Ingrown Toe Nails

Ingrowning Toenail are painful and can occur on any toe but usually affect the big toe. They affect the edge of the nail, which grows into the soft skin surrounding the toe-nail. The nail can cut in at the side or the edge.

What causes ingrowing toe-nails?

They are usually caused by pressure on the toe-nail, from wearing shoes that are too tight. They may also occur when the toe-nail is cut too short and AB0 VE If you cut toe-nails too short and in a curve the nail may cut into the surrounding skin, causing inflammation and possibly infection. ABOVE Cut the toe-nail straight across at the level of the skin to prevent the sides from curving under and cutting into the skin. curves down at the sides. Ideally, it should be cut at the level of the skin and straight across.

Symptoms of ingrowing toe-nails

• Pain and inflammation at the edge of the nail
• If infected, pus, redness and swollen red tissue alongside the nail

Ingrown Toe Nails Treatment and Cure

• If the nail becomes infected then antibiotics may be necessary. If this settles the nail down it is important to keep the nails longish and avoid tight-fitting shoes. If the problem becomes recurrent, then either a part or the whole toe-nail may have to be removed under local anaesthetic. This is usually done in hospital.
• If the toe-nail regrows after this and still causes problems, then the base of the nail bed may have to be destroyed, leaving the toe-nail nable to grow. This leaves the toe with a soft skin covering rather than a proper toe-nail.

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Health Tip

Acne is common among teenagers and is thought to be mainly due to the hormonal changes that puberty triggering the increased production of sebum in the skin glands, but it may also be hereditary.