Fakes favored as toe enhancements

Only your toes will know for sure that you are wearing fake nails.
By FAYE B. ZUCKERMAN
SCRIPPS HOWARD
My little piggies look marvelous. I'm talking about my toes, actually my toenails.
Right now they are all dolled up with artificial nails that are the toe equivalent of the once-famous press-on fingernails. They look as if I just spent top dollar for a French pedicure by a nail technician.
But -- are your ready for this? -- they are obtained right out of a box you can buy over-the-counter at Target, Wal-Mart or Walgreens. The cost: between $5 and $6. They take 10 minutes to apply. The result is a just-done-at-the-salon look.
Who knew that artificial toe enhancements would be a lifestyle-changing experience?
My toes spend most of their time stuffed into sneakers while I play tennis or jog. Endless pounding have caused ridges on my big-toe nails. If I let my little piggy nail grow out too long, it starts to curl like a corkscrew.
Need I mention how self-conscious I am during sandal season? My toes rarely see sunlight -- or haven't until the discovery of the Fashion ToeNail Accents Kit, manufactured by Kiss Products, based in Port Washington, N.Y. (www.kissusa.com; www.broadwaynails.com). Other toenail-improvement products, which are made of acrylic and sold at mass merchandisers, include Fing'rs (www.fingrs.com), for about $5, and Dazzle Toez for about $6.
Interest uncovered
I'm not alone in my quest to glam up my toenails. After a spring cover of Nails (a Torrance, Calif., publication aimed at salon owners and nail technicians) featured on its cover a foot with three fake accents, Hannah Lee, the executive editor, said, "We received lots of calls. So, there's interest."
It was a surprise because the issue had nothing to do with feet. The nail technician from Canada who took charge of it decorated the toes with fake nails for dramatic flair only. Lee said no one at the magazine expected to see such a groundswell of interest.
The trade publication has never done a story on artificial toe adorning (a full set at a salon costs between $30 and $40). Lee noted that most professionals rarely tell customers they offer services for the feet.
"Toe work isn't anything we track, but very few technicians do them often," she noted. "Professionals do not advertise such services, although they will do toes if asked."
The market research firm ACNielsen, which tracks purchases at mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart, recently reported that sales on such artificial enhancements have skyrocketed. The increase, the research firm reported, was by 126 percent in the last 12 months.
Kiss Products has shipped more than 1 million units since last June, said Grace Tallon, vice president of marketing. The most popular kit is the French pedicure, which comes in different shades of peach and pink. Some are pre-decorated with flowers or swirls on the big toe.
New product line
Three years ago, Tallon noted, toe enhancing was "a nonexistent market." For the past 17 years, Kiss specialized in fake fingernails, but then added toes to its product line because they were inundated by requests.
"Initially we were quite skeptical," she said. "We tested it and the first adopters were in the South -- Florida and Texas -- and in the West."
Podiatrists say they, too, have noticed an increased popularity among female and male patients to beef up toenails. "Women are especially showing more of an interest in painting toenails," said podiatrist Dr. Charles "Chuck" M. Cavicchio, who's based in Lincoln, R.I. "People like to make their toes nice, especially during what I call 'toenail polish season.'"
He noted that when you are in your 30s and 40s, you are more likely to have "nail deformity" because of sports activities or an injury or an infection or just from age.
Runners often damage big-toe nails or have them fall off, he said. A fungus infection may require Cavicchio to cut a nail extremely short; or an acute injury can cause a nail to grow back deformed.
How safe are artificial toenails? Cavicchio said that they are safe but there is a risk of developing a fungus infection if you are not careful.
"I'm a big fan of prevention," he said. "I suggest over-the-counter anti-fungal creams or liquids and maintenance."
Limited addition
Cavicchio said that if you decide to use artificial nails over your regular nails, only leave them on for seven to 10 days. For his patients who have had a nail removed permanently, they can glue an artificial nail onto the toe bed. But he or she should then remove it after a day.
Then, when you remove the artificial product from the toe bed, clean the area well with soap and water. Regular users of these products should inspect nails regularly for signs of a fungus.
As for my days wearing artificial toenails, I received ooh-la-las aplenty when I trotted around town. I took them off after four days -- they stayed on just fine -- because I wanted to go for a run, and I'd been warned that their length might make my sneakers uncomfortable.
So I can't report on whether the nails come off during exercise, though nail technicians and podiatrists didn't seem to think wearing them then was a good idea. When it came time to remove them, my easy-as-pie nails came off without a hitch.