Monet Taylor puts her touch on medicinal nail care

 

“One small knick can cause an infection and if not treated properly can lead to amputation”

Faith Monet Taylor says the nail-care profession was saturated when she was 13 years old and, even as a young teen, she sought ways to set herself apart from the more experienced technicians.

She chose a path less-traveled, and became a medical nail specialist. The journey led her to the world of entrepreneurship when she launched Monet’s Touch.

Taylor trained under Dr. Tracy Reed, a local podiatrist who serves diverse, low-income communities, and took online courses offered by the Nail Care Academy.

With Reed’s guidance, she learned to treat abnormal nails due to medical conditions and side effects caused by medications. Taylor learned a great deal about the condition of someone’s health just by looking at their nails.

According to her, patients with very thick nails on their toes are usually diabetic. Data shows about one-third of people with diabetes are affected by a fungal infection. This infection can lead to yellowing, brittleness, and other nail changes, and can also contribute to secondary bacterial infections, necrosis, and the risk of amputation. 

Other nail conditions that can affect people with diabetes are Periungual telangiectasias, which can cause erythema and telangiectasias around the proximal nail folds, along with ragged cuticles and fingertip tenderness. 

One of Taylor’s clients has a thyroid condition which is readily apparent to the medical nail specialist’s trained eye. Her client’s nails are thin and brittle and don’t grow well. To combat this condition, she uses IVX, a keratin treatment to help repair nails. 

“It’s like a hot oil treatment for nails,” Taylor said. She said incorporating fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet and drinking lots of water will help maintain healthy nails. “Nails are a part of the integumentary system, which is the largest organ and outer layer” Taylor said. “Taking care of your nails, both on your hands and feet, is a necessity.’’  

Taylor has witnessed her clients walking in pain from soreness, squeezing their feet into their shoes because their toenails are too long. With tears in her eyes, Taylor said it was heartbreaking for her to see. 

“With diabetic people, you have to be careful, their toenails grow thick and sometimes curve into their toes,” Taylor said. “One small knick can cause an infection and if not treated properly can lead to amputation.” Many of her clients are diabetic and require special care to treat their toenails, she said. Taylor makes house calls for clients who don’t have transportation or live in a nursing facility.

When talking about her grandmother, Taylor remembers giving her her first pedicure. “I was the first person to ever care for her feet,” she said. “And I thought how many other people are out here not experiencing proper care for their hands and feet. So that became my why.” 

Her clientele quickly changed. Fifty of her customers are medical clients. 

“These people needed more than just a fancy design; they needed treatments,” she said. Taylor hopes to connect with more podiatrists to build her medical clientele. She’s been working on navigating how to get health insurance to pay for the services she provides. 

“It’s been difficult trying to bridge that gap since most podiatrists only see me as a cosmetic nail tech,’’ Taylor said. “But Dr. Reed has helped me so much by sending me some of her clients.” 

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.