In a short period of just 5 days from 16th -21st August Katrina Waller was able to perform a complex mixture of lower limb foot related problems, cosmetic podiatry e.g. foot dermal filler injections and benign skin removal procedures. This demonstrates that podiatrists with extended scope of practice can do a lot more than simple day to day ‘chiropody’. So many people still refer to us as chiropodists, but this name is very outdated as it does not reflect how well trained and specialist we are. In 2009, Katrina undertook aesthetic training to advance her podiatry skills. This extensive training over a period of several years involved minor skin surgery, dermal filler application, laser surgery and more recently suturing.
Foot Dermal Filler Injections for Fat Pad Atrophy
A podiatrist is already best placed to perform minor skin surgery, as daily they use scalpels to remove the most difficult of skin growths. A podiatrist has a great understanding of the skin’s anatomy to know how it responds to trauma and it’s healing outcomes. Great manual dexterity is essential in podiatry. In Katrina’s case she has been treating skin conditions for over 30 years, so the removal of a benign mole is simple, leaving very little to no scarring. For a podiatrist to be able to perform minor skin surgery they need to have the relevant insurance cover separate to their podiatry one.
In having a broader scope of practice it allows a podiatrist to have more tools in their box to treat a wider range of problems. It frees up treatment options without just being confined to the lower end of the body and makes life more interesting. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of UK podiatrists with extended scope of practice able to perform dermal foot fillers alongside sorting out and improving poor lower limb biomechanics, which may have contributed to the issues of forefoot pain(metatarsalgia) in the first place.
