{"id":53,"date":"2019-03-04T05:08:19","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T05:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/?p=53"},"modified":"2019-03-04T05:08:19","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T05:08:19","slug":"ingrowing-toe-nail-nail-infections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/ingrowing-toe-nail-nail-infections\/","title":{"rendered":"Ingrowing Toe Nail &#8211; Nail Infections"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ingrown toenails occur when the edges or corners of the nail grow into the skin next to the nail.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Ingrown toenails that are not infected can be treated at home, but you   should seek medical treatment if the nail has pierced the skin.<\/p>\n<p>You are at a higher risk of complications from an ingrown toenail if   you have diabetes or other conditions that cause poor circulation.<\/p>\n<p>Ingrown   toenails occur when the edges or corners of your nails grow into the   skin next to the nail. Your big toe is most likely to get an ingrown   toenail.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>What causes ingrown toenails?<\/h2>\n<p>Ingrown   toenails occur in both men and women. According to the National Health   Services (NHS), ingrown toenails may be more common in people with   sweaty feet, such as teenagers. Older people may also be at higher risk   because toenails thicken with age.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many things can cause an ingrown toenail, including:<\/p>\n<p>Cutting   toenails incorrectly (cut straight across, since angling the sides of   the nail can encourage the nail to grow into the skin)<\/p>\n<p>Irregular, curved toenails<\/p>\n<p>Footwear   that places a lot of pressure on the big toes, such as socks and   stockings that are too tight or shoes that are too tight, narrow, or   flat for your feet Toenail injury, including stubbing your toe, dropping   something heavy on your foot, or kicking a ball repeatedly\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Poor posture\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Improper foot hygiene, such as not keeping your feet clean or dry<\/p>\n<p>Genetic predisposition<\/p>\n<p>Using your feet extensively during athletic activities can make you especially prone to getting ingrown toenails.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Activities   in which you repeatedly kick an object or put pressure on your feet for   long periods of time can cause toenail damage and increase your risk of   ingrown toenails : Ballet Football Kickboxing Soccer<\/p>\n<h2>What are the symptoms of ingrown toenails?<\/h2>\n<p>Early-stage symptoms include:<\/p>\n<p>Skin next to the nail becoming tender, swollen, or hard Pain when pressure is placed on the toe<\/p>\n<p>Fluid building up around the toe<\/p>\n<h2>If your toe becomes infected, symptoms may include:-<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"list01\">\n<li>Red, swollen skin<\/li>\n<li>Pain<\/li>\n<li>Bleeding<\/li>\n<li>Oozing pus<\/li>\n<li>Overgrowth of skin around the toe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the treatment options for ingrown toenails?<\/h2>\n<h3>Treatment Options<\/h3>\n<p>If your toenail has pierced the skin, or there is any sign of infection, seek medical treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Signs of infection include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list01\">\n<li> Warmth<\/li>\n<li>Pus<\/li>\n<li>Redness and\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>swelling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Home treatment<\/h2>\n<p>To treat your ingrown toenail at home, try:<\/p>\n<p>Soaking your feet in warm water for about 15 to 20 minutes three to four times a day<\/p>\n<p>Pushing skin away from the toenail edge with a cotton ball soaked in olive oil<\/p>\n<p>Using over-the-counter medicines, like calpol, for the pain<\/p>\n<p>Applying a topical antibiotic, such as t-bact, to prevent infection<\/p>\n<p>If the toenail does not respond to home treatments or an infection occurs, you may need surgery.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0In cases of infection, stop all home treatments and see your doctor.<\/p>\n<h2>Surgical treatment<\/h2>\n<p>Total nail removal may be   used if your ingrown nail is caused by thickening. The doctor will give   you a local pain injection and then remove the entire nail. According to   the NHS, nail removal is 98 percent effective for preventing future   ingrown toenails.<\/p>\n<p>After surgery Your doctor will send you home   with your toe bandaged. You will probably need to keep your foot raised   for the next one to two days and wear special footwear to allow your toe   to heal properly.<\/p>\n<p>Avoid movement as much as possible. Your   bandage is usually removed two days after surgery. Your doctor will   advise you to wear open-toed shoes and to do daily salt water soaks   until your toe heals. You will also be prescribed pain relief medication   and antibiotics to prevent infection.Your toenail will likely grow back   a few months after a partial nail removal surgery. If the entire nail   is removed down to the base, the nail matrix under your skin, a toenail   can take over a year to fully grow back.<\/p>\n<h2>Complications of ingrown toenail if left untreated<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0infection in the bone in your toe.<\/p>\n<p>foot ulcers, or open sores, and a loss of blood flow to the infected area.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A foot infection can be more serious if you have diabetes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Preventing ingrown toenails<\/h2>\n<p>Trim your toenails straight across and make sure that the edges do not curve in.<\/p>\n<p>Avoid cutting toenails too short.<\/p>\n<p>Wear proper fitting shoes, socks, and tights.Wear steel-toed boots if you work in hazardous conditions.<\/p>\n<p>If your toenails are abnormally curved or thick, surgery may be necessary to prevent ingrown nails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ingrown toenails occur when the edges or corners of the nail grow into the skin next to the nail. Ingrown toenails that are not infected can be treated at home, but you should seek medical treatment if the nail has pierced the skin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[16],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions\/55"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laparoscopicgastrosurgeon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}