Dr. Irina Tsyganova

Dr. Irina Tsyganova
Another Day at the Office

Monday, April 13, 2015

All you need to know about ingrown toenails in New Jersey 08234 EHT Podiatrist

All you need to know about ingrown toenails

What is an ingrown toenail?
Ingrown toenails are one of the most common problems a podiatrist will treat. Many people have different ideas of what an ingrown toenail is. Basically, an ingrown toenail is when the edge of the nail grows into the skin, which can cause pain and/or an infection. Ingrown toenails can be caught at any stage, from the first ounce of pain, or when it is neglected and a patient has a raging infection due to the ingrown toenail.

Who gets ingrown toenails?
The answer is simple; anyone can get an ingrown toenail. I tend to see them in a younger and older population. It is common is teenagers because they tend to pick at their toenails, and they don’t tell their parents that they have an infection. Usually when a teenager comes in with ingrown toenails there is a moderate to severe infection.
On the other hand, I tend to see a lot of senior citizens with ingrown toenails due to the fact that as people age they tend to get worsening fungus to their nails. The fungus s will thicken a nail to a point that it causes incurvation to the nail edge, and then an ingrown toenail. These ingrown toenails are not as severe as the above mentioned ones and besides treating the ingrown toenail, I treat the fungus, so the ingrown toenail doesn’t return.

What type of treatments options are there for ingrown toenails?
If a patient has an ingrown toenail that is just incurvated into the edge of the nail, usually without anesthesia, I will remove the nail edge, using podiatric instrumentation. If the patient cannot tolerate this procedure without anesthesia or if the incurvated nail is all the way down the nail bed, numbing the patient’s toe with anesthesia is required.
With a more severe ingrown toenail, where an infection is involved, numbing the toe with anesthesia is a requirement. It is then followed by removal of the ingrown toenail, removal of the infection and placing the patient on antibiotics.

Are there long term solutions for treatment chronic ingrown toenails?
If a patient keeps on getting ingrown toenails, there is a procedure that can be performed where the chronic offending nail margin is removed and then with a chemical, or a surgical procedure, the nail root is removed. This is called a matrixectomy and there are many different types, the point is to stop the problems of getting ingrown toenails.
In conclusion, wherever you fall on the spectrum of ingrown toenails, do not wait until it is too late to seek treatment.
For more information, please visit our website at www.footnj.com



No comments:

Post a Comment