What to do if a nail has grown

Why nails grow in

Biomechanics of the foot. Most often, flat feet and how wrong we walk are to blame.
Inconvenient shoes. If something is pressing, if something prevents the nails from growing correctly, they will start looking for workarounds.
Persistently sweaty feet. As a rule, it is a matter of low-quality materials from which shoes, socks or tights are made.
Injury. Sometimes, if you stumble or drop something on your nail, you can disrupt the natural direction of growth.
Improper nail care. If you cut your nails too hard and often, forget about the nail file and generally hammer on elementary manicure and pedicure, then the risk of getting an ingrown toenail increases.
Fungus. With fungal diseases, the nails are generally deformed, so they can grow in.
Diabetes. Diabetic foot is a special term because, oddly enough, the legs suffer due to problems with blood sugar.

Why is an ingrown toenail dangerous?

It hurts to walk with him, it is difficult to find shoes with him, even sneakers. However, an ingrown toenail hurts, even if you don't put on your shoes at all.

But this is not the worst thing. Since the nail constantly presses on the skin, a wound is formed, into which any microbe can enter. If this happens, inflammation or suppuration will begin. We'll have to use antibiotics to eliminate the infection. In particularly difficult cases, an ordinary ingrown toenail can lead to amputation.

How to treat an ingrown toenail

It will not work to endure and wait for everything to pass. If the nail begins to grow in, it must be treated.

A good place to start would be to visit:

Orthopedist. He will tell you if you have flat feet or other diseases and will treat them.
Podiatrist - a specialist in foot diseases who will deal directly with the ingrown toenail.

Olga Aleinikova podiatrist, master of manicure and pedicure

The fact is that the growing nail captures the surrounding tissue. And they need to be separated from this nail. Surgeons remove nails, but do not work with the tissues and biomechanics of the foot.

According to Olga Aleinikova, there are ways to do without surgery. This is tamponing (a special material that is placed between the nail and the tissue), correctly selected orthopedic shoes or at least insoles, staples and titanium plates.

Plates on the nail

Ingrown nail staples

Such plates and braces are somewhat similar to dental braces. The glands are glued to the top of the nail so that as they grow, they raise its sides and prevent them from growing. How long you have to wear such plates is an individual question and depends on many factors.

If the inflammation has already started and you need to go to a specialist, place a cotton swab with antibiotic ointment between the nail and the skin to destroy the inflammation. You can wash the sites of suppuration with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine.

Do I need to cut the nail at the surgeon

When all else fails, there is only one way - the surgical one. That is, the nail is cut to the place where it already lies straight. This can be very painful, after the operation you will have to wait a long time for the new nail to grow as it should, and no one can guarantee that the ingrowth story will not repeat itself. In very advanced cases, the nail is removed completely.

Therefore, it is better not to bring it to the point where it is necessary to destroy half of the nail plate, and at the first changes, go to the orthopedist or podiatrist. At the very least, visit a good pedicure salon where a podiatrist accepts.

What to do to prevent the nail from growing

In most cases, it is enough:

Monitor the shape of the foot and correct flat feet with shoes.
Keep your nails clean.
Cut them in time.
Leave 1–2 mm of the grown nail when clipping.
Do not trim the corners of your thumbnails.
Trim your nails according to their natural shape (legs usually need to be trimmed straight, but there are exceptions).
Treat fungal diseases.
Wear only comfortable shoes.
If there are signs of ingrowth, consult a podiatrist or podiatrist, and not try to solve everything on your own.