Analyses, examinations, procedures

An ingrown toenail is a disease that is experienced at least once in the life by almost 100% of the world’s population. At first, the nail edge presses the nail to the edge of the bridge. In the beginning a slight redness occurs, followed by increasing pain. The situation is severe if purulent inflammation occurs, which can lead to amputation of a finger or toe.

Causes of ingrown nails

The reason for ingrown nails is nowadays more often wearing narrow shoes and standing / walking for a long time. Therefore, the use of wearer-friendly shoes is extremely important.

Bruising, freezing, toe trauma, and heavy objects falling on the nail can cause ingrown nails to develop with fungal infections. This causes the nail plate to thicken and rot. A hereditary predisposition is expressed in the genetic growth of the nail plate and a predisposition to flatfoot, which are also factors in the development of the disease.

The most common cause of ingrown nails in the world is incorrect nail cutting. When cutting nails, it is necessary to leave the edges of the nail plate free. Cutting of the nail corners regularly, sooner or later, the nail grows into the nail bed and the symptoms of the ingrown nail develop.

Ingrown nail symptoms

Due to the constantly increasing pressure of the nail plate, local inflammation occurs, which is accompanied by redness, swelling, and sharp pain. In some cases, it even hurts to walk. Inflammation then occurs, with fluid and then purulent discharge. The nail usually changes color and shape, in addition, stratification occurs.

Untreated ingrown nails cause inflammation that can quickly spread to healthy tissues. Even the whole limb.

Treatment of ingrown nails

There are several methods on the Internet for home treatment of ingrown nails: tea mushrooms, farm butter, etc. As physicians, we cannot recommend such a thing, especially when it comes to purulent inflammation. If you have purulent inflammation, BE SURE to see a doctor. The later the patient sees a doctor, the more likely they are to have complications from infectious diseases.

The optimal way to treat an ingrown nail is to see a surgeon with the first symptoms. In this case, it is possible to use conservative (non-surgical) treatment methods. If surgery is required, the most common procedure is called the Emmert procedure.

We treat ingrown nails privately in the Confido treatment room. The procedure does not require special preparation by the patient. In total, this takes about 10 minutes, and local anesthesia is performed during the procedure. It is recommended to come for a checkup a few days after the procedure.