Ingrown toenail: causes, treatment

In particular, we are talking about ingrown nails, a common condition also called onychocryptosis. This is a condition in which the nail not only rests against, but grows into the side of its bed, the so-called nail fold.

Causes and effects

In most cases, onychocryptosis is caused by purely mechanical reasons, such as shoes that are too tight. But in general, the following main reasons for the appearance of this disease can be listed:

• injuries to the fingers, and onychocryptosis most often affects the big toe;
• fungal infection of the finger;
• flat feet;
• incorrectly performed cut of the corner of the nail, which provokes its further growth directly into the flesh;
• too much soft tissue under the nail, which provokes the ingrowth of the plate into the nail fold.

At first, an ingrown nail, due to the fact that it still grows rather slowly, does not cause much concern, however, over time, the degree of penetration of the relatively sharp plate increases, which cannot but entail unpleasant consequences.

Gradually growing into the nail fold, the plate becomes cause inflammation, severe pain, and sometimes, due to the conditions in which the feet are, an infectious infection of the wound may occur, which in turn causes purulent discharge, deformation of the nail plate.

In itself, inflammation with onychocryptosis is accompanied by swelling and increased sensitivity of the finger.

How to treat

If you do not hesitate and detect this disease in time, then it is quite possible to cope with it for some time and with simple therapeutic methods. For example, special baths with potassium permanganate (a very weak solution to avoid burning) or a solution of table salt are used, only loose shoes are worn, increased attention is paid to foot hygiene. However, it is recommended to seek help from a surgeon.

If the nail has already grown deep enough, you should refrain from trying to cut it “correctly” yourself - this can only provoke its growth and worsen the condition. You should not delay visiting a doctor.

A surgeon can help in the fight against onychocryptosis, who will carefully study a specific case and decide how exactly to fight the disease. As a rule, the doctor performs two types of surgical intervention:

• removal of the edge of the ingrown nail;
• cauterization with a focused thermal laser beam of specific nail cells that are responsible for its growth.

After treatment, depending on the specifics of the case, the surgeon can also refer the patient to a dermatologist.

A feature of an ingrown nail is the risk of relapse of the disease even with the absolute effectiveness of surgical intervention. This can be prevented by affecting the nail fold, since it is its inflammation that most often provokes repeated cases of this disease.

It should be noted that when removing the entire nail, its bed remains relatively unprotected and especially vulnerable during the first weeks, while the entire nail will grow back for about three months. When using a laser, there is a high probability of success, it is used even against fungal nail infections, burning out not only those parts that were directly affected or grew incorrectly, but also the infection itself. The operation to combat an ingrown nail is performed under local anesthesia, is not too dangerous or fraught with complications. However, even several years after a successful procedure of any type, a recurrence of this unpleasant episode is possible.

As a preventive measure against an ingrown nail, it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes that do not affect the foot, provide timely first aid for finger injuries, and receive high-quality treatment for fungal infections from a dermatologist. This set of measures significantly reduces the chances of developing the disease, and especially its complex forms, which are nothing more than an advanced stage.