It should really come as no surprise that keeping my feet callus and blister free has been a challenge. The years of playing tennis, wearing heels and running have finally caught up to me. Plus, the older I get, I’ve noticed the tougher my skin has gotten, making it difficult to keep the bottom of my feet and heels soft.

A year ago I made a conscious decision to be more proactive about my foot care. I mean, these are the only feet I will ever have so the fact that I’m just getting it together in that department is tragic.  I had committed to monthly pedicures at one of Toronto’s most prestigious  spas once a month with a polish change in between when necessary. This worked well in the beginning, however as I increased my running mileage and began training for races, I found the results less effective. Two days after the Nike Women’s 15k race, Dr Scholl’s Micro Pedi Foot Smoother miraculously showed up at my door and the timing couldn’t have been better. My feet were looking rough. I was a skeptic at first, refusing to believe that a small, hand-held device would yield the results I would get at a nail salon. However, after some quick Google research, I discovered that cutting calluses actually causes skin to grow back thicker and faster (gasp!). The Pedi Express seamlessly remedies flakey skin and calluses painlessly by smoothing them away with it’s genius micro grain roller.

When I read the contents of the press release that accompanied the box and saw pedicure tips from Toronto’s reigning nail aficionado and owner of Tips Nail Bar Leanne Colley, I became confident that this had to be the real deal. Her advice for best results, which I clearly took as gospel:

• For deep cracks in your heels, use Express Pedi for a few minutes each day. Once most of the dryness is gone, use 2-3 times a week to maintain smooth skin.
• Applying a little bit of pressure when using Express Pedi will make for the softest skin and increase battery life.
• Before applying polish to your nails, clean off residue using a lint-free pad and acetone to avoid pesky fibres cotton balls tend to leave behind. Don’t forget to apply a base coat and paint away!

Photography by Nathalia Allen – amillionminds.ca

Here’s the skinny: I have used the Express Pedi every single day for almost a week and I am already seeing a dramatic difference to the skin on my heels, balls of my feet and the outer corners of my big toe, where majority of the hardened skin has developed. It’s definitely not time to scale back to two times a week yet, but I will be tracking my improvement until the end of the month. The July issue of InStyle Magazine has a few useful tips on how to make a pedicure last which I also plan to implement into my “at-home foot care” routine. The Express Medi’s compact size will make it super easy for me to bring along when I travel and the fact that it came equipped with batteries is definitely a bonus. Dr Scholl’s Express Pedi Foot Smoother ranges between $40-45 CDN and is now available at Loblaws, Walmart, Rexall, London Drugs and Home Hardware store locations nationwide. For more information on the world’s leading foot care brand and it’s products head to DrScholls.ca