Ingrown toenails are a common health problem. There are some simple steps you can take to prevent infection. Practical tips will also help you prevent ingrown toenails, whether they are on your fingers or toes.
What are ingrown toenails?
Ingrown toenails occur when the nail enters the tissue from the outer edge. Incarnation often affects the feet, especially the big toe, also known as the big toe. Ingrown toenail symptoms
Ingrown toenails can be painful and the area around the nail can be painful, red and swollen.
Pain around the nail can be annoying: In more severe cases, walking or wearing shoes can be difficult and painful.
Finally, if there is an infection, there will be redness and skin folds due to inflammation. When an infection occurs, this bump will swell and fill with pus. The pain will then become persistent and if left untreated, the bump will swell into a large lump called a botryoma. Risk factors and factors that cause ingrown nails
There is no single cause of ingrown nails, but it is caused by the following:
Poorly cut nails, even on fingers and toes;
Shoes do not fit, too tight;
Excessive sweating;
Osteoarthritis of the toes can cause bone changes;
Bad feet when walking or standing;
Abnormal nails;
Toe injury (machinery, fracture, etc.);
Certain diseases such as diabetes.
What should I do if I have an ingrown toe?
Consultation regarding ingrown toenails is not always necessary. However, medical advice is important in the following cases:
If you have diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, heart disease or immune system disorders:
If the beads around the ingrown nail take the form of a large red raspberry-shaped bud.
If there is no improvement in the body after two days of local treatment;
If your nail is in the stage of infection, swollen, has unbearable pain, swelling, discharge;
If you have a fever;
If, in addition to ingrown toes, you also experience symptoms of lymphangitis: that is, red tender lines appear on the foot and/or calf. In all these cases, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible so that he can use antibiotics and/or antibiotics. He may also refer you to a podiatrist for proper care. Most often, the podiatrist will place a medium between the nail and the toe to break contact and stop the incubation.
Therefore, in some cases, consultation is important because early medical advice can save the nail. Special care will help prevent and prevent the disease. Which ointments can be used alone?
To treat ingrown nails before they become infected, the following are recommended:
Soak your feet in warm water three times a day, for about 15 minutes each time;
To prevent the ingrown nail from penetrating the skin, place a small piece of cotton between the ingrown nail and the skin.
You can make clothing with Dakin disinfectant;
Keep your feet as high as possible;
Wear wide shoes to prevent friction and avoid high heels to balance the weight on the feet;
Keep your feet dry.
Behaviors to avoid:
Most importantly, do not cut your own nails to remove ingrown nails. However, they will continue to progress. Provide comfortable shoes and delay the use of new shoes.
Avoid very hot showers.
Surgical treatment for ingrown toenails
In some cases, ingrown toenails need to be treated under local anesthesia. This occurs when the above treatments do not work or vice versa.
Interventions include removing the beads to free the nail. Surgery can also remove the damage to the ingrown nail, but full recovery takes a long time, about two to three weeks. It takes about a year for a full nail to grow.
This removal can also be chemical, and then the doctor will use phenol, but the treatment period will be the same.
Prevent ingrown toenails
To prevent ingrown toenails, follow these steps every day:
Cut your hands when they are soft after a shower or bath;
Cut your nails straight, not curved; this promotes incarnation;
Use appropriate tools, first cleaned with alcohol;
Wash your feet and nails every day;
Wear good shoes;
Fight sweat.