The Institute of Podiatrists

Tel:+44 (0)1704 546 141

Cosmetic Nail Reconstruction

In today’s foot health practices, damaged nails are a common concern among patients, often stemming from trauma, fungal infections, nail surgery, or various medical conditions. As part of a comprehensive treatment plan, toenail reconstruction can be a fantastic, temporary cosmetic solution—sometimes the only viable option for restoring the appearance of a damaged nail.

Toenail reconstruction offers a range of options, each tailored to address the specific needs of the patient. While it is primarily considered a cosmetic procedure, its impact goes beyond aesthetics. For many patients, the restoration of their nail’s appearance can have a profound psychological benefit, boosting confidence and improving overall well-being, especially when no other treatment options are available.

This procedure allows practitioners to offer patients a sense of normalcy and satisfaction, enhancing the holistic care provided.

This course will delve into various nail deformities and pathologies that can lead to unsightly toenails, equipping clinicians with the skills needed to address these issues effectively. You will learn how to confidently prepare the nail plate—and the nail bed if necessary—to create a cosmetically pleasing, temporary prosthetic nail using specialist gels.

The reconstructed toenail not only enhances the appearance of the damaged nail but can also be treated as a ‘normal’ nail, providing patients with a practical and aesthetically satisfying solution. Typically, these prosthetic nails last between 6-8 weeks, offering a durable yet temporary option that can significantly improve the patient’s quality of life.

In this course, we will explore the Wilde-Pedique LCN and Gehwol toenail reconstruction systems in detail. Attendees will gain comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience with both of these leading systems, ensuring they are fully qualified to use them in their practice. Upon completion, no additional training will be required, allowing clinicians to begin offering these treatments to their patients immediately. This course equips you with the skills and confidence needed to incorporate these effective toenail reconstruction methods into your practice seamlessly.

Tutor

Gaynor Wooldridge, is a consultant podiatrist working within a multidisciplinary clinic in Kent. She has a passion and commitment to the field of foot health, with special interests in research, injection therapies, wound care and diabetes. She is a great believer that continuing professional development is central to the ‘lifelong learning’ approach so vital within healthcare.

This course is open to podiatrists and foot health practitioners.

Lunch and refreshments are provided.

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* A Wilde Pedique LCN kit can be purchased alongside the training if the student would like to do this,  allowing for immediate, next day treatment for your patients.

The pain-free, non-invasive, non-surgical treatment solution

This course will investigate nail pathologies frequently seen by podiatrists and foot health practitioners. We will discuss how we can use safe, simple and inexpensive treatment options that avoid surgery, require no anesthetic, have no recovery period, offer quick relief from pain, and can be repeated successfully without trauma.

Ingrown toenails are a common and often painful condition that can significantly affect patients’ quality of life. Nail braces offer a conservative, safe, and effective treatment option suitable for various patient groups, including children, those with needle phobia, patients with diabetes or poor wound healing, and individuals with peripheral vascular disease (PVD). They are also ideal for patients who have undergone successful treatment for fungal nail infections, as these nails often grow flatter and wider, necessitating careful management.

Nail braces are evidence-based, affordable for patients, and profitable for practitioners. They provide a non-invasive alternative to more drastic interventions, reducing the risk of complications and promoting better patient outcomes.

During your training, you’ll be introduced to a variety of bracing systems available in the field. These include composite solutions, wired adhesive solutions, and simple adhesive braces. The practical sessions will give you hands-on experience with these different systems, allowing you to gain confidence in their application and use.

By becoming proficient with a range of braces, you ensure that you can tailor your treatment plans to the specific needs of each patient, rather than being restricted to a single method. This adaptability is crucial in providing the best care possible and achieving optimal outcomes for your patients.

Course schedule

10.00 – Welcome and refreshments

10.15 – 12.00 – Nail pathologies and treatments options for ingrown toenails. Nail braces – types, patient selection, research and evidence.

12.00 – 12.45 – Lunch

12.45 – 13.15 – Tutor demonstration

13.15 – 15.30 – Student practical’s

15.30 – 16.00 – Q&A, Certification and close

Tutor

Gaynor Wooldridge, is a consultant podiatrist working within a multidisciplinary clinic in Kent. She has a passion and commitment to the field of foot health, with special interests in research, injection therapies, wound care and diabetes. She is a great believer that continuing professional development is central to the ‘lifelong learning’ approach so vital within healthcare.

Refreshments and lunch provided.

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Further your knowledge on actions in clinical emergencies by undertaking our short online assessment.

Each delegate will be sent 2 brochures via post in order to complete an online assessment.

The first is a detailed presentation written by The Institute of Podiatrists covering anaphylaxis, CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED), the second is a handy size glossy AED & BLS First Aid 4th Edition handbook which is ideal for use in preparation for the online assessment and will prove invaluable as ongoing reference.

Use these two training guides to assist you with the classmarker assessment.

On successful completion you will receive CPD certification totalling 10 points.

Maximum 8 delegates

Ideal for easing problematic corns and other pressure lesions on the foot!

About the Course

An injection of hyaluronan usually in conjunction with a local anaesthetic.

This substance is naturally present in human tissues and performs a number of essential functions. When it is injected into local areas it can improve the volume of tissue that may have lost its elasticity and become thin. For example, the soft tissue under the bottom of the forefoot or heel may have become less cushioned causing pain in the joints of the foot (Metatarsalgia), also the toe joints can develop bony prominences on which corns and ulcers can form as toes rub together etc. and in this and similar cases tissue fillers can inject a natural internal cushion to reduce pain and damage that may last for several months.

This course, led by Podiatrist Independent Prescriber Martin Harvey, will show the mechanism of these substances and their clinical applications in Podiatry. The substances used are medical devices so can be accessed and utilised by Podiatrists with an LA certificate. Dermal fillers, although designed for injection are classified as medical devices and as such do not require a prescription and can be purchased by any individual.

Tutor

Martin Harvey, FPodM MCPodS PGC IP BSc, has been at the forefront of developing soft tissue injection therapy in Podiatry for over a decade. He regularly uses and teaches the use of not only Dermal fillers but also injectable innovations such as PRP, steroid injection therapy, prolotherapy, hyaluronic acid agents and botulinum toxins. As one of the early supplementary prescribers in UK podiatry, he was closely involved in developing independent prescribing, working with the Department of Health and the National Prescribing Centre plus UK Universities. As a registered now fully independent prescriber, he can share his detailed pharmacological understanding in a readily comprehensible fashion that helps delegates to gain the effective knowledge they require to be safe and effective users of these potent agents.

Martin introduced the first such courses for podiatrists over ten years ago.

Venue

This course will be held at Sir Robert Peel Hospital, Wiggins Centre, Tamworth

There is on-site chargeable parking available and limited free parking along the road leading to the hospital.

The procedure is covered by the Institutes band 4 insurance for appropriately trained members and fellows with LA certification.

Refreshments are provided. Lunch not included.

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Training to become a Podiatrist (often also called a Chiropodist)

To practice as a podiatrist in the UK, you must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and to do this you need to successfully complete an HCPC approved Podiatry degree.

Degree courses are offered at various locations throughout the UK and take 3 or 4 years full-time to complete, dependent upon where you study.   Each course varies in their structure of delivery, but all involve a lot of practical work with patients.

When applying for a course it is important that you check carefully as to the entry requirements as each School sets its own.  During your studies, and in order for you to pass all of the course, you will need to show that you have an understanding of chiropody/podiatry and how it benefits patients.  It will be beneficial for you to spend some time with a podiatrist to find out about podiatry first hand.  In many cases this is a requirement of application to the podiatry schools.

As soon as you have graduated from university you will be eligible to apply to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a podiatrist.  In order to retain your podiatry title and remain on the register you will be required to keep up-to-date with your knowledge and skills and also paying the HCPC’s annual retention fee.

You will also be eligible to join the Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists and enjoy the benefits that are offered to all members.  For more information on becoming a member click here.

To find a course click here

Training to become a Foot Health Practitioner (also known as FHP’s)

With the correct training, Foot Health Practitioners can safely treat the kind of general conditions that are routinely encountered in our ageing population and in those people who need regular care of corns, calluses, dry skin and problem nails for example, as well as basic mechanical problems of the feet. There is unfortunately no centralised regulated standard of training as there is for Podiatrists, and some ‘courses’ offer only a few weeks of theory and very  little else. It is a fact however that correctly trained FHP’s can usefully accommodate the ageing population increase and also beneficially promote awareness of preventing and treating general foot disorders. They can establish socially valuable, responsible and often very profitable businesses, sometimes as a mature career move or a similar ‘desire for change’.

The Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists has decades of experience in training Chiropodists before it became an all-degree regulated profession necessitating training by universities. We are keenly aware that a need exists for a source of high quality, academically structured training for people who wish to train in foot care, but who do not wish to go for full-time study for a minimum of three years to qualify as an HCPC registered Chiropodist/Podiatrist. Accordingly, a course recognised by the Institute and delivered by their experienced tutors is available via distance-learning and is presented in such a way as to allow access to students with or without prior medical knowledge.  It includes detailed, supervised practical training at the Institute’s National Clinical Training Centre in Southport or alongside an approved Podiatry mentor at their clinic. Successful completion gives access to high quality indemnity insurance and a range of additional development courses.

More detailed information can be found here.

Contact info@iop-uk.org or phone 01704 546141 for further information or with any questions

Disclaimer: completion of this course does not qualify you to use the title Chiropodist or Podiatrist