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Welcome to Podiatric-Treatment.co.uk |
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| Ingrowing Toenail |
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An ingrown toenail is probably
the most common abnormality involving the nail, and we
see this problem in our clinic on a daily basis. Simply
put, an ingrown nail is a condition in which the nail
is growing into the skin and flesh of the toe.
The condition may involve one border or both, and is accompanied
by redness, warmth, swelling, and often develops infection.
The amount of pain the patient experiences varies, depending
upon one's age, gender, circulation, and general medical
condition.
While the problem is often dismissed as inconsequential
(at least by those who have never experienced the problem),
it should not be taken lightly. Just a couple generations
ago, in the era before antibiotics, an ingrown toenail
that developed into an infection could kill people. Even
today, if the patient has compromised circulation or diabetes,
the condition when ignored carries higher risks.
Ingrown toenail may be caused by:
- Improperly trimmed nails (Trim then straight across, not longer than the tip of the toes. Do not cut down the corners.)
- Heredity
- Shoe pressure; crowding of toes in poorly-fitting shoes.
- Repeated trauma to the feet from normal activities.
The most common treatment often in the middle of the night
a patient attempts to perform for this condition is so-called
"DIY bathroom surgery". This is where the patient
attempts to remove a portion of nail, him or herself with
whatever tools that are available. Unfortunately, this
will often worsen the condition and can delay or make
subsequent treatment more difficult.
We suggest that you may clean the foot in a warm (not
hot) salt water soak, or a basin of soapy water, then
apply an antiseptic and bandage the area. You should then
schedule an appointment with a podiatrist as soon as possible.
He or she can diagnose the problem and provide appropriate
treatment. People with diabetes or circulatory disorders
are especially sensitive to infections and serious problems
and need to seek podiatric/ medical care as soon as possible.
Antibiotics will usually address the infection-portion
of this complaint, but the actual problem of the nail
digging into the flesh needs to be addressed for a permanent
cure. So most podiatrists will resect the ingrown portion
of the nail as an adjunctive treatment to treat and eradicate
the infection.
If ingrown nails are a chronic problem or severe enough,
we can perform a simple procedure to permanently prevent
ingrown nails. This procedure consists of removing the
problematic nail border and killing or removing the root
of the nail in some way to prevent regrowth. This is a
very common procedure, one that we perform every day.
And the procedure very rarely hurts and has very high
success rate.
Click here for more information on Podiatry consultants at London Bridge Hospital
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London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street
London, SE1 2PR
Tel: 020 7407 3100
Fax: 020 7407 3162 |
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