moist as well as dry skin, which is ideal if the blistered skin has been broken. The dressings are completely wash-proof so can be then left in place until it loosens, allowing the skin time to heal completely until it is exposed again. 


Carnation Hydro Blister and Blister Care are both available from our website www.1staiddirect.co.uk

CSS n. acronym. for Corporate Shoe Syndrome: a disorder of the foot created by stylish heels worn in a corporate environment, resulting in the total loss of comfort, footwear and style. 

Corporate Shoe Syndrome (CSS) is a sad, painful reality for thousands of career women who have a penchant for stilettos. CSS sufferers are vulnerable to seduction by sky-high, spike-heeled shoes, which can lead to impulsive decisions and result in totally impractical corporate footwear purchases.

After several hours in the workplace, the searing agony of CSS takes hold. Sufferers are reduced to wandering the office barefoot or donning a pair of trainers that clash horribly with tailored pencil skirts.

It’s simply wrong to ask women everywhere to compromise their style, so experts at Carnation Footcare have devised a solution for CSS sufferers. 

The brand new range of Carnation Tip Toes is designed to prevent high-heels rubbing, slipping and causing pain, allowing you to wear the highest and hippest heels all day long – throughout staff briefings, lunch meetings and even during the trek to and from work.

Carnation’s original Tip Toes Invisible Gel Pads, which stop the balls of your feet aching, are now joined by Invisible Gel Heel Shields, Invisible Gel Spots and Invisible Gel Strap Strips – all designed to prevent rubbing and pressure on different parts of your feet.

Easy to fit and made from a clear gel, Carnation Tip Toes are ultra slim and discreet.  Simply insert the appropriate product into your shoes, then put on your heels and hit the board room. The non-slip gel allows Tip Toes to stay firmly in place, so you can work all day long without swapping stylish heels for tasteless trainers.

The new Tip Toes Invisible Gel Heel Shields, Spots and Strap Strips are designed to be disposed of after several uses, however the original Gel Pads can be washed in warm soapy water and dried naturally, ready for another day at the office.

The full Carnation Footcare Tiptoes range is available from our website www.1staiddirect.co.uk

During a lifetime it is thought the average person, let alone an avid walker, walks enough steps to travel around the planet more than four times – approximately 115,000 miles!  Footcare should be a top priority for walkers and Carnation Powerstep Orthotic Insoles are a walking kit essential to help prevent injury.

Powerstep from Carnation is a unique podiatric support system designed to correct and stabilise foot alignment.  Powerstep aids foot posture and mechanics to help relieve heel and arch pain, as well as knee and lower back pain, and prevent injury.  This is particularly important when walking long distances.

Our feet were made to walk on earth, and the flexibility required for this means the foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles and over 100 ligaments.  So walking on hard, monotonous and inflexible surfaces, such as concrete, flattens the foot.  This is unnatural and causes aches and pains.

Carnation Footcare Podiatrist, Dave Wain, says, “Hard surfaces can cause more problems for people who excessively pronate (excessive rolling inwards of the feet).  Research indicates that up to 90% of the population excessively pronate, which causes arches to flatten, collapse and soft tissue to stretch abnormally, causing the joint surfaces to function at unnatural angles to each other.

“At first this causes fatigue and strain on the arch, heel, ankle, knee and back, often resulting in great pain.  These problems are of even greater concern for long-distance walkers, but Powerstep can provide great relief.”

Excessive pronation will be diagnosed by a visit to a podiatrist but Dave Wain has some tell tale signs that you can check for yourself:

1. Look at wear patterns on the bottom of your shoes, extreme wear on the balls of the feet especially towards the big toe area is often a sign.
2. Place your shoes on a level surface and look at the heels at eye level, look for heels that tilt the shoes inwards.
3. Stand barefoot with a mirror behind you, the Achilles tendons at the back of your heels should run straight in normal feet.  Also look at the bony prominence each side of your ankle.  They should look fairly equal, but if one side is more pronounced than the other this can be an indicator.

Dave Wain says, “By preventing excessive pronation with Powerstep, the likelihood of other related conditions such as bunions, corns and even ingrown toe nails occurring can be reduced.  Ensuring our feet are in tip top condition will make walking more pleasurable.”

Powerstep helps feet withstand the most gruelling of walks with a 4-part design, including:

• A heel cradle and platform for stability
• A prescription standard arch support
• A unique double layer cushion casing
• An anti-bacterial top layer to help prevent odours

Powerstep is available from www.1staiddirect.co.uk in S, M and L, priced £22.99.

Elizabeth has to prick her little boy with needles every day…

When my son, Matthew, was a baby, I noticed some small blisters on his feet, bottom and mouth.
 
‘I’m afraid Matthew has epidermolysis bullosa,’ the doctor explained to me and my husband, Alan, 45.
 
The skin condition made Matthew erupt in scarlet blisters all over his body. There was no cure – all we could do was manage the condition. Each day, we had to burst his blisters with a small hypodermic needle to stop them breaking naturally and getting infected. We gave him painkillers, but he still cried. It broke my heart, but we had to do it.
 
Changing his nappies was awful – they’d stick to him and pull off strips of skin. And when he walked, he’d sob in pain as the blisters between his legs rubbed together. A dermatologist suggested some special socks, called Carnation Silversocks, for Matthew to try. They kept his feet cooler and reduced the number of blisters, I just wish we could find a cure for the rest of his body but, until then, we’ll have to carry on bursting his blisters.
 
Matthew’s seven now, and determined not to let his skin get in the way of his fun.
 
Elizabeth Taylor, 38, Meopham, Kent.
 
You can find more information about Carnation Silversocks at the website www.silversocks.co.uk, and they can be ordered from our website www.1staiddirect.co.uk