Types of keratolytics used in pedicure: a complete guide for professionals

It takes more than just a chic polish to get smooth, healthy feet during pedicures. Keratolytics is a vital tool in the professional toolbox. These are specialized products meant to help eliminate calluses and dead skin, leaving the feet feeling and looking fantastic. Knowing the various kinds of keratolytics on the market will help you select the best one for your clients and enhance their experience as a whole.

There are several varieties of keratolytics, each with unique benefits and uses. Some are chemically based and break down tough, hardened skin with ingredients like urea or salicylic acid. Some may be enzymatic, softening calluses and gently exfoliating skin with the use of natural enzymes. Understanding how these products function will enable you to modify your approach according to the specific needs of each client, whether they call for a stronger treatment or a kinder one.

We’ll go into great detail about each kind of keratolytic in this guide, covering everything from their active components to when they work best in a professional setting. This thorough summary will give you the knowledge you need to improve your pedicure services and make wise decisions, regardless of experience level. Acquiring proficiency in the utilization of these products will enhance outcomes while guaranteeing your clients receive a more comfortable and efficient treatment.

Type of Keratolytic	Description
Salicylic Acid	Commonly used for its ability to break down the proteins in dead skin cells, making it easier to remove calluses and corns. Often found in various concentrations in pedicure products.
Urea	Effective in softening thickened skin and calluses. Urea not only helps to exfoliate but also moisturizes the skin, making it ideal for rough patches.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)	Includes glycolic and lactic acids, which help to dissolve dead skin cells on the surface. AHAs also provide gentle exfoliation and improve skin texture.
Enzymatic Agents	Utilize natural enzymes, such as papain or bromelain, to break down keratin proteins in the skin. These are generally milder and great for sensitive skin.
Phenolic Compounds	Strong keratolytics that effectively remove calluses and warts but may be more irritating. Usually used in professional settings.
Retinoids	Help to accelerate cell turnover and are useful in treating rough or thickened skin. Often found in higher-end products due to their potency.

What is a keratolytic

A keratolytic is a skin softener for the cuticles on the feet that makes it easier to remove them later on with a file or nozzle during hardware treatment. During the pedicure procedure, the product causes the dead cells to actively exfoliate, lifts the scales, and makes them easy to remove. Keratolytics are applied in a combination technique that involves treating the skin first, then using tweezers, scissors, or another tool to remove the product.

The use of keratolytics in pedicure techniques differs in that the skin does not need to be submerged in water for an extended period of time. Since keratolytics are chemical preparations, usage guidelines and recommendations for different skin types must be followed when using them.

It is crucial to use a neutralizer—either one from the series or a universal one—to restore the skin’s neutral pH when using acidic and alkaline keratolytics.

Release forms

The following formats are available for keratolytics for feet:

They’re all meant to be convenient and have multiple uses. The drug’s effectiveness is unaffected by the release form. A gel keratolytic is the most widely used solution. It spreads widely over the foot and is simple to dose.

You can treat different degrees of roughness in different areas of your skin with a combination of options in one procedure. For instance, cracks can only be treated with products containing urea or enzymes, calluses and corns can be easily removed with an alkaline solution, and a non-neglected foot can be treated with an acid keratolytic.

Apart from their active ingredients, keratolytics also include extracts from plants and herbs, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, disinfectants, and antifungal agents.

Types of keratolytics for pedicure

Let’s take a look at the various keratolytics that were offered for sale. Even with the industry’s rapid development, you can now select between more contemporary solutions based on safe urea, also known as carbamide, or enzymes, as well as more traditional options like alkaline keratolytics. Professionals use all of them when doing a combination pedicure.

Keratolytic types based on active ingredients:

• Alkaline
• Acidic
• With urea or carbamide
• With enzymes.

An alkaline keratolytic is the most active, even aggressive, option available. It is applied to rough, aged corns and calluses. Enzyme- or carbamide-based safe and compassionate preparations (urea).

Keratolytics are crucial instruments in pedicure procedures, as they efficiently handle and eliminate rough, thickened foot skin. This guide intends to explore the range of keratolytics that are available, from urea-based products to salicylic acid, giving professionals the best overview possible to help them select the best course of action for their clients. Knowing these choices makes it easier to maintain healthy, smooth feet and get the best results.

Alkaline keratolytics

The quick dissolution of the lipids and proteins that make up human skin is a characteristic of alkali. They soften dead particles with ease. With a device or grater, you can quickly remove all the overdone and boiled areas of the epidermis once it loosens and becomes a "gruel." It’s important to keep in mind that alkali is a chemical burn that promotes good skin. The foot’s healthy layer will be impacted by keratolytic-dissolved proteins and lipids, broken surface cell bonds, and increased dryness. When applied to painful calluses, wounds, or cracks, we experience redness, irritation, and a chemical burn in these areas.

It is important to use alkaline compounds carefully and to adhere to the recommended application time.

With time, professionals started to stop using alkaline keratolytics all over the foot and instead reserve them for very rough spots. And they were swapped out for more contemporary, mildly acidic alternatives.

What components should be avoided in alkaline keratolytics

Preparations containing any of the following ingredients should be avoided:

• Sodium laureth sulfate
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Sodium stearate
• Ammonium lauryl sulfate
• Potassium hydroxide
• Sodium hydroxide
• Potassium hydroxide.

If these ingredients are included in the mixture, the skin is left excessively dry after a pedicure and needs extra attention, moisturizing, and counteracting the effects of the medication.

Inform your clients of this so they won’t use makeup containing these ingredients on a daily basis.

Acid softeners for pedicure

When pure, acids are made up of many molecules. Acid keratolytics are the most often used peeling agent. Fruit acids that act only on the surface of the skin, like citric, grape, or salicylic, cannot quickly enter skin cells.

Using an acid keratolytic to treat rough skin or calluses is a very difficult task; if it does, it is likely the result of the addition of other ingredients, such as alkali, which will be covered in more detail.

For instance, in addition to acid, the well-known Chinese socks for acid pedicures also include a significant quantity of alcohol or additional alkali. They only have such a strong effect for this reason.

Kinds of acids found in the softeners used in manicure and pedicure products:

• Fruit;
• Salicylic;
• Lactic.

Lactic can tolerate hyperkeratosis and calluses. Fruit-derived ingredients help rejuvenate and moisturize the skin, while salicylic has an antimicrobial effect.

Keratolytics with urea or carbamide

One characteristic of urea-based preparations is their total lack of chemical microburns on the skin following usage. They are regarded as the new generation of keratolytics that are reasonably safe. Their effects can be healing, caring, or moisturizing, depending on what other ingredients are included in the mixture.

The skin appears soft and as though it has been covered in cream after taking the medication, rather than being instantly covered in a layer of dead, overdried cells.

Such a keratolytic works by denatureing the protein, which means it stretches the intercellular connections and breaks down the bonds between cells.

The drawback is that the master must work harder to use a grater or caps to remove the softened epidermis, in contrast to the effects of acids and alkalis. When urea content is high (begins at 20%), intercellular connections become unduly stretched, causing the skin to become dry and lose moisture. Only severe roughness, calluses, and trouble spots on the feet should be treated with urea keratolytics.

The amount of urea in the composition should be taken into account when making a decision. The connections between the cells are stretched more the higher it is. All age groups can use this composition, which contains up to 10% urea if the client has psoriasis, diabetes, or hormonal disorders.

Comparatively, urea is utilized in the composition of 2–5% of regular softening cosmetic creams. It is thought to be ideal for keratolytics with 5–10% to keep moisture in the epidermis’ upper layers and restore its protective layer. The bonds between cells are severely stretched when the keratolytic contains more than 10% urea, and there is a significant risk of overdrying the skin.

Because urea is a great conductor of other ingredients into the cells in keratolytics, some clients may experience allergies as a result of urea softener use because of the increased penetration of additional active ingredients into the skin.

How should foot cracks be treated? You can use preparations containing urea on them, but you cannot apply acidic or alkaline keratolytics. It is said to have wound-healing properties, but in reality, it only thickens, stretches, seals, and promotes the growth of healthy new skin cells.

Keratolytics with enzymes

Appeared following urea preparations. Artists required compositions that were easier to work with, and urea significantly softened the skin, making its removal difficult. Everything is much easier when you have enzymes.

The unique quality of keratolytic enzymes is that they only remove dead cells from the skin while leaving the healthy layers intact, leaving the epidermis’ top layer intact after the process.

Enzymes’ primary roles in the makeup of medications are as follows:

• Neutralize harmful bacteria that cause unpleasant foot odor;
• Facilitate skin treatment during pedicure in comparison with other keratolytics;
• Restore cells of the upper layer of the skin, giving it a healthy appearance;
• Simplify further foot care for the client.

Golden Trace is the best keratolytic medication available in Russia for combination pedicures that contain enzymes. Examine the composition carefully when selecting a different product that is similar to your current one, as even though it lists enzymes, it may also contain alkalis and other unwanted ingredients (like the same sulfate that dries out the epidermis).

Keratolytics in manicure

Aggressive preparations are not necessary because the cuticle’s skin is softer and more delicate than the foot’s. Most frequently, the cuticle is treated with an acidic remover, which loosens, softens, and makes it easier to remove with an orange stick or pusher. After application, some cuticle removers call for another soak in water.

The following is the process for a combined manicure:

• A remover is applied to cleaned and disinfected skin of the hands around the nail, kept for 1-3 minutes;
• Then the hands are immersed in warm water for 3-5 minutes;
• The cuticle is carefully removed with a pusher or orange stick, dense skin remnants are cut off with tweezers or manicure scissors;
• The nails are coated and a care product is applied.

In a fully acidic or European unedged manicure, the cuticle is only treated with an orange stick—scissors are not used. The process is repeated multiple times without the need for cutting instruments as the cuticle ceases to intensely thicken. To preserve the aesthetic condition of the epidermis, only unfinished hands should be manicured with acid or European unrealing.

More information about manicure remover types and applications, along with usage guidelines:

Instructions for applying keratolitics in a pedicure

How is a keratolytic applied? You should carefully follow the instructions because the exposure time and application method may differ slightly depending on the drug’s active components and form of release.

Generally speaking, the plan consists of several easy steps:

1. Soaking and cleansing the skin in the bath or disinfectant;
2. Applying a keratolytic to dried skin of the foot with a cotton pad or napkin, wrapping with a disposable towel or non-woven napkin;
3. Wrapping with polyethylene for severe hyperkeratosis for a more intense effect;
4. Keeping the preparation for the recommended time, which can be from 3 to 15 minutes;
5. Removing the remains of the preparation with a damp cloth, drying;
6. Removing the loosened top layer with a grater of 80/100 grit or caps of different abrasiveness in hardware technique;
7. Applying a neutralizer or cleansing the skin with water, drying;
8. Applying a care cream or serum from the same series of cosmetics or any other at the discretion of the master.

In the combined pedicure technique, the keratolytic’s job is to lift the scales, soften the dead skin as much as possible, and facilitate the removal of loose epidermis by the master using a grater or other tool. Gloves must be used for all manipulations.

Furthermore, keratolytics work wonders for calluses, corns, and hyperkeratosis. Preparations containing urea or enzymes also help to moisturize, heal, and care for trouble spots.

Popular brands

Callus removers, derived from the English term for callus remover, is a common term for keratolytics. For your manicure and pedicure, you can select the right preparations with a different base from all the well-known cosmetic brands.

The following are the most well-known brands to consider when selecting a pedicure softener:

• Salu, acidic
• INKI based on urea (carbamide)

Keratolytics are efficient and affordable. It takes 5–10 milliliters of the product to treat one foot. When choosing a medication for clients or for use at home, one must consider its cost, its active ingredients, and its convenient release method.

When keratolytics are used, the master’s risk of respiratory diseases decreases.

You can select different preparation options for different areas of roughness and in the event of problematic health conditions like psoriasis or diabetes.

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4 comments on “Types of keratolytics used in pedicure: a complete guide for professionals”

Maria

Hello! Thank you for a good article! I was very interested in the point about adding alkali to acidic formulations: "It is very difficult to treat rough skin and calluses with an acidic keratolytic, and if it has such a declared effect, then most likely alkali or other components are mixed in here"
I have seen alkali in the composition of keratolytics many times together with fruit acids. But it turns out that this alkali neutralizes the acid (school chemistry) and the pH in this case will not be very acidic or very alkaline. How do such keratolytics work then?? As an example, by the way, from the same article – Acid peeling Callus Remover PNB
COMPOSITION – Water, potassium hydroxide, propylene glycol, carbomer, methylparaben, mint extract, fragrance, citric acid, cl 15985, citrus extract

Editorial staff

Maria, hello! Thank you for your rating) As for alkalis and acids, indeed, when mixed in equal proportions of alkali and acids, they neutralize each other. But this rule is valid only if the proportions are observed. If you add more alkali to the composition, we get a strongly alkaline solution and vice versa. For example, you can take the peeling that you mentioned. In second place is potassium hydroxide, that is, the alkali. Since this component is at the beginning of the list – it takes over most of the composition. Acids are at the end of the list – they are quantitatively less than potassium hydroxide. It turns out that in fact, the keratolytic is alkaline, but called acidic, and so that there are no questions, several acids are added to the composition.

Julia

Hi there! has a keen interest in your offerings. Naturally, I don’t use gel varnishes because I’m allergic to them. I do manicures and pedicures, though. Tell me if there are any allergies to your products. The Herbal line truly appealed to me.

Editors

Julia, hi there! We don’t deal in the selling of money. Farmona’s Podologic Herbal line of products can be bought from other vendors or from an official representative at the nail4 pro store.

Comprehending the various varieties of keratolytics is imperative for any proficient pedicurist seeking to provide exceptional outcomes. You can better serve your clients and effectively manage a variety of foot conditions by implementing these specialized treatments. Knowing which keratolytic to use when will improve your skill set because each one has different properties and uses.

Every keratolytic, from urea-based solutions to salicylic acid, has unique advantages for various applications. Salicylic acid, for example, works wonders for tough calluses, and urea-based products are fantastic for softer, more moisturized skin. Examining these choices will enable you to customize treatments to meet the needs of each unique client.

In the end, having a thorough understanding of keratolytics will improve your pedicure services while also increasing client satisfaction and trust. Gaining proficiency with these instruments guarantees that you maintain a leading position in the constantly changing field of podiatry, offering outstanding and customized care each and every time.

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