If you want to say that the pain can make people howl more than killing pigs, toenails growing into meat is definitely on the list!
The pain was like a wooden thorn inserted into the slit of the toenail.
Especially when wearing shoes accidentally hit or kicked the corner of the table, it can be out of your mind.
(Source: giphy)
How did a good toenail grow into the flesh, and what to do? Today Zhimei came to say.
The scientific name of "toenails growing into meat" is "inlaid nails", which often appears as the lateral edge of the deck on the outside of the large thumb, growing into the meat.
If the toenails irritate the flesh on both sides, causing inflammation and infection, it will cause paronychia.
That is, the groove that connects the toenails to the skin next to it, is inflamed.
As for why the nails are embedded, there are roughly the following six reasons [1,4]:
The toenails are cut incorrectly
Most commonly, the toenails are cut too short, too deep, or have pointed horns on either side.
This is easy to squeeze the toe flesh on both sides to grow in the middle, so that the toenails are embedded in the meat, resulting in "meat-wrapped toenails".
As the toenails grow every day and every time we walk, the sharp edges will penetrate deeper into the flesh little by little.
Shoes do not fit
Shoes that are too tight and too sharp toes will squeeze the toes, stimulate the toenails to grow wildly into the flesh, and rub the surrounding flesh, causing swelling and making the inlay nails worse.
Severe nail incarceration
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trauma
Collisions and squeezes caused by kicking the ball and being stepped on will squeeze the sides of the toenails into the flesh and form inlay nails.
Deformed nails caused by certain diseases
Congenital valgus thumb, nail dystrophy, pachythyroidism, or onchomycosis may also induce ingrowthyroidism.
Onchomycosis
People whose toenails are naturally more curved than the usual person, or whose toenails are too wide, may have a higher incidence of nail inlays.
Genetic factors
occupation
People who need to work standing for a long time, and people who often exercise vigorously, such as athletes, are more likely to have nail incarceration.
Inlay armor does not make you unable to walk at the beginning, but there is a process of slow development.
Initially mildly incarcerated (inflammatory phase), the edges of the toenails are mildly red, swollen, and painful [5-7], but there is no breakage or discharge.
At this time, you can refer to the following methods to deal with it at home:
1. Toenail splint or cotton ball method
Take a sterile cotton ball or medical yellow gauze, and then disinfect the nail surface and skin of the inlaid nail site with iodophor.
Then take the newly opened floss or sterilized forceps and gently lift the nail thorns or horns that have pierced into the flesh.
And underneath this (between the toenails and nail grooves) pad into a sterile cotton ball or medical yellow gauze for 3-4 weeks, changing every two days.
In this way, it can not only relieve the compression of soft tissues by the incarcerated nails, but also fight infection.
It also leaves a gap between the deck and the nail fold to guide the toenails to "get back on track" and grow normally .[8]
Finally remember to clean the wound every day and disinfect it with iodophor, preferably wearing slippers or wide-toe shoes to help restore the nails.
2. Soak your feet in warm water
Soak the feet with warm water of about 45 °C for 10-20 minutes to soften the toenails, after which the excess toenails are carefully cut off.
If the redness is more pronounced, you can apply a little iodine or antibacterial ointment, such as fusidic acid cream, mopirocin ointment and so on.
3. Oral painkillers
When the pain is severe, over-the-counter painkillers, such as nonsteroidal analgesics such as ibuprofen, can be taken to help relieve pain and control inflammation.
4. If the wound is suppurative, see a doctor quickly
When the inlay is still a "little demon", if it is not taken seriously, it may lead to the inlay being upgraded to the "Great Demon King"!
If the inflammation is not controlled, the bacterial force at the wound will continue to expand, aggravating the redness and swelling of the toes, and even flowing out of yellow and white pus...
In these cases, be sure to go to the hospital in time for treatment!
At this time, a doctor may need to use minor surgical procedures to treat it.
Don't carry it yourself, or go to a pedicure shop to deal with it, otherwise the consequences will be more serious!
Incarcerated nails and paronychia are so terrible, of course, the farther away from us the better!
So what do we usually do to make the inlay leave rounded?
It's actually quite simple!
1. Shoes should not be too tight or too small.
2. Do not cut the nails too short and too round, remember to "leave white".
When cutting the toenails, the corners on both sides are longer than the flesh and nail grooves underneath, leaving at least 1 mm or so of white parts, and then the burrs can be properly polished off.
Thus, as the toenails grow, the toenails will exceed the nail grooves, and the two horns will not easily grow into the flesh [8,9].
3. Exercise in moderation, don't be too strenuous, pay attention to protect your hands and feet.
(Source: Network)
4. Problems on the feet (such as hallux valgus, onychomycosis) are not obvious on the face, but they should also be treated in time.
5. Do not share slippers, foot basins, etc., and go to pedicure shops less to reduce the risk of contracting onychomycosis.
6. Control weight, obesity can cause toe hypertrophy, so that the pressure of the toenails increases.
Finally, I wish everyone a healthy toenail and stay away from the damage of the incarcerated nails!
Reviewer
Wei Guo | Chief Physician of the Department of Dermatology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University
Liu Tie | Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University
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[7] Ogur R , Tekbas O F , Hasde M . Practice tips. Managing infected ingrown toenails: longitudinal band method[J]. Canadian family physician Médecin de famille canadien, 2005, 51:207-208.
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[9] Just, AH, Eekhof, et al. Interventions for ingrowing toenails[J]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012.
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