Health, Mind, Beauty and Relations: A very common and painful problem that is often overlooked, here’s all that is there to know about ingrown nails

Sunday, November 11, 2012

A very common and painful problem that is often overlooked, here’s all that is there to know about ingrown nails

    Ever felt a stab of pain in your toes as if your nails were digging into your skin? Maybe they really are. Ingrown nails, also known as onychocryptosis or unguis incarnates, can be extremely painful. It is more common in adults than in children and more men are affected by it than women. Ingrown toenails are characterised by nails that are curved and grow into the skin, generally at the sides of the nail borders. They mostly happen in the big toes. The digging in by the nail irritates the skin, causing pain, swelling and redness in the toe. The area around the swelling could also feel warm to the touch.

SYMPTOMS
    When a nail starts growing inwards, the toe becomes red with mild swelling and can also hurt. That area will be warm to touch.
    Gradually, some skin and tissue might start growing around the sharp edge of the nail, which is the body’s natural response to the pain. Your nail might not be infected yet.
    There could be pus formation in the toe, which might give out an unpleasant odor. This is because the nail is breaking into the skin, exposing it to bacterial infections. The skin might become light-coloured, surrounded by red skin. It’s not necessary that everyone will have pus formation, but that in no way means that you are not at a risk of infection.
    Fungal infections due to ingrown nails can lead to thickening or widening of the toenails.
An ingrown toenail can become an infection and even abscess when left untreated. A rare complication of the toe — Osteomyelitis — happens when the bone also becomes infected.

WHY IT HAPPENS Uncomfortable, ill-fitting, tight shoes or high heels that cramp your toes can pressure the nails to grow abnormally. Trimming your nails too close to the skin, which makes the skin fold over the nail. Try to trim them straight instead of rounding off at the corners. Losing the nail due to repeated trauma (like playing football) or injuries near the nail. You could also inherit ingrown nails. Sucks but true!

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO First and foremost, do not attempt to be your own doctor. Avoid cutting the sides of the nail that is digging into your skin. Cutting it will only compound the problem for you. Do not try to stuff cotton between the nail and the skin. This will not relieve the pain. Also, you run the risk of
developing an infection if the cotton is not regularly changed.
    Always clip nails straight across. Ensure that the ends of the nails are longer than the edge of the skin. This will prevent the corners of your nail from digging into your ksin.
    If your nail isn’t infected as yet, soak your foot in a tub filled with room-temperature water and Epsom salt. Start massaging the side of the nail. It might help reduce the inflammation.
    Make sure you keep your feet clean and dry all through the day.
    Try not to wear high heels and closed shoes. Do not wear shoes that are too tight and cramped. You must not wear loose or oversized shoes as well, since they build pressure in the toe area when you are running or walking briskly.
    If your nail is infected, you must consult a podiatrist. He might remove the errant nail or the part that is digging into your skin after injecting an anesthetic to numb the toe.
    If you have extra tissue growing around the infected nails (which happens quite often), the podiatrist might remove it to hasten the healing process. The tissue might be pushing the nail against the skin worsening the pain and infection.
    The doctor might also perform a procedure called lateral matriectomy to remove a portion of the nail bed. This is done for people who suffer from frequent and regular ingrown nails.
    bushra.khan @timesgroup.com

DR KAUSTUBH KESKAR, PODIATRIST: It is the tendency of the nail to grow inwards. Also, diabetics often have ingrown toenails. Faulty footwear can also be a cause. Ingrown toenails can be extremely painful. When the nail penetrates into the skin and muscle and causes injury, it leads to infection in the underlying skin tissue. If the pain is severe and unbearable, then surgery is the only option, wherein the nail will be partially removed from the nail bed to relieve the pain and the nail plate is reconstructed to prevent the nail from growing inwards again.