Ingrown Toenail

Ingrown Toenail: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Nails, what are they anyway?

A nail consists of keratin. It is dead tissue; only the root of the nail contains life. A nail grows completely in 9 months. Nails must be cut. Otherwise, they will cause problems in the shoes. They get stuck and can grow wrong. Pressure can cause the toenail to grow into the skin, which can be very painful and cause inflammation.

Causes ingrown toenail

The position of the toe. If the toe is slightly tilted, a nail edge can be pressed into the skin when walking.
Poorly fitting shoes can put pressure on the nail of the big toe in particular.
Thick toes with small nails are extra vulnerable.
Cutting the nail too short, or cutting it around at the corners.

Symptoms ingrown toenail
The skin around the nail becomes sore and red
Blood, pus or clear fluid may come from the skin next to the nail

It is important to intervene if you notice that a toenail is going to grow in, to prevent an infection.

Treatment ingrown toenail

How the ingrown toenail should be treated depends on the severity of the ingrowth.
What you can do yourself with an ingrown toenail;
Take a foot bath in Biotex daily to keep the wound clean
You can relieve pain by taking paracetamol and bathing your foot in salt water. Keeping the foot up also helps to ease the pain.
Cover the toe with sterile gauze to protect it
Slide a piece of cotton wool under the nail corners and massage the skin down regularly
Do not wear socks if an infection has occurred, and wear open shoes, like sandals
Apply a disinfectant to the sides of the nail to prevent infection

Treatment by doctor

The nail edges can be lifted and cut away. This gives the infection a chance to heal. This can be done under local anaesthesia.
With a nail narrowing, the same is done, but then the root of the nail is narrowed, under local anaesthesia.
Complete or partial nail removal, under local anesthesia.

Prevent ingrown toenail

You can’t prevent yourself from getting an ingrown toenail at all. You can pay attention to several things to avoid it as much as possible;
Wear well-fitting shoes
Do not cut nails too short
Do not cut nails too round at the corners, as they can grow in more easily.

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