Nowadays there are a lot of ways to get your feet in order. Cosmetology is improving and developing, original and unusual types of pedicure are appearing, which at first glance surprise. One of these is a fish pedicure. It has become a new trend in beauty salons; in addition, experts call it pleasant and useful. What are its features?
What is a Garra Rufa fish pedicure?
This type of pedicure came to Russia recently, but has been widespread in the countries of the Middle East for many years. There, this unusual type of peeling was used to treat various skin diseases. There is an assumption that the birthplace of fish pedicure is Türkiye. By chance, people have noticed that after being in a hot spring with Garra Rufa fish, their feet become softer, and problems such as psoriasis or dermatitis begin to go away. Since then, the procedure began to spread in China and Thailand, after which it came to Europe.
Almost every spa located in a resort town near the sea offers fish pedicure services. There it is perceived more as an exotic type of self-care, but initially the procedure was of a medical nature and helped treat eczema, psoriasis and neurodermatitis.
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A special feature of the procedure is the use of special fish that carefully remove a layer of rough skin from the feet. The fish are called Garra Rufa and belong to the carp family. They reach no more than 10 cm in length and live in Turkey and Egypt.
Many clients wonder if there is any discomfort during the procedure. Do not be afraid of discomfort: fish do not have teeth, but they have highly developed lips, thanks to which they can clean the skin. That is why there is no pain during the procedure; moreover, the pedicure feels like a pleasant massage.
Another benefit of the procedure is improved skin health. Fish saliva contains a special enzyme called dietanol, which has a beneficial effect on the epidermis, accelerates skin regeneration processes and heals it.
This type of peeling is very effective in the fight against rough skin, corns, and various skin diseases. After the procedure, blood microcirculation improves, so the skin of the feet becomes young, soft, smooth and silky.
A fish pedicure helps you calm down and relax after a hard day. The procedure relieves fatigue and tension from the legs, and a positive effect on the nervous system is felt.
Interestingly, fish pedicure is prohibited in some countries, for example, in the USA. Animal rights activists oppose the use of fish for cosmetic purposes, as they consider it exploitation of animals.
Advice and opinion of doctors
Although no cases of the disease being transmitted through the Garra Rufa water peeling procedure have been identified, doctors warn that it can pose a serious hygiene problem for clients. But most doctors agree that the Garra Rufa peeling procedure is very effective and will even help get rid of many skin problems that have plagued a person for a long time.
Some doctors advise using this procedure exclusively for cosmetic purposes, since unlike other types of peeling, this method is suitable even for the most sensitive skin, prone to dermatitis and other diseases.
Experienced doctors recommend adhering to some general rules when carrying out fish peeling:
- When choosing a salon, you should choose clean, well-maintained premises in which the aquariums undergo regular cleaning and water changes.
- To carry out the procedure, patients must be given special sterile equipment, including a towel or shoes.
- Violation of sanitary standards should be a reason for refusing to peel fish.
If the client nevertheless decides to undergo Garra Rufa peeling, doctors advise going to a specialized institution, and before that, be examined by doctors for the presence of viral or fungal diseases.
If you follow all the rules and regulations for peeling with Garra Rufa fish, this procedure can be very effective and beneficial for skin health. But it should be noted that in some countries this procedure is prohibited due to non-compliance with ethical standards. In any case, before carrying out such manipulations, you should consult a specialist.
Advantages and disadvantages of fish peeling
If you choose the right salon, a fish pedicure will bring only positive emotions. Among its advantages:
- Stress relief. During the procedure, not only excess skin is removed, but also a kind of foot massage. This calms you down and allows you to fully relax.
- No harm to skin. The fish only feed on dead skin cells, so they do not harm healthy tissue. Unlike other types of pedicure, there is no risk of damaging the skin of the feet.
- The development of allergies is excluded. The procedure does not use any cosmetic products, and these are the ones that cause the development of allergies after other types of pedicure. The only thing the master applies is a disinfectant.
- Health-improving effect. After removing dead cells, the skin seems to “come to life”, looks soft, and feels light.
- Painless. The procedure is suitable for those who are afraid of getting injured during other types of pedicure.
- Harmlessness. Provided that safety rules are followed, the procedure will not cause any problems. Fish pedicure is suitable even for children and clients with skin diseases.
However, fish pedicure also has several disadvantages:
- High price. Compared to other types of pedicure, fish pedicure is quite expensive.
- It will not help in all cases. If the condition of your feet is severely neglected, you should pay attention to more effective types of pedicure that can cope with serious problems. In such cases, the use of special pedicure products and tools is required.
Fish pedicure - benefits of the procedure
Fish intended for peeling provide careful and gentle care for the body. They gently pick up dead particles from the surface of the skin without touching living flesh. Beauty salon clients after the fish peeling procedure note the following:
- absolute painlessness;
- comfort and safety;
- environmental friendliness;
- good exfoliating effect;
- skin rejuvenation;
- getting rid of skin diseases;
- improving blood circulation.
Fashionable salons and beauty centers offering fish pedicure promise that it will help with many skin diseases. After using fish for peeling, the manifestations of psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, vitiligo, rosacea, lichen planus, and acne are reduced. According to the testimony of those who have undergone a fish pedicure and exfoliation using gar, after it the symptoms of chronic skin diseases sometimes do not appear for 4-6 months. In addition to the therapeutic effect, it is noted that the process of such skin cleansing is pleasant and causes relaxation.
How does the fish peeling procedure work?
The procedure is carried out using a special glass pool. It can be small in size and intended for one person, or it can be large in size for joint procedures. Many small Garra Rufa fish swim in it, and as soon as their feet are immersed in the water, they immediately begin the procedure. On average, there are 300 fish in one tank. The water for fish pedicure is heated to 30 degrees, which makes the process comfortable and relaxing.
First, the fish pinch the areas of the foot where the skin is softest. After a while, when very hardened areas, for example, the heels, soften in the water, the fish move on to them.
Fact about pedicure
The main enemy of pedicure is uncomfortable shoes and too high heels. They cause the greatest harm to the feet, increasing the risk of nail deformation and the development of fungus and inflammatory diseases.
If possible, it is advisable to steam your feet before the procedure. This improves the effect of a pedicure and reduces the time required for it. Also, some masters additionally apply a disinfectant. Before immersing your feet in water, you should wash them thoroughly with soap to keep the aquarium clean.
Before visiting the salon, it is not recommended to apply cream to your feet for several days, as this may worsen the result. Typically, a fish pedicure procedure takes about 20 minutes. This is a very quick way to get rid of many foot skin problems, which will definitely appeal to busy clients.
Garra rufa. Content
Keeping a garra rufa fish is not too difficult; even a novice aquarist can handle it. You should not keep these fish solely for use in cosmetic procedures. Leather is not the main food. They eat it when there is a lack of other food. Therefore, to achieve this, the fish should be kept hungry for a long time, and this is not very humane to the pets.
In order for pets to feel good, it is necessary to create conditions close to nature in the aquarium: strong water flow, a large number of shelters, special soil.
Aquarium
When keeping a small flock of 6–8 individuals, you will need an aquarium with a volume of about 100 liters. It must be equipped with a lid - often these active pets simply jumped out of the open aquarium onto the floor and died.
Water parameters
Garra Rufa naturally lives in warm waters, so water temperature is the main criterion for creating an aquarium for these creatures. It should be 28–36 degrees. During the cold period, it can tolerate lower temperatures - 25–27 degrees, but it is not recommended to constantly keep it in this temperature regime. It is precisely because of the temperature regime that this species is best kept alone - not all inhabitants will tolerate such high water temperatures.
In other respects, Garra is not too different from most species. The acidity of the water is 7.0–8.0 Ph, and the hardness is 7–9 dH.
It is important to protect the inhabitants from nitrates and other harmful substances in the water, because these pets are quite sensitive to them.
Plants
Almost any vegetation is suitable for an aquarium, the main thing is that the plants are not cold-loving. The plants Cryptocoryne Vendta, Cabomba, and Ceratopteris are good choices.
Priming
A good soil option for Garra Rufa is large and medium-sized river pebbles. Crushed stone is poured on top.
Equipment
An aquarium with Garra Rufa requires a powerful filter. These inhabitants require strong and constant flows of water. A filter with a pump will also ensure cleanliness in the aquarium and reduce the number of water changes.
In addition to the filter, you will need an aeration device, for example, a powerful compressor, because fish love water enriched with a large amount of dissolved oxygen.
Lighting
In ponds, fish love bright sunlight. Therefore, in the aquarium, the lighting should be bright and illuminate the aquarium completely. It is better to place the aquarium near a window so that the sun's rays enter it during the day.
Indications and contraindications for fish pedicure
Having heard the name “fish pedicure”, many people want to try this procedure on themselves because of its exoticism and unusualness. But it is also chosen by clients who want to get their feet in order as quickly as possible and take gentle care of them.
Fish pedicure is indicated for people with problem skin on their feet, namely if they have:
- rough skin;
- corns;
- eczema;
- dermatitis;
- psoriasis.
Sometimes, to treat skin diseases, not only the feet, but the whole body are placed in an aquarium with fish.
The procedure cannot be done if there are open wounds, cracks, fungal diseases or other damage on the legs. An experienced specialist should carefully examine the client's feet before starting a pedicure.
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What is the fish foot massage called? Fish massage
To get peeling without beer grains or ground coffee, an unconventional massage is performed by Garra Rufa fish. Peeling, fish, is performed not only on the body, but also on the feet and palms with hard calluses.
Garra Rufa fish massage
Residents of large leading countries and small states have brought back to life a forgotten procedure 150 years ago and increasingly began to use biopeeling and fish massage, since this procedure can get rid of daily stress, unnecessary obsessive thoughts and get relaxation and complete psychological relief.
Garra Rufa fish from the carp family have a size of 3-12 cm. They do not cause pain because they are toothless, but their oral cavity is specially designed, which allows it to delicately scrape off the cornea on the hardest heels. Salon patients receiving foot massages with fish first feel tickling on the legs and periodic biting by particularly large fish that eat dead cornea (skin cells with waste products).
Healing fish massage
Fish saliva contains medicinal enzymes that can be used to treat:
- allergies and inflammations;
- eczema and psoriasis;
- fungal diseases.
It promotes skin regeneration and restores its elasticity, beautiful color, fresh and healthy appearance. By touching and pushing the skin with their lips, the fish perform a certain massage that improves blood flow, has a calming effect on the central nervous system, relieving leg fatigue and swelling.
Depressive and stressful conditions have become common conditions today, which a person does not even notice until a serious mental breakdown occurs. Thanks to the fish, you can get complete relaxation and incomparable pleasure. During the session, significant psychological relief will occur.
Peeling massage procedure
In the salons, visitors clean the skin of their feet with wet wipes, then they carefully immerse them in aquariums with a temperature of + 30˚C, without stepping on the fish or scaring them. Untreated hands are not allowed into the aquarium, since they harbor all sorts of pathogenic microorganisms that can infect fish and kill them.
After soaking the dead skin cells in warm mineral water, the fish is cleaned off and eats the dead skin for 20 minutes. There is also unobtrusive stimulation of the nerve endings in the legs. Fish treat varicose veins, swelling and fatigue of the legs.
The fish has a good appetite, but it does not feed on living tissues, but only on dead skin cells and skin fungi. The fish attaches itself to a small area of skin and moves forward without missing a single millimeter of the epidermis, providing natural peeling. After such peeling, you can lubricate the skin with a rejuvenating cream, which contains an enzyme secreted by fish.
Hyperactive children become calmer after the session, their psyche strengthens. It is especially useful for patients with psoriasis to take such procedures.
For diseases of the musculoskeletal system and internal organs, it is useful to take Thai massage and use acupuncture points on the ankles and hands. Then they take a treatment procedure in mineral water with a temperature of 37˚C and thousands of Garra Rufa fish. They cleanse the skin, massage it gently and also easily touch and activate biologically active points, impulses from which are sent to the corresponding organs. In this way, a person receives a beneficial overall therapeutic effect of the entire body, including the nervous system.
As a cosmetic procedure, fish are used to exfoliate and rejuvenate the skin, cleanse fat and sweat glands.
Peeling massage with fish is contraindicated for skin diseases, burns, large and deep scratches and bleeding wounds.
Is fish peeling safe?
Despite the great popularity of this type of pedicure, you should be careful. First, you must be sure that the fish used are Garra Rufa fish. Chin-chin fish that look similar to Garra Rufa are sometimes supplied to the Russian market. However, they do have teeth, so there is a risk of injury and infection. You can distinguish “fake” fish from “original” ones by looking at their mouth: in Garra Rufa it is located below the eyes and has a rounded shape.
Secondly, it is worth checking whether you put your feet into the aquarium first. Ideally, both water and fish should be changed after each client to eliminate the risk of infection. If in doubt, you can ask a specialist to do this for you.
If you follow all the rules of the procedure, fish peeling is quite an effective and useful way of caring for your feet, which, in addition to aesthetic legs, will also give you a pleasant sensation.
Subtleties of massage and pedicure
Before performing a fish massage and pedicure, it is necessary that your feet be thoroughly examined by a specialist. The presence of abrasions or blisters should be a contraindication to the procedure. In case of minor damage to the skin, they can be closed using special tapes that do not allow moisture to pass through.
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The duration and frequency of pedicure or fish massage sessions are determined by the doctor. The client himself must note the skin changes that occur with each subsequent session. This massage is considered the most gentle type of peeling, after which the skin becomes soft and tender. Garra Rufa fish do their job perfectly and remove dead skin cells.
Fish pedicure results: before and after photos
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What are the benefits of fish pedicure?
The procedure has a lot of advantages, among which the first places, of course, are the opportunity to enjoy it together with your beloved man (who is very difficult to force to do a full pedicure) and the pleasure that you will receive in the process. Other advantages are also important:
- Fish rid you of a layer of dead skin without harming healthy skin, which does not cause any interest to them.
- The procedure is painless, so it can be done even for children
- Eco-friendly type of pedicure
- Quick effect
- Pedicure is done in water at a temperature that is comfortable for a person (from 32 to 37 degrees above zero).
Why is fish pedicure controversial?
Garra Rufa species live in waters in the northern and central Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. They are used in beauty salons around the world, but their presence in cosmetology is very controversial. Experts note that there are no legal standards that would define the sanitary requirements and responsibilities of salon owners who use these fish at work.
There are no controls that specify the living conditions of the fish and how many times they are used in the procedures. Fish that may come into contact with potentially infectious material are very often used for multiple treatments throughout the day. Neither the health of the animals themselves nor the water in which they swim are monitored. Due to a lack of information and control over such procedures, doctors warn that they may pose a potential threat to human health.
This type of peeling is also opposed by animal rights activists. They argue that catching fish and transporting them to the most remote corners of the world only to force them to gnaw on dead skin is inhumane. They also note, like doctors, that there is no control over the living conditions of the fish.
PETA, an animal rights organization, is collecting detailed information about the use of Garra rufa fish in beauty salons. The organization says fish are not fed simply to increase their appetite for dead skin. PETA also claims that anyone with money can buy fish from importers without any certainty about whether the animals are healthy.
Before you go for a fish pedicure, read all the information available about this procedure. If you decide that you want to use it, try to get information about the origin of the fish, how it is kept in the cabin, how often the water is changed and how to clean the tank.
What is fish peeling?
This procedure helps cleanse and restore the dermis. The fact is that in the process of biting the stratum corneum, the fish release a substance called “diethanol”. This enzyme affects the condition of the skin and is a rejuvenating and elasticity-restoring agent.
The service looks like this:
- The feet are immersed in a pool where garra rufa are present.
- The fish treat the entire surface of the ankles and feet, cleaning the skin millimeter by millimeter for 30 minutes.
- The water of the peeling pool is saturated with mucus, which is beneficial for the human body, which is secreted by the Garra Rufa.
- The touch of fish that perform a pedicure is a kind of micro-massage that helps improve blood circulation.
It should be added that the procedure is completely painless. The plates that replace teeth for fish scrape off dead cells without causing any inconvenience. The sensations are rather pleasant, but there is no need to talk about the benefits of the process. The effect of the session will become a confirming fact.
The cost of the service varies depending on the level of the spa. On average, fish peeling for 15 minutes costs from 300 rubles. The price of a traditional pedicure in combination with the use of fish is from 1000 rubles. However, you should check the cost in advance with a salon you trust.
Peeling with Garra Rufa is a fashionable procedure and quite popular. As a rule, it is carried out by appointment.
What kind of fish are used?
In most countries that use fish peeling, they use Garra Rufa fish. This small representative of the carp family does not exceed 12 centimeters in size. It lives in water bodies of countries with warm climates: Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey. Garra has no teeth and cannot bite a person. She sucks the skin, eating away dead tissue. Close relatives of this species are goldfish and labeo, which are kept in many people's aquariums. In some countries it may be called doctor fish or cleaner fish. This is justified by the fact that long-term observations have confirmed the fact of treatment of various dermatological diseases with the help of these animals. The more often the fish eats diseased tissue, the easier the symptoms of the disease will become. For a comfortable existence, Garra Ruf is kept at a temperature of 30-37 degrees Celsius, which is the optimal temperature for humans.
The people of China have taken the peeling procedure to a truly extreme level. For this purpose they use a fish called Chin-Chin, which is aggressive and has teeth. Chin-Chin (looks like a gourami) can bite by digging into human skin. Each bite is accompanied by unpleasant painful sensations. With age (lives about 2 years), Chin-Chin's jaws increase. An adult can bite and cause serious injury to humans. After reaching the 5-centimeter mark, the fish are replaced. An animal can gnaw human flesh and introduce a dangerous infection into the blood. In Europe, use is prohibited, but unscrupulous salons offer to cleanse the skin with such fish. They do not inform clients about the possible consequences.
You can build a spa at home. You need to purchase fish, a special aquarium and a manual for keeping them. Garra Rufa can be purchased at any pet store. Their price is relatively low. The average cost of one individual fluctuates around 50 rubles in Russia, 15 hryvnia in Ukraine.
