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.
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