Denton County Living Well Magazine September/October 2017 | Page 43

By Chantell Peterson
I
Ingrown Toenails
Can Be Painful and Unsightly
‘m sure most of you have had a
painful toenail at some point in
your life. The feeling of a sharp,
shooting pain penetrating in the
corner of the toe is what we call an
ingrown toenail. This is when the toe-
nail, primarily occurring on the big or
great toe, grows into the side of the
toe. Not only can this be painful but
very unsightly too.
There are many causes of ingrown toe-
nails. The most common cause is due
to the way the toenails are trimmed.
When the toenail is cut in the corners,
this forces the toenail to grow in that
fashion and into the skin. The proper
method of trimming the toenails is
straight across the nail. This should be
done with a straight toenail trimmer.
Another major cause of ingrown toe-
nails that is seen on a regular basis is
from a traumatized toenail from a nail
salon. Many patients will come into
our office complaining that their toe-
nails have been painful after receiving
their pedicure. This is typically caused
from the pedicurist trimming their toe-
nails in the corner. While this may
give some relief at the time, it is best
to have the ingrown toenail cut out by
the experts who know how to properly
remove them. Pedicures are a nice lux-
ury for both men and women however,
if you get them, ensure they are cutting
your toenails straight across.
Most patients seen in our office have
already attempted to cut out their in-
grown toenail. Unfortunately, most of
the time, this causes greater risks and
complications later. It is best to have
the ingrown toenail treated as soon as
possible so that it is removed properly.
Ingrown toenail
The picture shown
is a typical ingrown
toenail that occurs
in many of our pa-
tients. Sometimes
the pain can be
very severe and infection can set in if it
goes untreated. Treatment is fairly sim-
ple with minimal pain. The most com-
mon treatment is a local procedure that
is performed in our office under local
anesthesia. First, the toe is anesthetized
in the office with injectable anesthesia.
Then the corner of the toenail is cut
down to the root with a special device.
Once the corner is excised, the nerve
root is destroyed with an acid that is
applied. The patient is then given oral
antibiotics for prophylaxis. Patients do
very well with this procedure and there
is no cutting or stitches involved.
The patient then returns in two weeks
for a follow up visit to evaluate the toe-
nail and ensure there is no pain or in-
fection present. Once this is ruled out,
the patient is discharged. This is one
of the most common procedures per-
formed in our office on a daily basis
and your satisfaction is our guarantee.
If you have an ingrown toenail that
has been reoccurring or is bother-
some, please call our office today
at 972-316-0902 for an evaluation
so we can cure your problem with
a simple in-office procedure. With
summertime right around the corner,
now is the perfect time to take care
of those toenail issues so you can
wear your summer sh