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What are the Symptoms of Ingrown Nails?

Ingrown nail discomfort usually manifests as pain or tenderness on one or both sides of the nail. You may also notice redness around the toenail. Swelling occurs around the nail, and discharge forms due to infection. In addition, different symptoms appear in cases requiring treatment.

• Change in skin color or bruising,
• Excessive heat due to pus accumulation in the area,
• Sensitivity in finger movements,
• Change in nail color,
• Curling, deformation, or abnormal change in nail structure,
• Cracks or breaks appearing on the nail,
• Increase in nail thickness.

All these symptoms indicate that the condition is serious and ingrown nail treatment is necessary. Especially increased heat in the tissue and discharge indicate the need for rapid medical intervention. Some patients may show only one symptom, while others may experience multiple symptoms. So, can babies experience ingrown nails, and what kind of treatment is applied in such a situation?

Does It Occur in Babies Too?

Ingrown toenail problems can occur in people of all ages, including babies. When it occurs in babies, the symptoms are almost the same as in adults. This condition can manifest itself with symptoms such as redness, swelling, sensitivity to touch, and pus discharge. If babies are constantly crying and touching their toes, parents should evaluate this situation. If an infection has not developed, some methods that can be applied at home may support the healing process. However, if there is no infection yet, you can resort to the following methods for treatment:

• Soak your baby’s feet in warm soapy water for 15 to 20 minutes,
• Carefully remove the ingrown part of the nail from the moistened area without removing the root and without forcing too much,
• Use antibiotic creams to reduce irritation in the area and prevent infection,
• Keep feet bare to avoid pressure on the ingrown nail area and avoid wearing tight socks or shoes.

If you don’t get sufficient results in treating the ingrown nail despite applying these methods and notice that an infection has developed in the area, you should consult a healthcare facility without delay. So, how does an ingrown nail heal, and how long does it take to see the effects of ingrown nail treatment?

So How Does It Heal?

There are some simple methods that everyone can apply at home for ingrown nail treatment. Among these methods, the most prominent ones are:

• Soak feet in lukewarm water with a little salt for 20 minutes.
• Using nail clippers, carefully remove the tip of the nail that’s digging into the skin without tearing it from the side.
• It’s important to keep feet exposed as much as possible.
• Apply antibiotic cream to the infected area.

Of course, these methods applied for ingrown nail treatment don’t always yield effective results. If your ingrown nail complaint persists despite these, you need to make an appointment with a foot care specialist and plan the ingrown nail treatment process. So, how is this operation performed, and how should ingrown nail care be done afterward?

Post-Surgery Procedure

If ingrown nail treatment didn’t yield results with the methods you applied at home, foot care specialists apply ingrown nail treatment with various antibiotic creams. If this method doesn’t work either, part of the nail needs to be cut or surgically removed. Even if an ingrown nail is treated at home, it may recur in some cases and require surgery. Also, risky health problems such as diabetes can make surgical intervention necessary. The steps followed during the surgery are:

• They thoroughly clean the feet using antiseptic solutions.
• They numb the nail bed by injecting anesthetic substances.
• Specialists apply a tourniquet to the base of the finger to stop bleeding.
• Using special tools and scissors, they make an incision starting from the part where the ingrown nail is towards the nail root.
• They remove part or all of the nail.
• They destroy the nail root where the ingrowth occurred using a heated electronic device called a cautery or an acidic solution.
• They complete the operation by stitching the incision area and bandaging the finger.

After the surgery, the removed edges that caused the ingrown nail do not grow back. This means that the discomfort will not recur after ingrown nail treatment. In the care process after ingrown nail treatment, it’s important to keep the feet clean and dry.

Care After Ingrown Nail Treatment

If the ingrown nail was treated surgically, doctors call patients for dressing one day after the procedure. The reason patients are called for dressing one day after the procedure is to help manage pain after the local anesthesia effect has worn off. Pain eases as the pressure in the surgical area decreases after dressing.

During the healing process, patients should avoid putting pressure on the surgical area as much as possible for the first three days. Also, sitting with the foot hanging down can cause pain, so it’s necessary to sit with the toes pointing upwards. They change the first dressing the day after surgery. They perform the second dressing change on the fifth day and the third on the tenth day. After the operation, they complete the ingrown nail treatment by removing the stitches on the 15th day.

What Happens If Ingrown Nail Is Not Treated?

Many people disregard the ingrown nail problem that occurs in their toes. As this problem progresses, serious consequences arise. Therefore, people should take this problem seriously and resolve it with ingrown nail treatment. Those who neglect ingrown nail treatment experience severe pain and suffering. Infection of the bone under the nail causes serious bone problems.

If left untreated, this condition can lead to the complete loss of the nail. People with poor blood circulation or diabetes experience much more severe symptoms. Additionally, if the nail continues to grow inward and damages the nerves, walking problems may occur. Therefore, people should prioritize ingrown nail treatment and seek help from a center without delay. Istanbul is home to many centers offering ingrown nail treatment. For example, Ataşehir is one of the locations where you can get ingrown nail care service.

How to Prevent Ingrown Nails

Taking certain precautions can help you prevent ingrown nail problems without needing ingrown nail treatment. Especially having curved toenails requires lifelong precautions. Among these precautions, the most prominent ones can be listed as follows:

• Incorrect cutting of nails is the most common cause of ingrown nails; therefore, toenails should be cut straight,
• To prevent ingrowth, toenails should not be cut too short,
• It’s important to wear comfortable shoes and socks, and avoid tight-fitting shoes and socks,
• To prevent problems such as impact-related ingrown nails, it’s necessary to choose shoes with protective toe areas.

Applying constant pressure to the foot leads to ingrown nails and requires treatment. Therefore, you may choose to relieve the pressure on your foot from time to time. Additionally, when ingrown nail symptoms appear and it becomes a health issue, you must consult an expert for ingrown nail treatment. This is because ingrown nail treatment is necessary to prevent infection.

Ingrown Nail Treatment Prices

Experts can perform ingrown nail treatment in different ways. Therefore, it’s difficult to give an average price. Experts determine the price of ingrown nail treatment based on the level of ingrowth, treatment methods, and their experience. Thus, an expert examination is required to determine the prices for ingrown nail treatment. Additionally, factors such as the reliability of the center performing the ingrown nail treatment and the experience of the experts working there also affect ingrown nail treatment prices.

If you want to get a comprehensive answer to the question ‘how does an ingrown nail occur’ and have all your questions about ingrown nail treatment answered, you can contact us right now.