Tips for Toes w/Feet 'N Beyond of New Jersey May 2024

Dr. Helene Nguyen discusses the importance of recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She also talks about the emotional well-being of patients and how cosmetic surgery on the feet can help address self-confidence issues. Dr. Nguyen mentions specific foot deformities and the procedures available to address them. She emphasizes the importance of seeking professional opinions and offers her contact information for consultations. time for our monthly segment we call it Tips for Toes and we're joined by feet and beyond of New Jersey's Dr. Helene Nguyen who is with us here today for our monthly segment. Good morning, good to see you. Oh great to have you here and I know that it's Memorial Day next week already. How did that happen so quick? You know we're just talking about all the winter foot health and now we're talking about... I know I know and we will see you of course at Motor Madness next weekend. Yeah absolutely we'll be there. Look forward to seeing you and if anybody's going to Motor Madness make your way on over to the feet and beyond of New Jersey tent and meet Dr. Nguyen and talk about all the great services that they offer. Before we talk about our topic for this month Dr. Nguyen, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We're celebrating accomplishments and achievements and contributions by Asian Americans and I look at the success that you had and what you've been able to bring. It's long overdue that we finally recognize the accomplishments and the contributions by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in America. Yeah absolutely as a immigrant that we come to this country you know you come to America for the land of opportunity and the freedom that we didn't have in back in Vietnam. Yeah definitely I always have a conversation with my patients and they can just like cannot imagine to go to a country have no zero knowledge about the language and you cannot communicate with other people. You know like most are immigrants and it's specifically under Asian American that who came here and you know they they work really hard to get a better education for the younger generation. So definitely definitely it's worth a shout out. Definitely and Dr. Tana who was with me here earlier this hour Asian American and he's a brilliant heart doctor and I look at all the people he's helping today and I've had the honor and privilege of working with so many Asian Americans over the years Dr. Nguyen to come here like you said with with very little knowledge of the language the culture and to be able to succeed and start families here and be able to help out people I think is really a special thing. Yes absolutely and I think that I have to thank to my parents our parents for that because immigrant parents very strict they're very motivated for their kids to be doing well in school and educations wise and very strict with the way that how the upbringing so that we got a you know we may complain about it when we grow up but you know that is some goodness in that. Very true very true I never asked you what your family heritage is. Yeah we Vietnamese. Vietnamese okay okay all right for our topic for this month we're going to be talking about cosmetic surgery you know you think about that's more the face maybe some other areas of the body that are augmented or altered but cosmetic surgery on the feet that's a thing too? Yeah that is the thing yes you know that is also involved with the emotional well-being of most of the people not many people want to talk about it because you know who talked about feet right unless it's painful. We do every month. We do every month yeah so that's why I want to bring in this topic not a lot of people talk about about feet most of the time when we come to see doctor when their feet is bother us in pain physical pain so today's topic I want to address that cosmetic because we've been having patients coming to see me just for emotional well-being and we need to address that as well we cannot just kind of like poo-poo it and say oh you know just like put your sock on put on your shoes nobody would see it you know that may be okay for some people's maybe not okay for some of younger generations they want to show up your feet even an older generation too we want to wear comfortable shoes open-toed shoes for this nice season yeah with a little corn little lesions here and there a little shape of the toes it's got bother them so we also need to address that during the examination. Is it a shame thing Dr. Nguyen that people are ashamed and maybe they feel that they don't have self-confidence because of just the appearance of their feet? That would be one of the factor because now with social media everything you know they want to take picture of everything else but the feet right nobody wants to show off their feet unless they are foot models so that is a topic that I always want to talk to my patients I real quick one very quick example I have a 14 years old patient she's very embarrassed of her toes okay and she have a second toe is extremely longer among all the toes on both side and she never wear any sandals and everything it just I talked to her in the exam room you can feel the emotion that she have bearing with her and she doesn't want to be shameful you know like discuss about that to her peer and you know her parents were in the room you know can we do anything about it of course we can do something about it and not a lot of people like want to know because they're afraid they're afraid to come out and discuss about the thing that oh that is such a self-centered thing to talk about you should not be you know all the people need more care than you that kind of thing yeah and for a 14 years old had to bearing that kind of emotional just like go through their day it's really devastating well I guess that the parents are behind it and you feel that there's something you can do to help them and then I guess that's that's what you do right yes yes see actually her parents brought her in because she constantly had blister in the tip of her toe over the second toe it constantly rubbing on her shoes they cannot find appropriate shoes for for her and that's when the parents believe that's when the parents come in I'm sure right and then as we're talking more further and she's embarrassed you know because I'm constantly wearing shoes so I didn't know how it feel like to not wearing shoes interesting not wearing open toe shoes right right and it's patient centric to a doctor when you can tailor with whatever the person's needs are you can look at some options for them and and see what's going to work best for them yes yes and I think I can't mention that to you that back in like the 90s that when we talk about the Cinderella procedure I didn't know that was a thing I had to look it up yeah and actually that's a procedure out there there are people who so desperately want to feed fit their feet into a proper shoes that they want okay so and there are plastic surgeon out there will make that happen so that trend is kind of I went through a lot because a lot of things happen back then minimal invasive surgery is not really robust you know no not really really like innovative you know so the patient have to go through a very long recovery time okay so when I dabble into not dabble but focus into minimal invasive techniques and I'd be able to say hey this can be the procedure not just how patient with physical pain but also address their emotional pain and get them back and be happy with themselves yeah and minimally invasive and speedy recovery times those are signatures for you I mean that's what you're all about and if you combine that with somebody's desire to just have feet that they feel are a bit more attractive and they're more comfortable with that the two worlds can can co-exist yeah yeah that is like you know two in one right yeah to see me and I can address their physical pain and emotional so I know we're getting into the summer months people are getting into the flip-flops the sandals the more comfortable summertime shoes and maybe you've been struggling with you just don't like the way your feet look it doesn't hurt there's no just come and see you and you'll you'll give an honest assessment of what you think yes and another thing that a lot of people who have underlining problem with the deformity like hammer toes when the toe is curling and that's a reason for it that's a reason behind that and all they see it just a corn on the top of the toes like hideous looking yeah that I have patients actually use bleach to kind of like erase that hoping that they will erase a discolored the corn because it's changing the thing bleach yeah I know it's like it's a lot of things but there are procedure appropriate procedure to address that issues and people who have chubby toe they don't like to have chubby toe you know to be called chubby right so in everything you know in our society it's very critical unfortunately especially for younger generation they take them that self-image is very important how many times you hear about cyber bullying and everything else we want to address that you know it's not something it's not a topic that we can ignore especially for the younger generation and the younger generation make the adult thing that oh if they don't want to talk about we should not talk about that's true you know like we go go through a very different phase in our society now so yeah it's always good to have a opinion from a professional yeah and definitely that's a way for everything so give us a call I never gave it a second thought but apparently it's a thing for people hey I don't like the way my feet look okay well if that's your thing open-toed shoes I had a legitimate concern that you helped me with one time wasn't a cosmetic thing I needed some help and you were there for me so I'm grateful but yeah it's that time of year reach out to you have that consultation what's the best way through the website or call you can always reach out to us and our phone number is nine zero eight five seven six zero eight eight zero you can reach us on our social media as well as our website it's a WW at feet and beyond calm and I just request for a consultation with me that's it all right well we'll see you Sunday at the the car show Memorial Motor Madness look forward to that and thank you for moving yourself up one week because it's Memorial Day next weekend so we want you to have a holiday with your family so yeah absolutely so much for that you Sunday then all right bye bye