callus grinder

Transcription

callus grinder

Issue 1/2015
FUSSPFLEGE
AKTUELL
The magazine
for the practice
Current survey: GEHWOL foot care trends
Women love well cared for feet - ,
fotolia
foto
lia | Belodarova
Be
but so do men.
Technology CURRENT
Ware knowledge CURRENT
Marketing CURRENT
NEW: Autoclave SK 07 with sealing unit SL
13 - as a combined offer for the first time
From the practice: Treating corns with a
hollow chisel blade
Easier consultations with the new
GEHWOL consultation guideline
FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL 1/2015
1
Contents
New Year‘s Greetings .............................. 3
Product offer
Battling microbes
Disinfectants –
stock up now and save! ......................... 6
Instrument offer
Fantastic results
Callus cleaning grinder
from GERLACH TECHNIK....................... 7
Technology offer
Clean and safe in the cabinet
...and in the tank
GERLACH cabinet AT/NT Clean with a
foot care device of your choicel ........ 8–9
In the comfort zone
Gerlach autoclave SK 07 and sealing unit SL
13 - now with combination discount..10 –11
Expert knowledge CURRENT
How close is Ebola?
Hygiene update: the hygiene chain....... 12
Helping with simple means
Wound management, part 1:
ingrown nails...................................... ..13
Medicine CURRENT
Nodes in the skin
Dr. med. Renate Wolansky
on the subject of neurofibromatosis ...14–15
Together for fewer amputations
Interview for the medicinal products
and aids report 2014 with
Dr. Prof. Gerd Glaeske ................... 16–17
Clean cut
Instruments in use, part 1:
the hollow chisel blade
(practice example) ................................ 18
GEHWOL is number 1
Gerlach in Canada ............................... 19
Care consultation CURRENT
“Yes, you can do that”
Hello, feel-good time!
– a consultation outline ........................ 20
Easier consultations
The new GEHWOL consultation
guideline .............................................. 21
Practice CURRENT
Focus on healthy feet
Current survey:
GEHWOL foot care trends ..............22– 23
More time for your customers
Process optimisation in the practice, part 2:
Treatment management .................. 24–25
Marketing CURRENT
Giving anticipation
Current trend: Coupons ........................ 27
Making packages
Interview with behavioural scientist
Dr. Kai-Markus Müller .................... 28–29
GEHWOL display window contest 2014
Decoration specialist Alexandra Chrobak
guesting with winner Sarah Schilling...... 30
Note the legal situation
E-mail advertising ................................. 31
2
Fantastic results
Not all kinds of callus are the same. Depending on
thickness and consistency, foot specialists need different
instruments for effective work - such as the scalpel for
pre-treatment and a grinder for detailed work. The new
“Callus clean“ grinder from GERLACH TECHNIK unites
these features. Norbert Cohrs, a podologist and lecturer
at the Hanover podology college, is enthusiastic. With
its double grind, the grinder can remove a variety of skin
types and does an excellent job smoothing the skin. He
reports his experiences in FOOT CARE CURRENT.
Page 7
In the comfort zone
The Ebola crisis has once again shown us how important
it is to maintain hygiene measures in order to prevent
microbe transmission and infections. This is also true for
processing instruments in the foot care practice. If you
use a standardised and validated procedure, you will
avoid uncontrollable risks. With the adjustment of
the hygiene guideline in 2012, there is even a certain
“comfort zone“ here. High-tech hygiene support from
GERLACH TECHNIK‘s current hygiene offers: For the first time, you can now obtain the
Gerlach autoclave SK 07 together with the sealing unit SL 13 at the great combination
price.
Page 10 – 11
Helping with simple means
FOOT CARE CURRENT starts the new series “Wound
management“. Part 1 deals with ingrown nails. Treating ingrown nails (Unguis incarnatus) requires the
therapy to be adjusted to the patient, depending on
the stage. It must only be carried out by podologists or
medical foot care providers - often requiring mandatory coordination with a physician.
Page 13
Together for fewer amputations
Diabetic foot syndrome is among the most common
consequential disorders of diabetes. The number of resulting amputations is still clearly too high. FOOT CARE
CURRENT spoke to Prof. Dr. Gerd Glaeske, co-head of the
department of health economics, health policy and care
research at the University of Bremen and co-author of the
medicinal products and aids report of the Barmer GEK,
about the role of podology.
Page 16 – 17
Imprint
Please order via the publisher
Publisher: FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL is published on behalf of Eduard Gerlach GmbH, Bäckerstraße 4–8, 32312 Lübbecke,
Telephone: 05741 330-0, Fax: 05741 347300, E-Mail: [email protected], Internet: www.gehwol.de
Editing staff and publisher: Dorothea Küsters Life Science Communications GmbH, Leimenrode 29, 60322 Frankfurt am Main,
Telephone: 069 61998-0, Fax: 069 61998-10, E-Mail: [email protected], Internet: www.dkcommunications.de;
Editorial management: Dorothea Küsters (responsible), Dirk Fischer; Redaktion: Stefan Dudzinski-Lange, Stefan Dietrich,
Jana Zieseniß, Andrea Mühlbacher
Graphic concept and implementation: PUNKTUM Werbeagentur GmbH, Bad Vilbel
All rights reserved. Reprints, also in excerpts, are only permitted with the approval of the publisher and citing sources.
Rights of translation and other uses reserved. We assume no liability for unsolicited manuscripts, discussion copies etc..
If FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL cannot be published or supplied, this shall not result in legal claims against the publisher.
Legal venue: Frankfurt am Main.
FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL
FUSSPFLEGE
AKTUELL 1/2015
1/2015
Editorial
Consumers trust
Dear foot care pros,
What accounts for success? Maybe you
have already asked yourself this question
from time to time. Surely success depends
on attaining the goals which everyone sets
for themselves. Some are deeply satisfied
when their customers go home with beautiful, healthy feet. Others consider the goal
of economic success a bit more important.
Regardless of the goals, it is decisive to
create the right prerequisites for them. In
foot care, this means designing one‘s work
environment to support both professional
and economic success.
Modern quality
Following our philosophy, we aim to
support you in your goals at all levels whether it‘s with high quality practice
furnishings, practice related expertise such
as FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL or highly effective care products based on the highest quality natural active substances.
The most recent example of this is the
successful introduction and major market
success of the GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT Soft
Feet series with its modern, very trendy
active substances. This is also true internationally! Consumers not only receive the
products well, but even recommend then.
The two online portals “gofeminin.de“ and
“bildderfrau.de“ carried out a customer
campaign in which readers tested the
GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT Soft Feet Lotion.
The result: 93 percent of Bild readers
recommend the lotion. Such a high level of
consumer trust forms the basis for a close
relationship which you maintain with your
customers in the foot care practice.
Long use
Naturally, the quality of the treatment plays
a decisive role here as well. Optimised
requirements planning and perfect practice
furnishings form the best prerequisites. You
have a choice with the foot care
devices. Two techniques are available to
you, depending on your personal needs. In
the past issue of FOOT CARE CURRENT,
we already spoke about experiences and
impressions when using suctioning or
spray technology. We want to deepen these
impressions with the 2015 survey. The
results will bring out a variety of tips and
information which you can use in your
practice.
Even though the choice of preferred
techniques is individual, high quality
remains important in foot care devices.
This not only simplifies work, but also
improves economy. Your cooperation is
mandatory to preserve the quality of the
devices, e.g. from GERLACH TECHNIK.
Regular maintenance and cleaning or
using our recommended spray solutions in
spray technology are examples of how you
contribute to ensuring that your devices
will have a long service life. This, in turn,
prevents possible down times, which cause
both you and us additional expenses.
By the way, you can inform yourself about
our product range live again this year.
Please see the overview of exhibition dates
in the box to the side. We warmly invite
you to visit one of our booths. See for yourself the performance features of our
devices, quality details and ergonomics of
our furniture, and the care experience of
our products.
In this sense, we wish you a successful year
in 2015!
Jobst-Peter Gerlach-von Waldthausen
Onsite for you this year
Exhibition dates in 2015
27. – 29.03. BEAUTY INTERNATIONAL
Düsseldorf exhibition
25. – 26.04. BEAUTY FORUM
Leipzig New exhibition
16. – 17.05. GUT ZU FUSS
Stuttgart exhibition grounds
27. – 28.06. COSMETICA
Frankfurt
Hannover
02. – 03.10. FUSS 2015
Forum for Podology and Foot Care
Bielefeld
17. – 18.10. BEAUTY FORUM
Munich
Berlin
Yours, Eduard Gerlach GmbH
FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL
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Products CURRENT
Disinfection
Battling microbes
Microbes are often transmitted in
places which don‘t get special attention on an everyday basis, such as door
handles, arm rests or holding handles.
A fictional example shows how transmission can work.
8:50 am: The cold triggering rhinoviruses wait for their host on the holding
loop on the bus. This host was Karla H., who
was just going to her foot care appointment.
fotolia
foto
lia | lightp
lightpoet
9:15 am: Karla H. closes the practice
door. The viruses are now on the door handle.
9:20 am: Her hand rests on the arm
rests of the foot care chair, also leaving the
microbes here.
9:40 am: Foot care pro Petra K. shakes
her customer‘s hand as she leaves. She then
shakes the hand of her next customer in greeting...
This fictional story with true relations could
be continued almost indefinitely. Microbe
transmission does not always mean infection right away, since our immune system
Microbes can be transmitted in many places. Maintaining the hygiene chain reduces the
risk of infection.
protects us against infectious illnesses. But
the risk of infection is increased when our
defences are weakened. Careful compliance with hygiene measures reduces the
transmission of microbes in the foot care
practice. Use your quality-tested disinfectants from GERLACH TECHNIK‘s product
range. The offered set secures you more
than just a price advantage. The package of
Sterillium classic pure, Cutasept F, Mikrobac forte, Korsolex drill bath and Stammopur DR 8 provides all-round protection.
Our offer
Surface disinfection
Microbac forte
Wiping disinfection, aldehyde-free,
VAH listed
25 units, 20 ml each
Skin and hand disinfection
Sterillium classic pure
Refatting, gentle on the skin,
for rubbing on hands and skin,
free of colourants and scents, RKI-listed
100 ml
500 ml
1,000 ml
5,000 ml
Wound disinfection
Cutasept F Skin disinfectant with defatting cleansing effect, RKI-listed
50 ml
250 ml
1,000 ml
Instrument disinfection
Korsolex drill bath Cleaning and disinfectant agent
for rotary instruments, VAH listed
Instrument disinfection
Stammopur
pur DR 8
Aldehyde free
e disinfectant
with a cleaning effect and
corrosion protection,
VAH listed
2,000 ml
2,000 ml
.
6
Instruments CURRENT
New: Callus clean from GERLACH TECHNIK
“Fantastic results“
Not all kinds of callus are the same. Depending on thickness and consistency, foot specialists need different
instruments for effective work - such as the scalpel for pre-treatment and a grinder for detailed work. The new
“Callus clean“ grinder from GERLACH TECHNIK unites these features. Norbert Cohrs, a podologist and lecturer at
the Hanover podology college, is enthusiastic. “With its double grind, the grinder can remove a variety of skin types
and does an excellent job smoothing the skin.“ He reports his experiences in FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL.
The graphic shows the file-like double
ground structure of the “Callus clean“.
The new toothing of the grinder surface
ensures gentle, high-performance callus
removal, like a rotary file.
I was surprised by its good effects
cts on the
feet. In my opinion, the Callus clean
ean is the
lus 100%
first grinder which removes callus
well compared to others. The new surface
structure produces two definite advantages
antages
ectively
in practice. The grinder can effectively
remove both large and small skin areas.
eed to
In many cases, this saves e.g. the need
replace a scalpel, so that there is also
less material required when processing
ng the
utilised instruments. Of course, this saves
time and money.
I am very satisfied with the results for callus removal. The skin is almost flawlessly
sly
smooth after use. The “Callus clean“ allways works well for corns when working
ng
across surfaces. The grinder meets its limitss
when working into depths.
The room of play for individual use is wide.
Everyone should try out for themselves
how best to use it, holding it at different angles. Since callus
can vary widely e.g. soft, hard and
brittle callus there is also no
uniformly
recommended
optimal rotation
speed. In my experience, it ideally ranges between 15,000 and
25,000. Everyone also needs to determine
the right amount of pressure to apply.
My overall judgement of the new, precise
Gerlach grinder is definitely: Super! I can
absolutely recommend the “Callus clean“.
Our offer
Grinder
Call
Callus clean
Hager & Meisinger
Norbert Cohrs
At the Hanover-Ricklingen podology school, Norbert Cohrs directs
medical foot care training and has already guided innumerable participants into their profession. The vice school director also acts as the
departmental head in the field of podology training and co-authored
the general guidelines for the podology education in the Lower Saxony
region.
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Technology CURRENT
Clean and safe in the cabinet
... and in the tank!
Hygiene expertise is in demand in everyday work. In this regard, a functional foot care cabinet helps with storing
sterile instruments, e.g. with a UV compartment. The foot care unit also offers a lot of added safety with hygienic
suction or spray technology. In particular, Gerlach spray solution and AquaSpray, a demineralised and preserved
purified water, ensure pathogen-free conditions and optimal device protection.
Using the wrong liquid in a foot care spray
unit can have extensive consequences for
the patient and the person treating them.
Using insufficiently distilled water - e.g.
from the supermarket - or even tap water is
associated with the risk of microbe colonisation in the tank and tubes. Under the
influence of light and especially in high
environmental temperatures, water generally tends to grow algae. This environment
offers the ideal nutrients for microbe and
bacterial reproduction, thereby creating
good prerequisites for transferring pathogens via the spray hand piece. The biofilm
can also plug the nozzles and pumps of the
spray hand piece.
Prevent damage - ensure a long service life
Calcium and deposits from incorrect spray
solutions - aside from the risk of infection can also damage the foot care devices. Due
to their consistency and concentration, the
wrong spray solutions can attack and destroy
lines and valves. Over time, fine crystalline
growths cause short-circuits on the hand
piece motor contacts. This leads to rotation
speed variations, motors running hot, and
possibly even the total failureof the hand
piece motor. In many spray devices which
are sent in for repairs, dirty and failed
sound sensors which check and regulate
the speed of the hand piece motor have
been affected. In this way, careless use of
unsuitable spray solutions can cause a lot
of problems for the foot care pro:
unplanned repair costs, using loaner
devices, unnecessary wait times and sometimes even having to buy a new unit.
Wrong spray - guarantee at risk
Something you should know: Using normal
tap water or condensation water from
dehumidifiers nullifies the manufacturer‘s
warranty for the water-using aggregates and
components of the foot care spray device.
It is therefore recommended to use only
“GERLACH spray solution“ or “GERLACH
AquaSpray“ to fill the spray tank. The latter,
for example, is an extremely pure
water which works entirely without adding
alcohol or other volatile organics such as
aldehydes. It has decisive advantages in use:
Long term tests have shown that neither
8
algal growth nor pathogen formation can be
found when the solution has been opened.
On the safe side...
Therefore, exclusive use of the recommended spray liquids has the further
advantage of giving the foot care hygienic
certainty when not using the foot care
spray device. Such off times occur, for
instance, on weekends or during
vacations. So a spray tank which still
contains “Gerlach spray solution“ or
“GERLACH AquaSpray“ can easily stand
overnight or for several days in a row. The
normally recommended regular cleaning
and emptying of the container therefore
becomes unnecessary. With 65 hours of
continuous spray at the minimal setting,
the dosage is already technically very
economical. The special water quality of
the demineralised and preserved AquaSpray also prevents dirt and deposits on
the sensitive parts of the motor hand piece
- an added economic benefit. The recommended spray dusts always optimally
bind the grinding dust, and the fine mist
provides the popular cooling effect. To
ensure a long service life for the spray device, it is also recommended to take a look
at the operating instructions, which
provide tips for using the device and hand
piece.
Not all sprays are the same: Foot care
pros should definitely avoid low quality
spray solutions to ensure a long spray device service life and prevent microbial
contamination.
FUSSPFLEGE
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Did you know?
Economic: In the foot care spray device
SIRIUS NT MICRO, a tank containing
500 ml of ready-to-use GERLACH
AquaSpray spray solution is enough for
about 65 hours of continuous spray
use. For instance, with 15 treatments
per day, each using the spray for five
minutes, this results in a daily spray
time of 75 minutes. Therefore the tank
will last through about 780 treatments.
Calculated with the 5-litre canister of
GERLACH AquaSpray (14.95 Euros),
this means ten tank refills. Consequently,
one canister lasts for about 7,800 treatments. In other words, using the spray
solution costs less than two cents per
treatment.
Technology CURRENT
fotolia
foto
lia | kreati
kreativloft GmbH
Schrankfarben
silky grey
basalt grey
icy white
GERLACH cabinet AT/NT Clean with a device of your choice:
Suction unit LUNA AT MICRO
Device with electronically commutated micromotor hand piece
6,000–30,000 RPM, suction performance: 200 l/min* (120 l/min**),
standard colour pastel turquoise, pastel blue or light grey
Suction unit SATURN AT MICRO
Device with electronically commutated micromotor hand piece
5,000–42,000 RPM, suction performance: 250 l/min* (150l/min**),
standard colour pastel turquoise, pastel blue or light grey
Spray unit SIRIUS NT MICRO
The best performing foot care device on the mark
et
Device with LED lit hand piece and micromotor
2,200–42,000 RPM, spray performance: 500 ml spray tank for 65 hours of continuous
spray at the minimal setting, standard colour pastel turquoise, pastel blue or light grey
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Technology CURRENT
Instrument processing: Gerlach autoclave SK 07 and sealing unit SL 13
In the comfort zone
The practical steri
block maxi can be
cleaned, disinfected,
sealed and sterilised
right with the instruments.
The Ebola crisis has once again shown us how important it is to maintain hygiene measures in order to prevent
microbe transmission and infections. This is also true for processing instruments in the foot care practice. If you use
a standardised and validated procedure, however, you will avoid uncontrollable risks. With the adjustment of the
hygiene guideline in 2012, there is even a certain “comfort zone“ here.
“Hygiene requirements when processing
medicinal products“ - the guideline is
based on the recommendations by the
Commission for Hospital Hygiene and the
Prevention of Infection (KRINKO) at the
Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Federal
Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices
(BfArM) in combination with the specifications of the Medicinal Products Operator
Regulations (MPBetreibV). It was updated
in 2012 and is the foundation of the
process for preparing instruments in a
practice.
The duty to process with a validated procedure has simultaneously created a certain
“comfort zone“. When the foot specialist
can prove that he or she is using such
a process, lawmakers “assume“ that all
instruments are processed accordingly.
Further documentation and evidence is
then not required. There is an “assumption
effect“. This almost sounds like a blank
check, but it isn‘t.
A process is deemed to have been validated when a standard work specification is
present for every processing step. Success
10
must also be documented with objective
parameters, and each step must be documented. Sterilisation is not enough.
Instead, the entire process has many work
steps for which you must ensure quality,
among other things with periodic routine
checks according to the hygiene plan,
technological monitoring measurements,
regular maintenance or periodic process
tests:
1 First, there is a differentiation by single
use vs. multi-use instruments. The latter
must be processed after use and after
possible contamination with microbes.
Single use instruments must be correctly
disposed of after use.
2 Fundamentally, you can choose
between manual cleaning (e.g. with a
brush) or machine cleaning (e.g. with
an ultrasound device). Only use liquids
listed by the Association for Applied
Hygiene (Verbund für Angewandte
Hygiene = VAH). Rinsing the instruments
with clear water after cleaning is obligatory since the change to the hygiene
guidelines in 2012.
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3 Cleaning is followed by disinfection.
Use products which are on the VAH list. In
machine procedures, cleaning and disinfection as well as drying can take place in
a single step, e.g. with the ultrasound device Elmasonic from GERLACH TECHNIK.
Instrument baths such as the Steri-block
maxi from GERLACH TECHNIK have also
proven themselves in the practice. They
can be used to put together instrument sets
which are often used for treatments. The
set is processed in a single step, and the
desired instruments are then quickly
available again. The swinging safety
bracket has a good lock and prevents the
container from opening unintentionally.
This means that the grinders are protected
from falling out in all required work steps.
Rounded corners effectively prevent the
sterilisation foil from tearing.
4 You are fundamentally obligated to permanently monitor and record the entire
preparation process. Also check regularly.
5 Prior to sterilisation, it is recommended to
place the cleaned, disinfected instruments in
Technology CURRENT
airtight packaging or seal them (see the offer
for the sealing unit on this page) to avoid
microbial contamination before the next
use. The Steri block maxi from GERLACH
TECHNIK can be sealed with the instruments
and then sterilised. The rounded corners
avoid damage to the sterile goods package.
6 Sterilisation in the autoclave (see the
offer SK07 on this page) or hot air steriliser
eliminates all microbes. If the instruments
are packaged, they will remain sterile until
opened. If you have individually sterilised
instruments in the common cartridges,
they must be transported to the storage
location. Do not store the cartridge open.
Use a UV compartment, such as the ones
which are the standard in GERLACH
TECHNIK‘s cabinets.
scrupulously documented and labelled.
The applicable sticker contains mandatory
information such as the date, device name
and serial number, batch number, batch
expiry date, contents and releasing person.
The documentation must be done according to the standard operating procedures.
7 The validated process also requires the
sterilisation or the respective batch to be
The perfect team:
Autoclave SK07 and the new SL13 sealing unit
Sterilisation is only mandatory for instruments which come into contact with body
fluids either according to their purpose
(critical instruments) or accidentally while
being used in the practice. But it is fundamentally recommended for non-critical
and semi-critical instruments as well. A
class S autoclave is now the standard for
processing sterile goods.
Autoclave 07
Ideal for processing.
The autoclave has
three effective
programs for
packaged and
unpackaged
instruments.
The premium models of this class include
the autoclave SK07 from GERLACH
TECHNIK. With three programmes and
automatic drying, sterile goods are ready to
use when they are taken out. At only about
54 dB(A) – comparable to a conversation the SK07 is pleasantly quiet. By logging the
results, which are printed out and can also
be stored on a PC, the autoclave also contributes to effectively implementing the
confirmed, validated sterilisation process.
Sealing unit SL13
The wide sealing seam makes it
possible to seal larger units as
well, such as the Steri block maxi
from GERLACH TECHNIK.
Lastingly sterile
In general, sealing instruments before sterilisation provides the greatest protection
against premature contamination via
air contact after processing. GERLACH
TECHNIK now offers a new, high performance sealing unit - the SL13. Its electronic
monitoring process offers the highest
degree of reliability. The 12 millimetre
wide sealing seam - twice as wide as the
EU standard - provides additional security.
The fully automatic temperature monitoring
of the device ensures consistent quality of
the results. The SL13 sealing unit is easily
operated. Due to the stand-by automatic
feature, it can also be used spontaneously,
without long start-up times.
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Hygiene update: the hygiene chain
How close is Ebola?
With the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the world is currently experiencing a human catastrophe. The highly infectious virus is spreading uncontrolled in some areas, since - among other things - compliance of the local people and
hygienic conditions are often insufficient. Even though nearly all viruses here are not as dangerous as Ebola, some
pathogens can nonetheless put both customers and foot specialists at equal risk if the hygiene chain is interrupted
in the foot care practice. Avoiding hygiene errors!
Note the contact points
Fortunately, it is rather unlikely that the
Ebola virus will spread here. But the
epidemic shows how pathogens can
spread quickly when the hygiene chain is
not maintained. A foot care practice offers
many contact points where the transmission of bacteria, viruses and fungi is
possible. The information box on this page
shows in which places transmission may
occur. Special caution is indicated here.
A simple example: the cold. The customer
comes into the practice, coughs and
sniffles. He waits a little on the chair by the
entry, suddenly sneezes and holds his hand
in front of his mouth. Then he instinctively
reaches for the arm rest with this hand
when he sits in the treatment chair a
few minutes later. In this way, traces of
nasal secretions may already have been
transmitted to the chair. If one did not carefully disinfect the arm rests after treating
the customer, this would mean that the
hygiene chain had been interrupted. And
the next customer could directly infect
himself when touching the arm rests.
Careful compliance with hygiene measures therefore also becomes an important
economic factor.
Integrate it into the process
Here and in general, hygiene is not just
an obligatory duty specified by the authorities; it protects both the customer and the
treating person as well. Strict compliance
with the requirements of the general
hygiene plan should therefore already be
natural to protect oneself - as an integral
part of treatment management in the foot
care practice (also see the report “Process
optimisation“ on pages 22 - 23).
Current reporting and discussion about
Ebola and epidemics such as EHEC and the
swine flu as well as the problem of resistance due to multiresistant microbes (MRSA)
also leads to greater hygiene awareness in
the general public. Most customers
are sensitised and pay more attention
to hygiene risks than they used to. Hygiene,
which is already obligatory regardless,
therefore gains significance beyond
its original function. And within
customer relations, the subjectively perceptible hygiene state
of a practice.
Whenever the hygiene
chain is interrupted,
infections may occur.
These are common contact points where microbes can be transmitted:
shaking hands when greeting someone
any towels used during the treatment
touching door handles, the wardrobe, the furniture in the
waiting area, the reception counter etc.
any utilised instruments
the hands of the treating person
the personal conversation (this applies to microbes which
can be transmitted via droplets)
the treatment chair: seat surface, arm rests, foot rests, leg
rests, any holding handles or entry/exit aids
12
the entire work area, e.g. due to fine dust - particularly
when not using spray or suction devices
payment after the treatment, using cash or an EC card
(pin code keys on the reader)
fotolia | frank peters
Ebola viruses are transmitted via direct
body contact and by contact with blood
or other body fluids of an ill person.
The viruses trigger Ebola fever, which is
dangerous and difficult to treat. Protective
measures at local hospitals are therefore at
the very highest level. The fact that medical
personnel can nonetheless become infected
is generally due to violations of hygiene
measures.
Wound management, part 1: ingrown nails
Helping with
simple means
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Treating ingrown nails (Unguis incarnatus) requires the therapy to be
adjusted to the patient, depending on the stage. It must only be carried out
by podologists or medical foot care providers - often requiring mandatory
coordination with a physician.
Whether due to a misstep, a positional
anomaly of the nail, diabetes mellitus
or as a consequence of a persistent
inflammatory reaction in the nail edge:
Many causes lead to the occurrence
of ingrown nails. This can pass through
various stages:
the inflammatory, non-ulcerative stage
with the classic signs of redness, swelling, pain, overheating and functional
impairment in the nail fold and nail
wall areas,
the inflammatory, ulcerative stage in
which the advancing inflammation has
often resulted in bacteria entering
the expanded fold, triggering acute
paronychia (ulceration in the nail fold
and under the nail plate),
the inflammatory, ulcerative stage in
which granulation tissues form (known
as “proud flesh“ in common language).
In infections such as the inflammatory‚
ulcerative stages, podologists are only
allowed to provide initial care, and
must then refer to a physician. The risk of
complications such as a lymphatic tract
inflammation should also be taken into
account. Diabetics and patients with
severe arterial circulation disorders have a
high need for information.
Risk assessment and hygiene
management
In general, the following applies: During
any intervention in which skin is intentionally or unintentionally injured and
wounds form, the excretion of blood or
blood serum may trigger an infection, e.g.
with hepatitis B, C or HIV. Probes, manipulations and treatments on infections
processes such as the nail fold infection,
but also grinding and polishing with
rapidly rotating polishers or grinders on
the nails, skin and callus are associated
with a high risk of blood contact. This
must be taken into account within the
scope of the hygiene requirements and
the classification of the instruments, and
how they are processed. Regardless of the
injury, the wound should be carefully
cleaned and disinfected during initial
care. Last but not least, the foot specialist
should precisely document the wounds
with which the patient came to see him
for podological treatment, and have the
patient confirm this to him.
Therapy and wound care
Working with sterile instruments is the
highest commandment in the therapy of
ingrown nails which takes place in coordination with a physician. After thorough
disinfection and examination of the nail
edge for possible unevenness, hyperkeratosis and corns, the nail edge is correspondingly straightened, and the piercing
nail tip is removed in a wedge shape. The
hyperkeratoses must then be carefully
removed from the sulcus. Wound care for
the sulcus starts with disinfection (e.g.
with Octenisept, Dolema antiseptic nail
fold oil or isopropanole 70%). Suitable
soaked copoline, fleece or cellulose strips
with albothyl (liquid) can be used to stop
bleeding. They are placed into the fold for
about three minutes and then removed
again. After removing the strip and
straightening the nail edge, the nail fold is
tamponaded with copoline and wound
ointment. The tamponade should be
applied to the lateral nail plate so that it is
flat, and cautiously lifted into and under
the lateral open nail edge with a nail
instrument. Then or after the inflammation
subsides, suitable correction braces
(such as the VHO Osthold brace)
can be applied. Polyurethane foams
(Ligasano white) which encourage wound
healing, as well as calcium alginate fibres
- particularly when drying out wetting
inflammations in the nail fold - can be
used as tamponades when treating
wounds due to ingrown toenails. Finally, it
is recommended to provide the toe with a
sterile bandage and pressure relief.
The patient should be asked to come in
for daily bandage and tamponade changes until the inflammation has subsided.
To encourage healing, the patient should
be given recommendations for daily home
aftercare.
Fleece tamponade for sensitive work
in the nail fold: enables the toenail to
regrow without problems.
For instance, this includes antiseptic foot
baths, as well as wearing open or wide
shoes made from natural materials (leather).
Wound care on the toes: The practical tg
tubular bandage with the self-adhesive
Chirofix fixation bandage.
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Medicine - CURRENT
fotolia | Andrey Kuzmin
Neurofibromatosis (Recklinghausen‘s disease)
Nodes in the skin
It is inherited, partly leads to severe pain, and may be emotionally burdening: neurofibromatosis. The disease is not curable, but the symptoms can
be treated well. It is not uncommon for the feet to be affected as well, so
that the foot specialist is needed.
Neurodermitis (NF) is a neurocutaneous
disorder which affects the skin and nervous
system. German pathologist Friedrich
Daniel von Recklinghausen was the first to
recognise the internal association of typical
benign skin tumours with the central
nervous system in 1882, and gave it its
name in this manner.
Recklinghausen‘s disease Type I (NF Type I)
already appears in childhood, and
is predominantly inherited. According to
literary sources, however, more than
50 percent of cases involve changes in the
genetic materials without discernible
external causes (new mutation). The so
called hereditary bodies (chromosome
17p11.2) are affected. The frequency of
this form amounts to one affected person
out of about 3000 births.
Café-au-Lait spots
Typical skin changes already appear in
about 80 percent in infancy. The skin spots,
which are the colour of milky coffee and
have increased pigmentation (Café-au-Lait
spots), range from several millimetres to
several centimetres in size.
Particularly on the trunk, unclearly delimited
pigmentation spots are already visible after
birth, and by no later than the third year of
life. According to literary sources, more than
five Café-au-Lait spots already suggest the
suspicion of neurofibromatosis type I, with a
diameter of more than five millimetres in
puberty and at least 15 millimetres in later
years. However, every tenth affected person
has up to two Café-au-Lait spots without
being ill.
Like freckles
As the disorder progresses, patients develop freckle-like sprinkling and then
numerous benign connective tissue
skin nodes which are located in the skin
(cutaneously) and/or under the skin (subcutaneously), originating from peripheral
14
nerves (neurofibromas, figure 1). Lichen or
net-like neurofibromas (plexiforme) are
found particularly in the face, on the neck
or on the lower leg.
Mainly benign
The benign growths have a pale reddish,
bluish or violet colour (figure 2). The
nodes often hang limply on the skin. With
manual pressure, larger nodes move away
into the depths, which is also referred to as
“buttonhole phenomenon“. In terms of
differential diagnostics, this test is negative
if it is a benign fatty tissue tumour (lipoma).
They develop into malignant neurofibromas in five percent of affected persons.
If the nodes are located on the nerve
tissues, this often results in severe pain,
malsensations such as prickling or a sensation of ants running, a furry, burning or
numb sensation (paraesthesia) and ranging
to paralysis. It is not uncommon for the iris
of the eye to show brown, sharply
delimited small nodes with increased
pigmentation (Lisch nodes).
Other locomotor disorders involve spinal
bending (scoliosis), deformation of the
long hollow bones, joint problems and
joint dislocations (luxations) as well as
impaired growth and bone cysts. Cosmetically visible interfering neurofibromas
lead to psychosocial problems. In adults,
neurofibromas of the gastrointestinal tract
result in dysfunctions.
Rare in adults
Recklinghausen disease type II is also
inherited or forms due to new mutations.
This form occurs in young adults around
the 20th year of life. The frequency equals
two affected persons out of every 100,000
persons. Affected persons primarily complain of hearing and balance dysfunctions
due to neurofibromas on the hearing
nerve. This commonly results in dizziness,
ear noises and headaches. Visible neuro-
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fibromas and Café-auLait spots are rare, and
Lisch nodes are not
found in the iris.
Grey star (cataracts) or
presenile lens clouding
is found in individual
cases.
Needs a trained eye
A chromosomal analysis is needed to determine changes in the inherited features.
But before this takes place, it is necessary
to obtain a detailed family history to
clarify neurofibromatosis within the family.
A trained eye can diagnose Café-au-Lait
spots, many neurofibromas of different
sizes and existing Lisch nodes in the iris.
Neurologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, ENT specialists and orthopaedists
should be involved in the examination
to clarify further symptoms. Imaging
diagnostic methods such as x-rays, computer tomography, magnetic resonance tomography or EEGs (electroencephalogram)
are used.
Consider the mental aspect
Apart from the rare malignant form, the
disorder does not reduce life expectancy.
However the cause of neurofibromatosis
cannot be cured so far; only symptomatic
treatment is possible. This requires
the interdisciplinary cooperation of
physicians from various fields, psychologists and human geneticists.
Physiotherapy should also be integrated if
there are accompanying orthopaedic
disorders. An affected person‘s life can
be significantly improved by aids such as
hearing aids, visual aids, and orthopaedic
shoe treatment.
Neurofibromas should be monitored on a
lifelong basis by a doctor to exclude a
possible malignant disorder at the earliest
Medicine - CURRENT
Fig. 1: A 58 year old man with Recklinghausen‘s disease type
I shows definite typical neurofibromas on the back, neck,
head and arms.
Fig. 2: Affected persons also have reddish to bluish neurofibromas on the upper extremities and frontal thoracic
region in many cases.
Fig. 3: The feet are usually affected strongly as well when
neurofibromatosis is present; patients may have several neurofibromas of different sizes.
Fig. 4: This 68 year old woman with Recklinghausen‘s
disease type I also clearly shows numerous neurofibromas
on the soles of the feet.
possible time. Among other things, surgery
becomes necessary in malignant connective
tissue tumours and if there are complaints,
neurological or orthopaedic symptoms,
or mentally burdening cosmetic problems.
Neurofibromas on the hearing nerve
should be removed early to prevent threatening deafness.
Foot specialists can help
Regular treatments by a foot specialist
are advisable if there is pronounced hyperkeratosis (figures 3 and 4). If there are neurofibromas on the foot soles, regular applications of prescribed orthopaedic aids
such as soft beds for pressure relief and
redistribution on the foot sole can help; or
a butterfly roll in spread foot. If there is no
prescription, pressure relief articles such as
the frontal foot cushion or GEHWOL pad
cushion can also help. Creams with added
urea are suitable for intensive skin care;
such as GEHWOL med Lipidro Cream or
GEHWOL med Callus Cream. Affected
persons can help activate the circulation
with home foot exercises, foot massages or
foot baths with added urea, such as the
GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT Herbal Bath. Foot
care pros should consider information on
complying with regular medical check-ups
to exclude the very rare malignant forms
when they provide help.
Dr. med. Renate Wolansky
The established orthopaedist, sports physician and medical foot care provider
teaches in the field of podology at several
educational institutions. The expert has
also published numerous books and writes
for recognized specialised institutions.
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Medicine - CURRENT
Medicinal products and aids report 2014
Together for fewer amputat
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Diabetic foot syndrome is among the most common consequential disorders of diabetes. The number of resulting amputations is still clearly too high. FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL spoke to Prof. Dr. Gerd Glaeske, co-head of the
department of health economics, health policy and care research at the University of Bremen, about the role of
podology. He is one of the authors of the medicinal products and aids report of the Barmer GEK 2014, according
to which three quarters of all diabetics classified as being at risk do not receive podological treatment which would
be handled via a disease management program (DMP). The report therefore also confirms the survey results of the
GEHWOL Diabetes Report 2014, according to which less than half of all diabetics use the option to obtain regular
routine check-ups from a podologist.
Prof. Glaeske, in your opinion, will obligatory podological treatment contribute to reducing the rate of amputations?
Podology is a very significant service to
preserve the “foot health“ of persons with
diabetes. We repeatedly see situations in
which such patients develop injuries or
wounds on the feet because they have, for
example, stepped on foreign bodies such
as thumb tacks, or injured their toes during
nail care. One reason: Circulation disorders may interfere with sensitivity, which
may lead to a lack of pain sensation in the
feet. This applies particularly to older persons, that is, the majority of people with
diabetes mellitus type 2 who live alone,
suffer from impaired mobility (often due to
overweight), and can scarcely do adequate
foot care.
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16
However many treating physicians show
little inclination of checking the feet for
injuries, inflammation or wounds at regular intervals, as this original statement
shows: “I have too little time every day - by
the time the patient has removed shoes and
socks, I can treat three other patients!“ In
this way, small foot problems can certainly
develop into large wounds, which can
then be very difficult to manage. In the
worst case, it may lead to amputation of a
toe or the frontal foot, then necessitating
costly shoe treatment.
Small events on the feet can therefore develop into burdening problems, cause physical and mental strain to patients, and also
place a severe financial burden on the
health care system. If, however, this also
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often occurs detectably within the scope of
the Disease Management Program (DMP),
in which physicians regularly have to
ensure the foot health of persons with diabetes, this often results in insufficient care
in this field. This must be avoided at all
costs.
Should podology be more strongly used as
a preventive option, and will it be necessary to simplify access to prescribed access to a podologist for this purpose?
I am firmly convinced that regular podological care which is initiated at an early
time is an important option, particularly for
older, overweight diabetics who live alone
and suffer from impaired mobility and
visual acuity, for reducing or even preventing lasting injuries and inflammation on
Medicine - CURRENT
tions
the feet. I believe that an interval of two to
three months would make sense.
In the sense of the mix of professions which
we have described in many valuations
of the expert committee, the cooperation
between the treating physicians on the one
hand and the podologists on the other
hand should be significantly improved.
This also includes considerations of
enabling direct access to podological treatment. This would certainly be possible
within the scope of delegating to this specialised group.
Health Report Diabetes 2015
Amputations in diabetics in Germany are still too common. The new German Health
Report Diabetes 2015 also indicates this. About 40,000 amputations annually take
place as a result of poorly adjusted blood sugar levels. The amputations are preceded
by foot lesions such as diabetic foot syndrome. Within Germany, about 250,000 diabetics are affected. Depending on the age group, the prevalence therefore ranges from
two to ten percent of the entire diabetic population. The rate of new illnesses has not
changed, remaining at about two to six percent of all diabetics annually. Diabetics
have an approx. 20 times higher relative risk of suffering a high amputation due to a
foot injury.
Diagnostics and specialised therapy of peripheral circulatory disorders are of outstanding importance in reducing amputations. Therapy includes: Pressure relief, wound
cleansing, wound treatment, improving circulation, treatment of bacterial infections.
Among other things, preventive measures include diabetic education, screening of
peripheral circulation disorders and regular foot inspections. Networking outpatient
and inpatient care as well as implementing and applying defined treatment paths are
also promising strategies to reduce the number of high amputations within Germany.
Can physicians directly contribute to
improving their patients‘ disease awareness and correspondingly, also obtaining
better, responsible preventive behaviour?
Physicians are informed about all aspects
of the respectively required treatment
processes via DMPs. They must take this
information into account; after all, it is
precisely for this reason that they receive
an additional fee for patients participating
in the program. This includes both
information about podological care and
the required referral to an ophthalmologist
once a year.
However we now found that even information which is available within the scope of
these programs does not always result in
evidence-based actions. I therefore also
believe that it is urgently indicated to verify
the efficacy and patient benefits of the
DMPs again, and certainly issue any applicable sanctions. The enactment of the
Declaration of San Vincente was to lower
the number of amputations and significantly
lessen cases of blindness and dialysis in persons with diabetes. A quarter century later,
fotolia | DOC RABE Media
How should the interdisciplinary cooperation between e.g. diabetes consultants,
orthopaedists, physicians and podologists
function ideally?
The most important basis consists
of improved cooperation between the
various professional groups participating
in the treatment of persons with diabetes.
Naturally, I regard electronic patient files
which make it possible to inform
each other about significant aspects as
especially helpful. Not everyone needs to
know everything. However, it should be
clear to e.g. podologists which problems
were discovered on the feet, and which
of them specifically should receive professional treatment.
this goal has clearly been missed. It is high
time to re-enliven the approach of San
Vincente, making all efforts to improve the
quality of life of persons with diabetes. This
necessitates improved communication,
cooperation and integration structures. In
my opinion, podology is a mandatory part
of improved structures and could make a far
greater contribution to finally show a
proven reduction in the number of amputations.
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Gerd Glaeske, University of Bremen
The professor for medication care research at the Zentrum für Sozialpolitik
(ZeS = Centre for Social Policy) has been the co-head of the department of
health economics, health policy and care research since 2007. His expert
knowledge is in demand by innumerable committees, e.g. as a member
of the expert committee to assess developments in healthcare, as a
conference president in the Deutsches Netzwerk Versorgungsforschung
[German Care Research Network] or on the Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der
Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA = Scientific Advisory
Committee of the Federal Centre for Health Information]).
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Instruments in use, part 1: the hollow chisel blade
Clean cut
Aside from one‘s own expertise knowledge, the equipment is a key part of
the heart of a foot care practice. This includes instruments which experts
present in small case histories in practice use. We start with podologist Inge
Radojicic, who uses hollow chisel blades to treat corns (clavi).
A patient aged 63 years came to my practice
complaining of severe pain on one of her
right toes. This was particularly true when
wearing shoes. Therapy took place according to common standards.
1. step: Clinical findings
Since I was familiar with the patient, I did
not need an extensive medical history. I
first checked the affected part of the foot
and found a clavus papillares (hard corn
with enlarged skin papillae) on the second
digit of the right foot. The corn was slightly
below the tip of the toe. The whitish edge
and soft core were clearly discernible. I
documented the site with an image.
2. step: Treatment
I followed the visual findings with the
therapy. When treating hard corns, I like to
use the hollow chisel blade because it
allows me to cut into the depths very
precisely at specific points. The pencil grip
supports my fine motor function and therefore allows me to guide the instrument with
greater precision.
documentation of the result: a cleanly
detached corn.
3. step: Follow-up care
Since any corn removal irritates the skin, I
treated the toe with an ointment bandage
(GEHWOL med Nail and Skin Protection
Cream). The cream contains wheat germ oil
as well as panthenol to encourage healing,
and anti-inflammatory bisabolol. It also contains clotrimazole to prevent mycoses. I also
preventively gave the patient a GEHWOL
polymer gel Toe Cap G to use for pressure
relief.
4. step: Consultation
Finally, I explained to my patient that clavi
form particularly due to friction in specifically predisposed locations, due to toe
malpositions, stiff joints, bone exostoses or
excessively tight shoes. When we visually
checked her shoes, we found a slipped
insole which had probably exercised permanent pressure on the treated site.
We corrected this. At the same time, I
convinced the patient to check the fit of her
shoes regularly on her own.
First, I used blade size 7 to remove the
surrounding callus. I then used hollow
chisel blade number 1 to take out the
clavus. Sometimes, number 2 also works.
The precise grind of the blades allows for a
deep, clean cut. After changing blades
again, I followed up with hollow chisel
blade number 3. I then also created image
Vivid learning
Inge Radojicic
Even before training as a podologist, the engaged expert completed
numerous trainings. Radojicic operates a well-working practice in
Ronnenberg near Hanover, where her son actively participates. At the
orthopaedic college in Hanover, teaching and participation in the
examination committee are part of her many duties. Her expertise is
also in worldwide demand. She routinely holds expert seminars for
GEHWOL around the globe.
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Depending on the size, the hollow chisel
blades can be used to remove the callus
around the clavus, remove the corn, and
do precision follow-up work.
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The one-hour training video on the
subject of “hollow chisel blades in
professional use“ from GERLACH
TECHNIK shows practical working
methods with this precision instrument,
providing many practice-oriented tips.
The DVD costs 9.90 Euros and can be
obtained from the GEHWOL and
GERLACH TECHNIK general catalogues.
Gerlach in Canada
GEHWOL is number 1
GEHWOL products have a special jubilee this year: Their main importer, Continental Cosmetics, has now been successfully cooperating with Eduard Gerlach GmbH for 30 years. Canadians proudly say: GEHWOL is the number 1 foot care
brand in the country, with its more than 35 million residents.
The example of Canada shows that
GEHWOL is a world brand. It currently
celebrates a 30-year history of success
with its main importer, the company Continental Cosmetics. Classic foot care
(“pedicure“) in Canada focuses on aesthetics and wellness. Customers get their allround foot care and relaxing feel-good
moments at the numerous SPA resorts and
beauty salons of the country. Continental
Cosmetics supplies them directly, as well as
a large network of other dealers who sell
GEHWOL products to their own customers.
From Vancouver to Halifax
Due to continuing education and training
programs, Canadian foot care pros are able
to offer high standards in foot care. This
also includes the treatment of nail
problems such as ingrown toenails or nail
fungus. Monica Wartenberg, National Foot
Care Trainer of Continental Cosmetics for
GEHWOL in Canada, explains that the
most common problems of customers
include the main problems of athletes (so
called “athletes‘ foot“), foot odour and
excessive foot sweat. For treating severe
foot problems, customers are referred to a
physician specialising in podiatrics.
After Russia , Canada is the world‘s second
largest country, with 9.9 million square kilo-
metres. The GEHWOL brand was one of the
first professional foot care lines offered on
the Canadian market - from the West to the
East Coast. General Manager of Continental
Cosmetics, Conrad Tokarz, adds that
GEHWOL was thus far able to assert itself
as the leading foot care brand in Canada.
Mr. Tokarz is especially proud of their best
selling product, the “GEHWOL med salve
for cracked skin“. To celebrate the 30 year
partnership with GEHWOL, the company
even designed a jubilee motif for the med
salve package (see fig.). But what needs do
Canadians take to the hands of a foot care
pro?
Wellness and health
On the one hand, says Ms. Wartenberg,
customers want a relaxing wellness treatment in the form of an enlivening foot and
leg massage. On the other hand, they value
the foot care consultation, which is
matched to the needs of their skin and
nails. Thorough toenail and nail edge
cleaning as well as callus treatment are the
central focus. Finally, great value is placed
on choosing the right foot care cream, also
for use at home. Individual SPA foot treatments range from base care (“Basic Care
Pedicure“) with a subsequent massage and
toenail polish application to the ultimate
“SPA-Pedicure“, which additionally offers
a foot and leg scrub and a paraffin treatment.
The newest foot care trend aims at sports
people and hikers. This “Natural Foot treatment“ includes even deeper cleaning
of the nails and nail edges, removal and
perfect smoothing of callus, as well as the
removal of any existing corns. Foot fungus
treatment, which can also be done at home
and is accompanied by a treatment protocol, is also provided as needed. Here, the
new wellness approach for the feet and
nails is: “Back to nature!“ That is, the nails
are no longer polished, but shown “bare”.
For even in Canada, the best possible
preservation of foot health is the highest
commandment.
19
The consultation: “Yes, you can“
Hello, feel-good time!
fotolia | Photographee.eu
A comprehensive care treatment with
you, the foot care pro, does more
than ensure healthy, beautiful and well
cared for feet. It‘s also a feel-good time
for many customers - a break from
hectic everyday life. Last but not least,
it makes customers receptive to your
professional advice - e.g. regarding
home care.
Beautiful, healthy feet and legs: This requires consistent care - also at home, of course.
Foot care pro: Hello there!
Customer: Hi, I‘d like to redeem my
Christmas coupon for a foot care treatment
with you.
Foot care pro: As I see, you are here for the
first time today.
Customer: Yes, exactly. I have never had
foot care and am very excited about it. I
have a lot of stress and can really use this
small break with you. As always, the holidays were lovely, but stressful.
Foot care pro: So I‘ll start by taking a look
at your feet, so that I can advise you as well
as possible in the treatment. Do you have
acute foot problems, or any illnesses such
as diabetes?
Customer: No, not in itself. But as you see,
I have a lot of callus due to standing a lot at
work and tight fitting shoes, and I admit: I‘m
not always able to remove it thoroughly.
Foot care pro: Yes, and I already discovered
a few small cracks; I recommend treating
them. The cracks can be painful, and also
allow fungi and bacteria to penetrate easily.
Especially at home, your feet therefore need
an extra portion of care.
Customer: Specifically in wintertime, my
skin quickly dehydrates and becomes more
susceptible. And my feet are cold all the
time. What would you recommend here?
Foot care pro: You‘re right about that. Your
foot skin lacks balancing lipids - fats and
intensive moisture. This renders the skin
20
resistant, also protecting it against becoming dehydrated again.
Customer: I would like my stressed feet to
feel refreshed after the strenuous work day,
and my legs as well. It‘s also important to
me to use care products which are rapidly
absorbed
Foot care pro: For cold feet, I would first
recommend a warming foot bath to activate
your circulation. Then callus is also easier
to remove. I‘ll give you a sample to try out
at home.
Customer: Thanks, I will definitely try that.
Now I‘m curious!
Foot care pro: And I also have something
to care for your feet and legs. I can
recommend a combination of GEHWOL
FUSSKRAFT Soft Feet Cream and
GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT Soft Feet Lotion.
Customer: Two products? What‘s so
special about this combined care?
Foot care pro: Milk and honey in the
cream moisturise and render the skin
smooth and supple. Together with urea, a
specially produced hyaluron also binds
this moisture in the deeper skin layers. The
cream strengthens the skin‘s defences and
protects your feet against new callus.
Customer: And what would be suitable for
the legs? That‘s really important to me in
terms of care and appearance.
Foot care pro: The Soft Feet Lotion - which
by the way was recently tested in detail by
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Bild-der-Frau readers - is right for this.
Customer: Oh yes, the well-known
women‘s magazine? That’s interesting. So
what happened? Because I don‘t really fall
for mere advertising promises (laughs)!
Foot care pro: Nine out of ten testers
recommend the lotion. It contains a feelgood combination of water lily, silk and
hyaluron, is immediately absorbed, and just like the cream - provides plenty of
moisture. This care, which testers
described as refreshing, also contains
active substances from the red algae
“Palmaria Palmata“. The lotion also
convinced users because it noticeably
smoothes the skin even during use.
Customer: Sounds perfect for my heavy,
tired legs!
Foot care pro: If you like, I‘ll massage your
feet and legs with it after the
treatment. By the way: I have a little
“foot care adviser“ here with product
recommendations on foot care, relaxation
and prevention of foot care problems. I
have already checked off my specific
recommendations for you.
Customer: Thank you, I‘ll definitely take a
look at that.
The new GEHWOL consultation guideline
Easier consultations
To keep your patients busy with their foot problem and home care
even before and during the treatment, we now have a new free care
guideline and an acrylic display which you can place in an easily
visible location within reach of the treatment chair. By checking
off the right product option and applying your practice stamp, the
guideline becomes your personal care recipe.
Helping patients with all aspects of their
foot problems is the goal of therapeutic
(problem related) foot care. But this also
means providing patients with expert
advice in all matters of foot health and
hygiene. For the patient isn‘t truly helped
until a foot problem no longer occurs
lastingly or repeatedly. Long term improvement is always the greater success.
Treatment therefore always includes
instructions for self-foot care - as far as the
patient is objectively able to do this themselves.
Focus on solving problems
But patients must always be able to understand the care recommendations correctly. If
they are unable to do so, they may react
with a defensive attitude. This aspect
of comprehension is decisive if you recommend an aid - a foot care product - for
continued care at home. The recommendation should focus not on the product, but on
the care benefits for the foot problem. A
crack salve means something different to the
customer once they understand that skin
cracks on the feet cannot be prevented with
a body lotion, but need a speciality
product which matches the
physiological conditions of
The preparatory foot bath offers a lot of time for a care consultation. It‘s important that
care information is easily visible and within the patient‘s reach.
foot skin. As in a pharmacy prescription
which is issued by a doctor, recommendations for the feet must express your
expertise, which your patients trust and of
which they believe that they will actually
be helpful and well-intended to solve the
problem.
The GEHWOL care guideline is a new aid
which can simplify your consultation,
already integrating it into the treatment to
save time. After the treatment, you can give
the customer your personal (practice stamp!)
care recipe with the guideline. You can also
elegantly support a closing sale conversation
with this recommendation as needed.
Your personal care recipe
Start by bringing up the problem right
after visually inspecting the feet. Cracks,
corns, callus, nail problems etc. are rapidly
detected. So while the customer waits for
the treatment, e.g. while taking a foot bath,
they can use the new guideline to inform
themselves about the nature and cause of
their foot problem. The foot bath offers
valuable information and consultation
time, for the customer is still very sensitive
to preventive recommendations at this
moment when their foot problems are disclosed to them. After the treatment,
treatmen the
patient knows his foot problems; he knows
that there are specialised products which
he can buy from you directly, wi
without
having to go to a pharmacy. What he still
needs now is your personal care recipe.
You can use this to close the trea
treatment.
Simply check off the product which
you would like to recommend to your
correspondin care
customer in the corresponding
indication. It represents care homework with a product option. On
Once the
customer understands this, you have
gained a lot.
21
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fotolia | PPBR
Practice CURRENT
Current survey: GEHWOL foot care trends
Focus on healthy feet
Now
available:
the
current
results of the GEHWOL survey
“Foot care trends“. The report
provides interesting insights about
the attitudes, motivations and
behaviours of Germans concerning
foot care. And the result shows that
foot care consciousness is already
pronounced in the population with upward potential. More than
two thirds of those surveyed regard
regular foot care as very important
or important.
For the GEHWOL survey “Foot care trends“,
the market research institute GfK surveyed a
total of 1,021 online users - both men and
women - representatively aged 18 years and
up in Germany in the fall of 2014. The survey
sought answers to the following questions:
?
d
l
i
b
t
u
o
Lay
Health, beauty, wellness: Why do people
care for their feet?
Attitude and behaviour: How satisfied
are Germans with their feet? What do
they do for well cared for feet?
A look at partnership: How important is
the subject of “foot care“ to men and
women in a relationship?
Rising awareness of foot care
The question was: “How important is regular foot care to you?“ The result clarifies a
trend: Foot care awareness as a part of
body care is rising in both genders and
across all age groups. Two thirds (66 percent) of surveyed persons believe that
regular foot care is very important or
important. Only eleven percent give it less
or no significance. In 2003, a representative
survey of the Berufsgenossenschaft für
Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege
(BGW = Professional Association for
Health Services and Well Care) still
showed a different picture. Only 29 percent of women and twelve percent of men
regarded foot care as important. Today,
women in particular (77 percent) believe
that foot care is very important, while
men‘s attitudes on its relevance are lower
at 56 percent, as expected. And: The older
the surveyed persons, the greater the
importance of foot care to them.
22
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Practice CURRENT
Foot care trends in Germany
Men
Women
72 %
I want to have healthy feet even as I age.
69 %
54 %
Beautiful, well cared for feet are important
to me, for I value my appearance.
29 %
50 %
It‘s important to me that my partner also has
well cared for feet.
44 %
54 %
Foot care contributes to increasing my
well-being.
I use specialised foot care products
(always/often).
56 %
24 %
fotolia
foto
lia | Mirami
Mirami
ramiska
ska
I regularly apply cream to my feet.
35 %
58 %
30 %
Source: GfK survey “Foot care trends“ on behalf of GEHWOL, 1,021 private online users (m/f) aged 18 years and up, September 201
“66 percent of surveyed
persons believe that regular
foot care is very important
or important.“
Healthy feet for everyone - even when aging
The aspect of keeping the feet healthy
is the main motivation for foot care. 72
percent of women and 69 percent of men
want to have healthy feet even as they age.
And: The older those surveyed, the more
important this wish becomes. In the group
of 30 to 39 year olds, a good third (67
percent) state this wish, but in surveyed
persons aged 60 years and up, this statement is made by 82 percent. Nonetheless,
not even half of women and men (43 and
41 percent) agree with the statement
(regarding prevention) that early and
consistent foot care protects against illness.
This result shows that there is still major
sensitisation and information potential
here.
Wellness and beauty: a trend in women
In all those surveyed, foot care is also associated with feel-good and wellness ideas.
More than half of all women (54 percent)
and already more than one-third of men
believe that it contributes to increasing
one‘s individual sense of well-being. Wellness applications such as foot baths, scrubs
or massages are particularly valued by
younger persons, according to the survey.
They provide relaxation for a total of 38
percent of female and 21 percent of male
survey responders. Nonetheless, foot care
largely remains a women‘s theme. They
also value their appearance and aesthetics
greatly. Beautiful, well cared for feet are
important to every second woman (54
percent), but not even to every third man
(29 percent). It is only from age 60 up that
beauty loses its relevance as a reason for
foot care.
Foot problems and care behaviour
A total of 48 percent of those surveyed including more men than women - are
satisfied with the state of their feet.
Nonetheless, approximately every third
person (31 percent) always or often have
foot problems, particularly including
excess callus, dry skin, ingrown toenails,
foot odour, corns, foot fungus or malpositions. 42 percent of those surveyed report
occasional foot problems. Professional
foot care is only used always or often by
barely one fifth (20 percent), while this is
occasionally (19 percent) or never (61
percent) the case in the remainder of
surveyed persons. Here as well, it is shown
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that women and best-agers aged 50 years
and up are in the core target group for professional foot care.
“51 percent of men and 45
percent of women are
satisfied with the state
of their feet.“
My feet, your feet ...
But what about the subject of foot care in
partnerships? Even though men place less
value on beautiful, well cared for feet in
themselves, they want them in their female
partner. It‘s important to nearly every
second man (44 percent) that his female
partner should have well cared for feet.
Conversely, this is the wish of half of all
women (50 percent) in their partner. And
the demand for the partner‘s foot care
persists nearly unchanged in both genders
to a high age. Last but not least, wellness is
also wanted in partnerships: 30 percent of
women and 19 percent of men love it
when their partner massages their feet younger persons even more than older
persons.
23
Practice CURRENT
Process optimisation in the practice, part 2: Treatment management
More time for your customers
“Please make sure that
“Thank you,
,ZLOOGH¿QLWHO\
do that.“
fotolia
foto
lia | Gerhar
Gerhar
rhard
d Seyber
Seyber
ybertt
your nails stay supply
and don‘t turn brittle.“
Cabinet wares are empty, the instruments are not ready, or the foot bath is not prepared. A treatment is a complex
process which can rapidly stall on an everyday basis. But the better it works, the more room there is for the important conversation with the customer and the consultation which is part of the therapy. Such open times result when
procedures are specified, materials and tools ready to hand, and care products are in the right place.
Foot care specialist Silke W. looks forward
to her next customer. “Hi, Ms. Meier, please
take a seat. I‘m coming right away.“ The
customer is in the practice for the first time.
Silke W. quickly takes the phone, and
notices an e-mail. Ms. Meier has already
waited ten minutes. “Ok, let‘s get started“,
Silke W. says and rolls the foot bath tub to
the treatment chair. “Just a moment, I‘ll fill
the tub.“ Silke W. reaches for the herbal
“When compared with the
ability to organise the work
of a single day sensibly,
everything else is
child‘s play““
24
be much easier to work on your feet.“ Silke
W. wants to put in a cap grinder, but notices
that the right size is not in the cabinet.
Meanwhile the door bell rings - the next
customer is there. Slowly things get more
hectic. To save time, Silke W. leaves out an
important and underestimated treatment
step at the end: The consultation. Many
customers don‘t know how to look after
their feet at home. Expert advice provides
information about sensible home care
measures, and extends therapy into the
home environment.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The incomplete, fictional example of Silke
W. is probably exaggerated. But it shows
that the treatment process was not
optimally prepared. It costs her a lot of
time, mixing up her plans for the day as a
result. This can initiate an entire spiral
which continues through the entire day.
bath. The cabinet ware is empty. After two
minutes, she returns to the treatment room
with a new package. “Such a bath is great“,
the customer enthuses. “Yes, and now it will
It seems banal at first. But a treatment
can be understood as a process with a
beginning, middle and end. Tip: Draw
the entire treatment process on a sheet of
paper. You can quickly see how complex it
is. Make a process plan, using the checklist
on the side for orientation.
Electronic tools are also helpful on an
everyday basis. Among other things, you
can maintain appointment planning, treatment documentation or ware inventory
using MS BusinessCLASS from GERLACH
TECHNIK. The practice-related software
simplifies customer administration and
provides evaluations at the push of a
button.
When processes in a treatment are standardised, materials and tools ready to
hand, and care products are in the right
place, this saves time. While refilling and
bringing material as above only takes a few
minutes, this adds up throughout the day.
This time which is freed up can be put to
better use, e.g. for hygiene, documentation
and consultation as central economic
components of the treatment cycle. By the
way, you can use the new GEHWOL
consultation guideline for this purpose,
starting immediately (see page 19 of this
issue).
Practice CURRENT
Use this checklist to optimise your
General information
Everyone works differ
ently. Therefore, ma
ke your own
personal checklist for
treatments.
Optimise your appo
intment planning.
Check how
much time you will
need between treatm
ents. Plan in
extra time for unforese
en things.
Maintain a dynamic
inventory list - e.g.
with the MS
BusinessCLASS softw
are. In this way, you
can quickly
find out which mater
ials are still in stock
, and which
ones need to be reorde
red.
Make sure that you
have a supply of im
portant forms,
e.g. for cost estimate
s, therapy reports, pa
tient surveys
or physician referrals
, if you do not use so
ftware which
already integrates su
ch forms.
Post your hygiene pla
n in the foot care pra
ctice so that it
is readily visible to all
employees.
Preparation
Regularly check wh
ether the care produ
cts which you
want to use during tre
atments are still suffic
iently well
stocked in storage as
well.
Also check whether
you have sufficient
products in
stock to recommend
to the customer.
Treatment
Make relaxing convers
ation, especially at the
beginning.
The better the custome
r feels, the more relax
ed and simple the treatment will be
.
Inform your custome
r if you are alone in
the practice
and have to take telep
hone calls. In principl
e, however,
check whether an
answering machine
mi
ght make
sense. You can use
the message to state
that you are
busy with a treatmen
t, or that open hours
are over and
you will call back as
soon as possible.
Advise your custome
r on how they can
contribute
to the health of the
ir feet. For instance
, use the new
GEHWOL consultati
on guideline here.
Make a follow-up ap
pointment with the cu
stomer.
Post-processing
Closely document all
details about the im
plemented
treatment immediatel
y afterwards.
It‘s best if you refill
all consumed mater
ials in the foot
care cabinet immedia
tely.
Properly dispose of
single use materials
such as mouth
protection, gloves an
d polisher caps right
after use.
Return your chair to
your optimal ergonom
ic position if
you have changed thi
s during the treatmen
t.
Process used instrume
nts or collect them in
the preparation room.
Thoroughly clean an
d disinfect work surfa
ces to reduce
the risk of transmittin
g infectious microbe
s.
fotolia | arabes69
Keep patient data rea
dy to hand. Look at
any important
information which the
y may contain befor
e starting the
treatment.
In new customers, rem
ember to obtain healt
h data to
record previous dis
orders which are rel
evant to the
treatment, such as dia
betes or haemophilia.
Afterwards and theref
ore before your next
treatment,
disinfect your work
environment, such as
the treatment
chair, seat surfaces,
arm rests and foot res
ts as well as
all cabinet work surfa
ces.
Prepare the soothing
, cleansing foot bath
for the customer even before startin
g the treatment.
Ready sufficient sterile
instruments. Check tha
t the seal
is undamaged in sterile
goods.
Keep towels, protectiv
e gloves, mouth and
nose protection masks and all ne
eded materials for po
ssible wound
care close at hand.
Depending on the
practice focus, any
other needed
materials should als
o be within easy rea
ch
, such as orthonyxia supplies.
treatment process.
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Praxis AKTUELL
26
Marketing CURRENT
Current trend: Coupons
Giving anticipation
Coupons already existed in the USA in the 19th century. Today, in our
increasingly digitalised world, they are booming as never before, since both
publishers and customers benefit. You can also use them in your foot care
practice to gain new customers or keep current customers.
No later than 2001, when the discount act
and added gift regulations came, coupons
are growing steadily more popular in Germany as well. They satisfy many people‘s
need to find special bargains. When they
are used, there is a psychological effect of
using a service for which one does not
have to pay in this situation. This creates a
positive mood, even if the customer previously paid for the coupon themselves.
Coupons also make great gifts for friends,
relatives, customers etc.
Platforms which mainly market coupons
have formed on the internet. Some examples
include Groupon, CityDeal, Dailydeal and
Gutscheinsammler.de. There are also local
providers of interest, such as AboCard plus
in Wiesbaden. Social media platforms such
as Facebook Places also use so called Location Based Services. That is, potential customers are located, and the customer is notified if coupon issuers are nearby. Those who
then obtain a coupon code can redeem it
directly when they shop. Internet shops usually have a field where one can enter one‘s
code when buying products.
Foot care as an event
These codes usually result in a discount for
the customer. The event portal “Mydays“
goes an entirely different route. Here, one
can obtain coupons for professional foot
care. Foot care pros simply register
themselves as local partners with
“Mydays“. At the same time, they close a
contract specifying the conditions of
the cooperation. But study the contract
carefully if you decide to choose such a
cooperation.
holidays such as Christmas, Easter or for
birthdays. For instance, use the GEHWOL
coupon boxes here.
In general, you can choose between
offering items or values. The coupon for an
offered item might consist of a valuable
campaign package such as: professional
foot care, a massage and a care set for feelgood care at home. To make up such a
package, take advantage of GEHWOL
natural rebates, since you can give
customers added value by passing them on
while also being neutral in terms of costs.
But coupons for a specific monetary
amount are also well suited as practice
marketing instruments.
How long is it valid?
Regardless of the route by which you use
the marketing instrument, certain rules
apply to coupons. When you provide the
coupon, you promise a service which you
have to fulfil if the coupon is handed in.
There is always uncertainty in terms of
how long it is valid.
First, one must differentiate whether
coupons are for a service (such as a wellness foot treatment) or a purpose bound
monetary credit (e.g. 50 Euros for foot care
and products). In the first case, a three-year
rule applies, equalling the claim deadline
subject to civil law. The period can be
shortened in individual cases, e.g. if drastic
cost increases are expected. In that case,
however, the coupon holder has a right of
return which is otherwise excluded. The
claim does not lapse in monetary credits.
But the coupon holder takes the risk
that the ware value will drop due to price
increases.
Added value can be this nice.
GEHWOL coupons are ideal for
your marketing uses.
Costs are within limits. Once the profile is
up, you don‘t have to do a lot. You just wait
for your new customers. Since the portal
brokers customers and orders for you, a brokerage fee is legitimate. But make sure that
this fee does not exceed your profit margin.
The marketing instrument is therefore also
easily used in foot care.
Both online variants and classics work.
They are a popular gift especially for
27
Marketing CURRENT
Combined service and care product packages
Making packages
Customers and patients trust in the expertise of foot care pros and podologists in foot care. Expert
recommendations are accepted for foot problems or regular care. This trust can also be transferred to
product sales by offering both in a combination package. Therefore customers and patients not only
benefit from professional treatment, but also from suitable products at home - for lasting success.
As a foot care pro and podologist, you use
products which you trust and to which
you ascribe high efficacy every day. Your
customers and patients can use the same
products at home to profit from their care
properties. Customers depend on information from you to find out about the products
and buy them. Use your product conviction to offer the products. People don‘t like
to reject recommendations in the health
and care sector, and only rarely question
them. After all, they often lack the knowledge to evaluate the recommendation
themselves.
should briefly describe the offered package
contents. Such flyers are easily printed on
your own, or you can have them inexpensively copied by an online print shop. Give
the flyer to your customers after treatments
to take home. The customer can then decide
at home whether they would like to use the
offered package for their next appointment.
The customer will emotionally perceive the
offer as an attractive overall package,
and not separate the components which
it contains by their actual cost shares
or exclude individual components when
placing their order.
Campaigns with offer packages
But instead of recommending and selling a
product at the cash register after treatment,
there are also other lovely options: Offer
packages can help with this, so that the
actual purchase moves to the background.
Offer the treatment and e.g. a wellness extra,
combined with a product: In this way,
relaxation tea, a foot bath, a pedicure and a
foot massage become the “winter wellness
break“. For instance, include the GEHWOL
FUSSKRAFT Soft Feet Lotion in the package
for happiness at home after the treatment.
And their regular use supports your professional foot care.
Giving product experiences
There is another option for offering the
package of a treatment offer and care
product: Present the offer directly during
the treatment by allowing customers to
experience the product. Address their
excess callus and recommend that they
should do something about it at home as
well: “After your callus removal today,
GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT Hydrolipid-Lotion
is perfect. I‘m applying the lotion to your
feet right now. Can you feel how smooth
your foot skin is? This is due to the tapioca
starch which the lotion contains. I recommend that you continue to use the lotion
regularly at home. This will save you the
nuisance of excess callus in the future. I‘ll
give you a tube to take home after the treatment. For especially supple skin without
Instead of verbally presenting the package,
a small flyer can draw attention to your
campaign packages: The handout sheet
28
excess callus, the Hydrolipid Lotion is
definitely part of the package for me.“ With
this recommendation and your conviction
of theproduct, customers will not decline
the package with the product, and willingly
pay the package price.
GEHWOL quality:
GEHWOL convinces as a traditional
brand with expertise, trust and
security.
Modern research and advanced
production ensure optimal quality
standards.
Products are based on pharmaceutical concepts.
Natural active ingredients serve as
the basis of all GEHWOL products.
Exclusive specialist product offers
emphasise the foot care expert‘s
recommendations.
fotolia
foto
lia | Melpom
Melpom
lpomene
ene
Marketing CURRENT
Supporting product sales with offer packages
Dr. Müller, what is the potential of product
package offers in the everyday practice?
Packages are definitely an interesting sales
instrument. Buyers are always looking for
good deals. Packages let them feel that they
are getting a lot for their money. The
extensive package contents also prevent
consumers from looking at the prices of the
individual components and comparing
them to the individual prices.
That is, a package offer doesn‘t always
have to be a super-deal?
Precisely. The overall package can certainly
cost the same as the individual components
put together. Consumers find it difficult to
gain an overview of the unit prices and the
total and allocate them properly. Instead of
a super savings offer, foot care pros and
podologists should see the packages as
their consultation service: The expert puts
together the ideal package, and this saves
the customer difficult research, for instance.
So I can even use packages to profile
myself as a foot care pro?
Yes, definitely. In the winter wellness break
package, for instance, the customer receives
the right foot care for them with a foot bath
and pedicure, together with the right care
product to use at home. If the foot care pro
only offered the service, the customer would
have to research the care products on their
own, and might buy them from another provider. So package offers are a good option for
emphasising the consultation expertise of foot
care pros and podologists, and transferring it
to products. This gets product sales going.
So foot care pros can also avoid pricing
pressure?
Of course the customer wants a bargain,
but it doesn‘t always have to be a bargain
price. They may also be attracted by expert
advice. You can trump with your recommendation and your own conviction, and
don‘t have to get into a pricing battle in the
first place. Price drops usually mean that
customers and patients will only buy the
products when they are marked down. The
intended buying incentive quickly loses its
effect, and sales drop. Sales using the
price are not necessary with a high quality
product range. Health and care in particular are not price-sensitive fields. It makes
much more sense to emphasise quality. But
if a price discussion with the customer does
occur, foot care pros are better advised to
use argumentation which points out the
quality.
Dr. Müller, thank you for the conversation!
Dr. Kai-Markus Müller is a neuro- and behavioural scientist (M.Sc.) as
well as a diploma psychologist. In 2011, he founded the research agency
“The Neuromarketing Labs“. “The Neuromarketing Labs“ uses the knowledge obtained with modern technology and innovative physiological
methods for price, product and advertising research. Dr. Müller is also the
author of the world‘s first book on the subject of “NeuroPricing®“.
www.neuromarketing-labs.de
29
Marketing CURRENT
GEHWOL display window contest
Professionally designed
And the winner is: Sarah Schilling, foot care pro from Stuttgart. Her decoration in the GEHWOL display window
competition was convincing. In the 2/2014 issue, FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL called for foot care pros and podologists
to submit their display window decoration for the GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT Soft Feet series to the competition.
Foot care pro Sarah Schilling from Stuttgart
also participated in the contest, and
convinced the jury with her decoration.
Matching summer, she designed a vacation
scene in her display window, communicating relaxation, wellness and care all at
once - matching the claim of the exclusive
Soft Feet series.
Learning from experts
Her clever decoration won Sarah Schilling
coaching on the subject of “visual
marketing“. Design expert Alexandra
Chrobak taught the theoretical principles
and provided tips for more successful
visual marketing. Furthermore, Sarah
Schilling designed a new display window
motif with Alexandra Chrobak. “Seasonal
designs for seasons, Easter and Christmas
or vacation times are predestined for
setting new optical stimuli in the display
window“, Chrobak summarises.
Seasonal theme as a display window motif
Christmas is the time of gift giving. “My
customers surprise their loved ones with a
certificate for foot care and also give a
product to them to do something nice for
them. So I always use a Christmas motif in
30
my window, emphasising care and gift
giving“, Schilling explains. The decoration
which she created picks up on coupons
and Christmas packages as a gift motif.
Aside from GEHWOL FUSSKRAFT RED,
she also focuses on the Soft Feet line. The
foot care pro was surprised that she had
already intuitively done some things right
in her design. Alexandra Chrobak was also
able to show what impression or mood the
display generates in the observer. Chrobak
and Schilling jointly evaluated other
display windows in her neighbourhood.
The visual marketing expert also took the
different viewing angles of passersby into
account, and explained how the gaze of
observers moves through the display.
Decoration with little cost
“It was new to me that one must also have
the courage to leave gaps, instead of filling
the window too much“, Schilling says. An
overloaded display window might look
kitschy in a Christmas sense, but not
transmit the desired image of a foot care
practice, in which care is taken to ensure
cleanliness and order. An exclusive, high
quality presentation does not need to be
expensive - it can be implemented with
simple means. In Sarah Schilling‘s Christmas window, inexpensive paper sheets
become differently sized, circular fans,
forming a modern, lovely Christmas tree
on the white background. “For trendy
decoration ideas, foot care pros can look to
home and decor magazines for inspiration“,
Chrobak advises.
Bringing light to dark
Lighting is needed so that the display
is visible even in the dark season: “We shine
a bright spotlight on the GEHWOL
FUSSKRAFT RED product to emphasise the
products within the motif and draw the
viewer‘s gaze to them“, Chrobak adds. A
lovely design is great, but let‘s not forget:
The design should draw the attention of
customers and passersby to the practice,
ensuring demand for the presented products
and offered services.
Marketing CURRENT
E-mail advertising
Note the legal situation
Who doesn‘t use e-mail? We cannot imagine getting along without it as a means of communication in daily work.
E-mails also play a major role in advertising for new customers or maintaining current ones. It‘s so natural to use it
that legal traps are often overlooked.
FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL has already reported
several times on personal data protection.
Numerous data protection regulations apply
to e-mail communications as well. If you
violate them, you risk warnings or even
fines. Whether it‘s an advertising newsletter,
a letter to former customers, or communications with employees - legal traps await in
many places.
Former customers and employees
You should also take care in handling the
personal data of former customers. If the
business relationship ends, advertising or
attempts to regain the customer are not
permitted. A renewed consent is required
here as well. If you have employees, you
To send e-mails on time and without interference, it is necessary to comply with
the regulations of the Federal Data
Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz = BDSG) and the laws against
unfair competition (Gesetz gegen
unlauteren Wettbewerb = UWG).
First and foremost, no addressee
can be sent e-mail without their
consent. If you write to potential
customers, you need their positive
statement of will. For instance,
this is handled on a website by
checking a provided field, such
as: “I would like to receive the
newsletter.“ A subsequent confirmation e-mail ensures that no
stranger granted consent abusively
(this is the so called double opt-in
method).
Simpler with your own customers
Existing customers have usually provided
the necessary declaration of will. That is,
you are allowed to write to the customers,
but it is necessary to comply with certain
rules here as well. You must have acquired
the e-mail address within an action which
is closely related to your business, such as
foot care and product sales. You can only
use the e-mail to advertise services which
are at least similar to your offer or complement your products and services.
For instance, it would not be possible to
advertise vacuum cleaners if you are a foot
care pro unless the customer has explicitly
consented.
Whether to new or existing customers,
all e-mails must comply with the rights of
objection. A notice to this effect is
obligatory in any advertising e-mail. If the
customer actually objects, it is not allowed
to e-mail them until they renew their consent. The e-mail address must be deleted.
should exercise caution in monitoring e-mails
to avoid endangering personal rights. This
means: E-mails must not be read. If, on the
other hand, you suspect that an employee
has acted wrongly, you can research in the
concrete case.
fotolia | fotomek
Pay attention to general legal
conditions for e-mails to
avoid losing access to this
communication channel!
Tips
The subject line decides whether your
mail will be read or deleted. Therefore,
formulate your subject line so that it is
short, to the point and interesting.
Restrict yourself to what you want to
say. Avoid overloading your e-mail so
that the reader will not lose interest.
To satisfy further information requirements, you can offer links to your
website or PDF attachments.
Do the “grandma test“. Read your email to someone who is not involved.
If they understand what you want, you
have already accomplished a lot.
FUSSPFLEGE AKTUELL
FUSSPFLEGE
AKTUELL 1/2015
1/2015
Maintain a clear overview. Separate
paragraphs, and emphasise the most
important information.
Avoid the blanket approach. Not all of
your customers want or need the same
thing. Therefore, adjust the information
to your customers‘ needs if you want to
send out advertising e-mails.
Avoid flooding your customers with
e-mails. Use special campaigns, such
as a coupon campaign, or occasions
such as a birthday, Christmas, Easter or
the “day of the foot“ to send e-mails.
31
An image and its history
istockph
isto
ckphoto
ckph
oto | FrankB
FrankB
ankBe
e
The Uwe Seeler foot
He was regarded as one of the best centre
forwards of the world at that time. And his
strongest weapon on the attack left a lasting
impression not just on the field, but also in
front of the stadium of the federal league
member Hamburg SV. In 2005, a gigantic
monument was unveiled there: probably
the world‘s largest foot sculpture! It is an
overdimensional bronze depiction of the
right foot of Uwe Seeler, football idol and
honorary citizen of Hamburg.
To honour a football idol
“Uns Uwe“, as the now 78 year old is also
lovingly nicknamed, celebrated his football
debut in the DFB selections in 1954 at the
age of only 17 years. He is also the honorary
team captain of the German national team
and shot a total of 43 goals in 72 international matches between 1954 and 1970. In
1966, Germany became the runner-up world
champion with him captaining the team - in
the legendary finals against England at
Wembley Stadium. In 1970, he earned third
place with the team in the world championships. He always stayed loyal to his home
32
association, the Hamburg SV. So it‘s not
surprising that he is their federal league record shooter with 137 goals.
The XXL foot
The giant foot sculpture, which weighs in at
2.5 tons, was designed by artist Brigitte
Schmitges from Mönchengladbach, who
also sculpted the feet of football players
Franz Beckenbauer and Fritz Walter. The
sculpture is based on a plaster imprint on a
scale of 1:20. The megafoot is a total of 3.50
meters tall, 2.30 meters deep and 5.15
meters wide. The honorary monument was
cast in an art casting shop in the BadenWürttemberg city of Süßen and then transported to Hamburg on a flatbed trailer.
The bronze sculpture cost about 250,000
Euros and was donated by an HSV-loving
Hamburg entrepreneur who wanted to
commemorate his idol in this manner. On
the other hand: Uwe Seeler never lived the
grand life. Quite the opposite, he is regarded
as very modest and grounded.
But he was especially proud of this major
honour, and wished that his foot would bring
the Hamburg SV much luck. And Uwe Seeler‘s XXL foot soon got company: An “HSV
Walk of Fame“ in which another 36 mighty
HSV players immortalised their foot or hand
imprints soon took shape. Uwe‘s
father, Erwin Seeler, was also honoured there
with a posthumous honorary bronze tablet
for his services to the association.
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callus grinder

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