Published: September 03, 2008 11:12 pm            

Podiatrist offers 'pillows for your feet'

EDMOND — For people with pain or pressure points in the balls of their feet, Dr. Kiersten Weber, an Edmond resident, now offers a non-surgical procedure that can replace the fat often lost in that area.

“It’s called pillows for your feet,” Weber said.

The procedure is ideal for runners or women who frequently wear high heels. Runners often wear down the fat in the balls of their feet from pounding down as they run. The loss of cushioning can result in pain, pressure, burning, calluses and ulcers.

Likewise, when a woman wears a high heel, weight is focused on the balls of the feet, causing pain. Weber said the procedure will make high heel wearing more comfortable.

Weber, a podiatrist at Oklahoma Foot and Ankle, said she and other doctors have had patients in the past with symptoms the procedure would relieve. Weber learned about the procedure when she attended a lecture in Dallas.

“It seemed like a good viable option for our patients,” she said.

Ann Gagliardi, office manager for Oklahoma Foot and Ankle, said this procedure for the feet is not offered anywhere else in Oklahoma. Weber had to travel to New York City to study the procedure. She then created a partnership with Advanced Aesthetics, 14001 McAuley Blvd., Oklahoma City, to do the procedure at their clinic.

“They’re already doing this type of procedure on other parts of the body,” Weber said.

Patients interested in the procedure meet with the podiatrist for a consult to decide if the procedure is right for them and then they set a date. Weber carries out the procedure by numbing the foot and then injecting a sculptra implant. Sculptra is a biodegradable substance that has been specially formulated to be injected below the skin to help replace lost fat.

“It doesn’t make your foot look better but it makes it feel better,” Weber said.

The procedure costs anywhere from $75-$500 depending on the amount of material being injected, she said. Weber will begin seeing patients on Monday.



FOR MORE information about sculptra implants, call Advanced Aesthetics at 751-3424.

        

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