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Ingrown NailOnychocryptosis, commonly known as ingrown nails (unguis incarnatus), is a common form of nail disease. It is a painful condition in which the nail grows or cuts into one or both sides of the nail bed. While ingrown nails can occur in both the nails of the hand and feet, they occur most commonly with toenails. Cause While many things can cause ingrown nails, the most common causes are improperly fitted shoes and nails that are improperly trimmed. Shoes or stockings that are too tight press on the sides of the nail, causing it to curl and dig into the skin. Nails that are cut too short, rounded off at the tip, or are peeled off at the edges versus being cut straight across are more likely to become ingrown as well. Other causes include an abnormally shaped nail bed, trauma to the nail plate or toe and other nail deformities. Proneness to nail deformities that cause ingrown nails can also be genetic. Symptoms Symptoms of an ingrown nail include pain along the margins of the nail, worsening of pain when wearing shoes or other tight articles, and sensitivity to pressure of any kind, even that of light bedding. By the very nature of the condition, ingrown nails become easily infected unless special care is taken to treat the condition early on and keep the area as clean as possible. Signs of infection include redness and swelling of the area around the nail, drainage of pus and/or a watery discharge tinged with blood. Treatment Treatment of ingrown nails ranges from soaking the afflicted area to surgery. In mild cases, doctors recommend daily soaking of the foot or hand in a mixture of warm water and Epsom salts and applying over-the-counter antibiotics while allowing the nail to grow out so it may be trimmed properly. Another remedy is to file the top of the nail flat. This will cause the nail to contract and pull the ingrown sides up. More severe cases, such as when the area around the nail becomes infected or the nail will not grow back properly, must be treated by a professional. In these cases, the digit is first injected with a common local anesthetic. After the area is numb, the physician will cut away the nail along the edge that is growing into the skin and pull out the piece of nail. In some cases they may also surgically drain the infection or use a chemical on the skin to prevent nail regrowth. The entire procedure may be performed in a standard doctor's office and takes approximately thirty to forty-five minutes depending on the extent of the problem. The patient is allowed to go home immediately and the recovery time is anywhere from a few days to a week barring any complications such as infection. As a followup, a physician may prescribe an oral or topical antibiotic or a special soak to be used for approximately a week after the surgery.
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