Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails can be an excruciating experience. They happen when the nail grows into the skin around the toe, and can lead to a tremendous amount of pain, or even infection.

The best way to avoid getting an ingrown toenail is to cut your nails straight across, without rounding off the corners. When the corners of a toenail are trimmed, they have a tendency to grow back into the skin.

If you have diabetes, nerve damage to the legs and/or arms, or are otherwise prone to infections, do NOT try treating an ingrown toenail yourself. This can lead to serious complications. If you fall into this category, you should consult with your podiatrist or primary physician immediately.

If you’ve got an ingrown toenail and it’s starting to turn red, or if there is pus coming out of the skin, it is most likely infected already. In this situation, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, as well as trim out the offending nail border. This can be done in several different ways.

Often, a podiatrist may cut out the entire border of a nail. This is especially done in situations where an ingrown toenail is a recurring event. By removing the entire border of the nail, the chances of the nail growing back into the skin are very low.

When the entire border of the nail is to be removed, your doctor will first numb the area with a local anesthetic. This is to ensure that you have no pain during the procedure. The procedure is fairly quick, and it involves cutting into the nail and removing a small piece.

The root of the nail is often removed as well. The idea behind removing the root of the nail is that this is where the nail grows from. If the root of the nail is gone, then the nail will not be able to grow into the skin. Thus, the problem of the ingrown toenail is solved.

Many people have a problem with recurring ingrown toenails. The key is to prevent infection. Infection of an ingrown toenail is known in the medical community as a paronychia. Paronychia is usually a problem that will go away with treatment, but can evolve into a more complicated situation if left untreated. This is particular true in someone with a compromised immune system, such as a diabetic patient.

In the diabetic patient, the immune system is not functioning at full capacity. The same may be true for patients that are on oral steroids for rheumatoid arthritis or other systemic disease. For these patients it is especially important to seek treatment right away.

Central Florida Foot & Ankle Center, LLC
101 6th Street N.W.
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Phone: 863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com