Ingrown toenails can be a pain but what’s more, they can actually lead to fungus and other infections in the toes that may cause further damage. Though an ingrown toenail seems like nothing more than a painful reminder to cut your toenails, they can actually lead to severe medical conditions if not treated and taken care of properly.
The Truth About Ingrown Toenails
There are several ways that ingrown toenails can be remedied and a few ways that they can lead to infection if not gotten rid of in a timely manner.
What is an Ingrown Toenail ?
When dealing with an ingrown toenail it is important to first understand what it truly is. This phenomena occurs when the toenail becomes long and begins to grow back into the flesh of the nail bed and the toe. This does not always happen because toenails are too long but often because their growth is being restricted by tight shoes or other restraints. Much like a bonsai tree, a toenail will grow to the surroundings in which it is confined.
When the toenail begins to grow into the soft tissue of the nail bed and foot there are two options, the person in question can either remove it themselves with sterile nail scissors and tweezers making sure to clean the area well before and after removal, or a doctor can be brought in to surgically remove the nail. Surgical removal is generally only needed in very severe cases.
Infection and Fungus
An ingrown toenail can lead to infection and fungus for one very simple reason, when the nail grows into the foot and nail bed there is absolutely no way for the skin to completely grow over or heal around the laceration that has been made by the nail.
In essence, when a nail grows into the foot or nail bed, there is a semi-permanent open laceration until the offending bit of nail is removed. This can cause intense pain and leave an open wound for infection and fungus to enter the toe by. In this case it is very important that the nail be removed as quickly as possible to help prevent infection and fungus from getting into the wound. Now if fungus has already begun to set in, it is likely that medical intervention will be necessary such as laser treatment.
As mentioned before, toenails that have been growing into the foot can be very painful and removal may require topical anesthesia to help prevent and lessen pain with removal. If medical intervention is needed to get antibiotics or topical creams it is advised that patients wait and allow the doctor to remove the offending nail rather than attempt at home removal which can lead to much more serious infection or damage to the toenail and nail bed.
