How To Prevent Nail Disorders
There are many steps you can take to prevent nail disorders from occurring. Some of these include keeping your feet clean, dry, and moisturized daily, clipping your toenails properly—straight across—with nail clippers, and always wearing well-fitting shoes. Besides that, it may also help to avoid biting your nails and pushing back your cuticles, which are your nail’s natural defense against germs. If you do notice anything unusual or feel discomfort around your nails, reach out to our doctors right away.
How Are Nail Disorders Treated?
Nail diseases and disorders treatment may include oral or topical medications, such as antifungal creams, corticosteroids, and antibiotics. But if there is a severe infection, the nail may need to be removed by your doctor through a surgical procedure. At Thomas Podiatry & Associates, our expert physicians will develop a customized treatment plan that’s best suited to your individual condition.
What Are The Symptoms of Nail Disorders?
Different nail conditions, whether minor or severe, can be characterized by various symptoms. Here are some of them:
- Brittle, soft, and splitting nails
- Thinning or thickening of the nails
- Curling or clubbing
- Lesions, pits, and ridges
- Dark or white streaks
- Changes in nail color to yellow or brown
- Swelling and redness around the nails
- Pain, soreness, and tenderness
- Bleeding around the nails
- Signs of yellow pus
- The nail is separating from the bed
What Are Nail Disorders?
There are several diseases that affect the nails, which are often the result of a fungal or bacterial infection. This is because fungal infections commonly affect the toenails and sometimes the fingernails as well. Besides that, as a result of exposure to a warm, moist environment, your nails may become thick, brittle, and distorted.
Ingrown toenails are the most common nail disorder. This involves the corners of the nails digging into the surrounding soft tissue, causing irritation and swelling. Some other nail conditions include psoriasis, paronychia, and nail fungus.
How To Prevent Ingrown Toenails
Patients can prevent ingrown toenails by protecting the foot from trauma, wearing comfortable, well-fitting shoes, and trimming their nails properly. To help avoid infection, keep your feet clean and dry.
- The Right Shoes: Get your feet measured (your size may change as you age) and wear shoes that are supportive and roomy enough for your toes to wiggle. Also, look for shoes made of natural materials such as leather, which allow your feet to breathe.
- Proper Trimming: To avoid problems, trim your toenails straight across without cutting down into the corners. If you can’t trim your own nails, ask your podiatrist to do so for you.
Patients with diabetes may be at a higher risk of serious complications, like an ingrown toenail infection. So, it’s crucial to take special precautions to prevent them from occurring.
How Are Ingrown Toenails Treated?
Most ingrown toenails can be treated at home by soaking the foot in warm water, applying antibiotic cream to the area, and wrapping the toe in gauze or bandages. It is important to keep the area clean to help prevent infection. Your doctor may also place a piece of cotton under the nail to separate it from the skin that it is growing into, encouraging growth above the edge of the skin.
For more severe or recurrent cases, ingrown toenail treatment may involve the removal of part of the nail and the underlying tissue to remove the infection. Removal can be done through a chemical, laser, or other methods.
What Are Some Ingrown Toenail Symptoms?
Ingrown nails may cause pain at the tip of the toe or all the way to its base, which is often worse while walking. An ingrown nail may also lead to infection, inflammation, or a more serious condition. If it’s infected, you might see pus or redness.
What Is An Ingrown Toenail?
An ingrown toenail is a common condition that involves the corner of the toenail growing into the skin of the toe, causing pain, swelling, and infection. This can occur as a result of wearing shoes that are too small or tight, cutting the toenails too short, injury to the toenail, or a naturally curved toenail. While this condition can affect any toe, it most commonly affects the big toe. An ingrown toenail is likely to develop an infection and may even require surgery to remove the nail, so it’s best to get ingrown toenail treatment immediately.
How Are Hammertoes Treated?
Treatment for hammertoes depends on the severity of the condition, but may include home remedies, anti-inflammatory medications, and orthotics. For more severe cases, surgery may also be recommended, given that the patient is a good candidate for the procedure. Those who have poor blood circulation on the foot and have other health problems should avoid surgery. To determine and understand which type of treatment is best for your condition, consult a podiatrist.
Hammertoe surgery involves removing a small section of bone from the affected joint and replacing them with an artificial prosthesis through a procedure called arthroplasty. Arthrodesis may also be performed to treat hammertoes, which involves fusing together one of the joints in the toe in order to keep it straight. This procedure requires the use of a metal pin to hold the toe in position while it heals. Depending on the type of hammertoe surgery you will get, the recovery period may take a few weeks.
What Causes Hammertoes?
While most cases of hammertoes are caused by an underlying muscle imbalance, it may develop as a result of several different causes, including arthritis, a hereditary condition, an injury, or ill-fitting shoes. In some cases, patients develop hammertoes after wearing shoes or stockings that are too tight for long periods of time. These patients usually develop hammertoes in both feet.