Ingrown Toenails
Solutions for a Pressing Issue
If you’ve ever been pricked by a thorn or stabbed by a staple, you’ve experienced what an ingrown toenail can feel like. The slightest pressure can bring on a stabbing pain that doesn’t go away for people who suffer from this condition. The only way to get rid of the discomfort is to invest in toenail treatment.
What is this Ingrown Issue?
Known as one of the most common foot problems, ingrown toenails happen when the sides curve down and grow into the surrounding tissues. The corner can pierce into the flesh on the sides of the big toe. It can happen on one side, both sides, or in both big toes at once. It can also affect the smaller nails, but not very often.
Making The Cut
Have you ever trimmed your nails too short? You can feel the empty space, especially around the corners. When you trim too close to the skin, you may break the seal that separates the nail plate from the nail side. When that grows back in, the corners might start to poke into your toe and cause pain.
Improper trimming is one of the two main causes for ingrown toenails. The other cause is something you can’t control because it’s inherited from your parents. Some people’s natural nail bed is fan-shaped. This means that the sides press into your nail fold. Through no fault of your own, you may develop this condition.
Crowding in your shoes and repeated trauma from running can also cause this problem. The sharp pain you feel is most likely the product of extra pressure that’s placed on your foot. This happens when your shoes are too tight and pinch, or too roomy so your toes slide around and bump the sides. If your shoes are even a little bit too tight, this could happen to you.
The Bad, the Worse, and the Severe
Pain, redness, and swelling are the first signs of this developing issue. Then, you might experience some bleeding and pus that accumulates around the area. You will know your condition has deteriorated if you have a severe infection accompanied by extreme pain and an overgrowth of skin on the toe. When it gets this bad, visit Dr. David Haddad at Richardson Podiatry Center. He can treat your toe at any stage.
Treat at Home or Treat Yourself to Surgery
Ingrown toenail treatment at home is a good way to treat the infection in its beginning stages. It may even prevent the problem from progressing. You’re going to need to soak your feet three to four times a day and keep the toe dry and clean.
With olive oil to soften the nail, you can move it away from the skin and add antiseptic lotion. If you can place a small piece of cotton between the hard tissue and the skin, that will alleviate some pressure. Finally, wrap your toe with a bandage. To prevent this issue in the future, always trim your toenails straight across, use clean clippers, and wear shoes that won’t squish your toes together.
Whatever you do, don’t attempt to cut out the ingrown portion yourself. If you need to keep yourself from picking at the wound, wrap a bandage around it. If you can’t stop digging, see a podiatrist. Surgery is another way to get rid of the intense pain that this creates.
Surgery for this condition is a quick, painless procedure that will remove the side of the nail. If you have a severe, recurring ingrown toenail that presses into the skin, you might have to have it removed. When it heals, there will still be an imprint of where it used to be. However, the pain will be gone!
We know how extremely painful it can be to run, jog, and even walk with this condition. If you need to see a podiatrist for ingrown toenail treatment, the Richardson Podiatry Center is the place to go. Call our office at (972) 690-5374, make an appointment online, or follow our Facebook page to stay connected with innovative ways to treat your most pressing foot issues.