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4 Signs that you have and ingrown toenail and what to do
How do you know that you have an ingrown toenail?
1. If you notice redness, pain and off-course swelling at the margins of your toenails; then the chances are high that you’re looking at an ingrown toenail.
2. Early on during development: You could notice redness, some amount of pain and mild swelling. You might not have any pus present, but the skin is warm when you touch it. There’s no fever present either.
3. As development increases: Extra skin and tissue grow around the sharp point of the nail. A yellowish drainage may start but this is your body reacting to the irritation of the skin. You might not necessarily have an infection.
4. Sometimes, an infection happens, and the swelling could become worse in this case. There may be a white or yellow pus in the inflamed area. Sometimes, a fever could develop, but this is not common at all.
What will happen if you ignore an ingrown toenail?
An infection could worsen, and an abscess could form at the inflamed area.
So, where would you find ingrown toenails?
It is often found in adults and adolescents. You’ll seldom find a child and an infant with an ingrown toenail. Men are more prone to have them over women and adults in their 20’s or 30’s are more susceptible to develop ingrown toenails.
However, any nail can become ingrown, but the most common place that you’ll find them is on your big toe.
Common Causes and risk factors:
- Wearing shoes that are too tight or even high heels causes your toes to squash together and press against the toenail.
- Trimming your toenail incorrectly could result in the corner of your toenail digging into your skin. The best way to cut your toenails is straight and not round.
- Sometimes a fungal infection results in your toenail becoming thick or you could find a widened toenail developing.
- Trauma caused through injury near your toenail is a common factor of an ingrown toenail developing.
- Some people have more rounded nails or could have more “upturned” bones. In which case, could result in ingrown toenails.
The best way to take care of ingrown toenails is to seek medical attention. If your home remedies have not worked after three days, then it’s time to seek the help of a medical practitioner.
A person who has poor circulation, diabetes, AIDS or on chemotherapy should find the help of an expert medical physician, a dermatologist, or a podiatrist to assist with a solution to this problem.
Check out ingrown toenail surgery.
Have you ever suffered from an ingrown toenail? Let us know how you remedied it. Please leave your comments below.