Oct 9, 2008 6:55 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Pain-Relieving Feet Fillers
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Bunions and corns are among the most common foot ailments. Previous remedies like shaving them down and wearing protective pads offer only temporary relief. Now podiatrists are raiding the dermatologists' medicine cabinet and using cosmetic fillers for feet.
Diana Smikle's corns are excruciating. "It's like a burning, a really burning sensation. You feel cold and hot from the shoe at the same time basically, she said." However, she's not willing to give up her favorite footwear. "It's more professional. Heels, you know? Suits goes better with heels."
However, none of the remedies she used could help the pain. "I tried the corn pads, wrapping it with band-aids," she said. So now she's at the office of podiatrist Dr. Johanna Youner for the latest in foot pain relief.
Podiatrist Dr. Johanna Youner explains: "The filler, juvederm, is injected beneath the corn and fills up tissue volume that's been lost through years of wear and tear. It's an off-label use of filler that's been FDA-approved for areas on the face, the nasal-labial folds, for years, and we found it safe and effective in the feet."
The filler not only evens out and shrinks the corn, it triggers the body to replace it's own worn-out tissue. This stops the pain and prevents the need for more drastic measures.
"Using filler we can either delay surgery or halt it all together," Youner said.
And that's not the only injectable being used for feet ailments. Botox is a commonly used therapy for a rather smelly problem. "Botox is a muscle paralytic, and for excessive sweating in the feet, it is safe and effective," Youner said.
Even plantar warts are being battled by the needle. "I use chemotherapy injections, localized, for planters warts in the feet," Youner added.
Smikle says the procedure was painless and she hopes soon her feet will be as well.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Greatest Fighter Jets
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
