South Jersey Magazine – Treat Embarrassing Foot Problems

Women can wear summer's strappy shoes with confidence thanks to a new product from Dr. Dana Canuso.

Dr. Dana Canuso launches a revolutionary product to treat embarrassing foot problems.

South Jersey Magazine, August 2015
Our feet are two of the hardest-working parts of our bodies. They carry us through our intense workouts, long workdays and countless errands, sometimes taking a beating in the process. When their appearance is less than perfect—whether it’s dry, cracked heels or discolored toenails we’d rather hide them than show them off in summer’s cutest sandals.

Women can wear summer's strappy shoes with confidence thanks to a new product from Dr. Dana Canuso.Dr. Dana Canuso says complaints like these are a daily occurrence at her podiatry practice. Recognized as a Top Doc by South Jersey Magazine in 2013 and 2015, she has been a podiatrist for six years, diagnosing everything from melanoma and diabetes to pulmonary issues just from examining a person’s feet. But the most common treatment her patients seek is a better appearance for their feet.

“On a daily basis I’ll treat women who are concerned with their dry, cracked heels or thick, brittle and discolored toenails,” Dr. Canuso says. “Inevitably they have tried everything such as using a pumice stone or rotating foot file to slough off the skin, soaking their feet in Epsom salt, sleeping with moisturizer on their feet, and even going to a dermatologist. Nothing would work for them.”

As a podiatrist, there was little more Dr. Canuso could recommend to patients beyond a thick heel cream available over the counter, or a steroid cream, but the results were not enough for patients. Seeing this common problem over and over again piqued her interest and led Dr. Canuso to reconsider the methods in which people treat the dry skin on their feet.

“I started testing the theory that these problems were actually a fungus on the foot,” she says, adding that her patients were not too happy to hear that word associated with their feet.

“The skin on your feet is different than the skin anywhere else on your body,” she says. “It’s thicker and is covered by a shoe most of the day. When you have dry skin on your feet and sometimes even cracked heels, you actually have a fungus.”

Dr. Canuso says once patients get over the initial shock of what it is, she educates them on why it’s important to treat it. “You cannot ignore fungus. What starts on the heels can turn into a secondary infection, like fungal toenails,” she says.

treat embarrassing foot problems before and after cracked feetWhen Dr. Canuso started to treat her patients with anti-fungal medications, their symptoms improved. Seeing these results inspired her to create a product that would be effective as well as luxurious for people to use. A chemistry major in college, Dr. Canuso worked with another experienced chemist who had also worked on other well-known skin care products and ultimately they created the first patent pending, FDA-approved antifungal foot serum.

“The active ingredient is an over-thecounter percentage that has been around for years and is safe for daily use,” says Dr. Canuso. “The difference is in the delivery. A serum is more effective than a lotion because it allows a higher concentration of the medication to penetrate the deeper surfaces of the skin without increasing the amount of medication needed.”

She says the serum is much more pleasant to use than lotion. “[With] lotions and creams you have to wait for them to dry. The serum is soft and lightweight, so it goes deep into the skin and dries quickly,” Dr. Canuso says. “There’s no sticky residue, but actually a satiny finish.”

Dr. Canuso recommends using the foot serum twice a day for 21 days, but she says results can be seen after just two days. “I recommend using twice a day, and once feet are healed, you can use once a day or even once a week for maintenance because fungus can come back,” she says, adding that one bottle of serum lasts four to six weeks.

For unsightly toenail fungus, Dr. Canuso has introduced a polish for treatment. “Fungal toenails are thick yellow toenails that can start off as a small problem but can kill the nail if untreated,” she says. “Applying this polish twice a day will treat it and the fungus will grow out with the nail. I recommend using the polish and the serum together to treat the whole foot.”

Currently, her products are available at DrCanuso.com and will be available at local, high-end salons. Dr. Canuso’s products are the first skin care line created exclusively for the feet and by the end of the year she plans to have a full line of nine products.

Dr. Canuso hopes to give renewed confidence to women everywhere through these products.

For more information about Dr. Dana Canuso and her foot care products, follow her on Facebook for news and updates.

After years of fighting with horrible-looking feet I pretty much gave up. But then a family member suggested Dr. Canuso’s Foot Serum, I figured I would try it. Having tried other creams, lotions, pedicures, “tools”, etc., I didn’t expect much. I can honestly say that it has been one of the best things to happen to me. I can’t wait [to] buy some new open-toe shoes!

— Maria M.