What are you doing to build your business?

I got a really nice email from a client who we met with last week. We had a relatively brief meeting, with a little bit of product knowledge, some hands on training, and a short discussion on ways she could market her online store to current and new clients.

Here is an excerpt from her email:

"Thank you for the information that you sent since we saw each other. I have placed an ad on Kijiji , and I have updated my Facebook ad, I have also called another esthetician to give me a hand on the next 3 Thursdays, and will put her to work on collecting our e-mail list."

- Sylvie Lapointe

Esthetique Facial Angle, Ottawa

That's what she's done in the last week, based on our discussion. Bear in mind she is an esthetician with MANY years of experience, a full clientele, offering services about 50 hours per week. It's fair to say she doesn't have a lot of spare time.

When building a business, it's about the small things. Sylvie knows that these few tasks aren't going to revolutionize her business overnight, but she doesn't plan to be working all those hours for a lot longer. She has a plan, and she's working it.

What's YOUR plan? What things, big and small, are you doing to achieve your goals?

Diabetic Foot Care for Professionals

Every client questionnaire in a spa contains the question “Are you diabetic?”

If the answer is yes, the question then becomes: What will you, the esthetician or spa therapist, do with the information?

We all know a professionally performed pedicure has tremendous benefits for everyone, but this is especially true for people with diabetes.

Some special benefits of a pedicure for a person with diabetes:

• Improved circulation as a result of gentle stimulation and massage. Many of the complications of diabetes result from poor circulation.


• Prevention of ingrown toenails, which in turn prevents infection. An untreated foot infection in a person with diabetes can be life threatening


• Another set of eyes, yours, getting a close up look at the feet, which may detect foot problems (i.e. blisters, cracking) that can be treated before they become serious

There may, however, be a lack of knowledge in the industry about how, specifically, to care for the diabetic foot. For a person with diabetes, an improperly performed pedicure can result in serious complications – even as bad as gangrene and amputation. Proper precautions are a must.
While people with diabetes are generally more prone to having foot problems, a lot depends on the general health status of the individual. In other words, how in control of their condition they are. Do they control it with diet, exercise or medication, or a combination of all three? Well-controlled diabetes generally equals reduced risk of complications.

A diabetic person is more likely to have problems if:

• They have had diabetes for more than 10 years, and they are in poor control of their blood sugar


• They have other health conditions as a result of diabetes (eye, kidney or heart problems)

When offering a pedicure to a person with diabetes, here are some important steps:

• Be absolutely vigilant about disinfection and sterilization procedures of all equipment. For people with diabetes, bacteria may pose a much more significant risk.


• Examine feet carefully, watching for calluses, blisters and abrasions. Skin may not be producing as much natural lubrication, resulting in dryness, itching and cracking, which then increases susceptibility to infection.


• Evaluate blood circulation by assessing temperature, tone and colour of the foot. When the foot is on the floor, does it turn bluish or deep red? These are signs of poor circulation, and may indicate a need to refer the client to their doctor or podiatrist.


• Make sure the water for soaking the feet is not too hot, and don’t soak for excessive amounts of time. Soaking the feet in Moor Spa’s Herbal Bath with Pine is a good way to improve circulation, as well as combat fungus.


• Dry feet thoroughly and carefully, especially between toes. Avoid putting lotion or cream between toes, because moist areas are more prone to infection.


• Trim toenails straight across, and be very gentle with cuticles. Additionally, you may wish to consider not using metal implements.


• Avoid foot care products with chemicals as the soles of the feet are some of the most absorbent parts of the body. Foot Cream from Moor Spa is specially formulated with Moor extract, Sweet Almond, Avocado and Tea Tree, to be highly penetrating, without chemicals, especially after soaking.

If you have doubts about the health status of a potential client, it may be wise to refer them to their doctor or a podiatrist. Because diabetes is often a silent disease, an individual may have undiagnosed diabetes for years.

Help keep your diabetic clients safe and healthy with keen observation and strong technical skills and you can be a wonderful asset to their health care team.