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Heeling Soles

Women who love heels are used to the pain: the schlepping of the emergency sneakers, the backaches, the bunions, the lectures from feminists and doctors alike. Dr. Suzanne Levine, however, is one podiatric surgeon who understands the importance of a good pair of sexy expensive shoes. She'd never suggest that a woman endure dowdy orthopedics in the name of something as mundane as health. "When you see someone who's kind of frumpy," Levine says, "look at the shoes. You'll see it's a functional shoe. Not spunky. Not original. And it tells you a lot." So she doesn't look askance at patients who choose to step out in stilettos. "I just think the idea of putting on a heel is very lifting in spirit," Levine explains, "and we all need that."

That said, the doctor is no advocate of suffering for beauty, either, so she came up with a laser remedy for high-heel aficionados called the Cool Touch. The pulsating light stimulates collagen growth on the balls of the feet—creating little mounds of pillowy, cushioning flesh—which, Levine swears, makes long-term standing in a pair of Manolos seen reasonable. One Cool Touch session at her Upper East Side clinic costs $400, and generally three visits are needed, with a follow-up every nine months to a year. "I have very tender feet," says Barbara Martin, "and they were down to the point where it was strictly bone-to-floor. If we went to a formal affair, I could make it to the table, but then I'd have to sit the whole evening. But after three sessions, I danced all night!"

On December 6th, Levine will cart her laser to Bloomingdale's luxury shoe salon so that customers shopping for Jimmy Choo, Blahnik, or Christian Louboutin footwear can fortify their feet gratuit. The Doctor will also offer, "foot facials", which she promises leave feet feeling like two little baby behinds. But the bad news for anyone dreaming of, say, Lacroix en crocodile is that Levine's laser is quite unable to plump up your bank account.

New York beauty guru

Wendy Lewis is an independent beauty consultant and expert is aethestic surgery. If she doesn't know about it, it's not worth having.

It's a well-known fact that when heel heights rise, feet suffer. It's all to do with them sliding forward in your shoes, squashing the toes and putting pressure on the balls of your feet. Since no woman I know is about to forego vanity for the sake of comfort, some canny chiropodists have come up with a solution: lasering. Now this might sound a step too far, but New Yorkers seem to be vain enough to try. Lasers are more commonly used for crow's feet, but here they zap the underlying layers of skin in the balls of the feet to stimulate cells to produce more collagen, which plumps up the natural padding. The healing process creates scar tissue, which provides even more cushioning, according to Dr. Suzanne Levine. After the 25-minute procedure, a copper-based cream which also spurs collagen growth, is rubbed into the soles. The treatments, which consist of a series of three, cost around $400 each. After the third treatment, the fat cushioning in the heels should have built up enough to keep you pain-free for nine to 12 months, at least until next fashion week. Sarah Jessica Parker, owner of 100 pairs of Manolos, should book in for a course soon.

Suzanne Levine, PDM, 885 Park Avenue, New York (001 212 535 0229). Neova Body Therapy with copper peptides is available at www.lasercare-clinics.co.uk or by calling 0800 0287 222.