You would have at some point of time encounters a pain because of the ingrown toenail. If ignored in the long run, then this can become a reason for infection in the toe. There are many reasons of ingrown toenail problem and these are discussed here:
- Shoes which are tight on the toes
- Nails are cut either to short or in a curve
- Any injury in toenail
- Natural growth of toenail in a curve
- If a family member has encountered this problem, then there is a probability of you developing the same.
What Happens If An Ingrown Toenail Is Not Treated?
Many people tend to ignore this problem.It is advisable, that one should visit the ingrown toenail clinic where this problem could be treated well. Doctors at the ingrown toenail clinic claim, that ignoring this problem can aggravate it and might lead to:
- It can lead to abscesses
- These are more common in women, so they must take care of it
- Any ingrown nail can become a problem, but its more common with the big toe
Many home remedies can be applied to correct the toenail. But if there are any complications, people need to go to the ingrown toenail clinic for treatment.
Surgery
As we have mentioned above, ingrown toenail problem if ignored can result in severe problem like abscesses which demand surgery for its treatment. In this surgery, a part of a toenail or full toenail is removed but it depends on thecondition of the nail. To perform this surgery, the toe is first numbed with anesthetic and then an elastic band is tied on the place where to and foot meet. After doing this, scissors and other tools are used to make a vertical cut and separate the nail from the toe.
The doctor in ingrown toenail clinic uses either an electric device or an acidic solution to separate the nail. The toe is wrapped in a bandage which is covered with petroleum jelly.
Pain
If a patient press around the place of an ingrown toenail, it may pain. Anesthetic injection can be painful but after its application, surgery becomes easy in ingrown toenail clinic and it is not painful. When the effect of numbness is over, the area where the surgery has been conducted may be painful.
Care after surgery
Once the surgery is done, there is a certain amount of care that you must take.
- It is good if the foot is kept on a table or stool while sitting.
- Painkillers may be a good option to get relieved from pain, but the patient should take them after consulting with the doctor.
- Doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic in case he finds infection before the surgery.
- The patient should take care that he does not wear any tight shoes at it may be painful for the toe which has gone through surgery.
- A lightweight and the loose shoe should be preferred in this case.
Symptoms of an ingrown toenail
There are many symptoms of ingrown toenail, which are mentioned here.
- Feeling pain around the edges of the toenail
- Thickening of skin and building up of fluid around the toenail
- Appearance of redness and swelling
- Infection and pus in the toenail
Other method s of curing the disease
If you are not fond of visiting an ingrown toenail clinic for the treatment, you can go for the following remedies. If the problem is not grave, then these remedies might work for you, but in case the problem persist for long, make sure that you visit an ingrown toenail clinic.
- Pain and swelling can be reduced by putting the foot in warm water for fifteen to twenty minutes. This procedure should be followed many times in a day.
- A piece of cotton should be placed under the toenail. This will help in proper growth of the nail. Remove the cotton if it pains.
- Cut the nail if possible.
- Use ointment on the toenail and wrap it up with bandage. This procedure will protect the toenail and kept clean as it grows.
- Wear lose shoes to give space to the toenail to grow.
Wrapping Up :
Well, its always good to take good care of yourself; precaution is better than cure, and if you follow the above-mentioned steps of wearing lose shoes, cutting nails at regular interval and home remedies in case of pain because of ingrown toenail, then you can avoid surgery and regular visits to the ingrown toenail clinic.
