Ingrown nail
This occurs when the edge of the nail penetrates or is embedded in the skin of the toe of the foot. It usually causes pain and inflammation in the nail as a consequence of the pressure of the shoe, a poor cutting of the nail or anatomical alterations, and may be infected and cause an incapacitating pain. At Clínica San Román we offer a definitive surgical treatment by means of an ambulatory surgical procedure.
The most frequent causes of ingrown toenails are the following:
1- Inadequate footwear, too narrow, which causes repeated microtraumatisms.
2- Nail morphology (hypercurvature of the nail, congenital dystrophy, Hallux Valgus or bunions as well as hammertoes or claw toes).
3- Arthrosis.
4- Defects in the pedicure due to poorly cut lateral edges.
5- Trauma to the nail.
6- Onychomycosis or fungal infection.
Patients with ingrown toenails often complain of swelling and redness of the lateral border of the nail body and periungual tissues. They also report pain on palpation, during sport or when wearing tight shoes. Finally, the ingrown nail causes an abscess with infection in the nail.
Diagnosis and treatment must be carried out by a podiatric professional.
Ingrown toenail treatment
Initially, preventive treatment focuses on cutting the nails straight and smoothing them regularly, avoiding stockings and tight shoes, and finally applying topical antiseptics in the initial stages as well as salt water baths.
Once the preventive treatment has not been effective, nail reconstruction surgery must be performed to permanently solve the problem. It is recommended that this surgery is carried out by experienced professionals because if it is not done correctly, it often leads to a recurrence of the problem. The medical and podiatric team at the San Román clinic has more than 25 years of experience performing reconstructive surgery for ingrown toenails.
Contact the San Roman Chiropody Clinic so we can help you.
