Ingrown nails can be defined as the nails sinking into the flesh from the sides, which can be seen at any age. A foreign body reaction occurs in the soft tissue where the nail is inserted. As a result, pain, redness and swelling may be mild at first and become unbearable over time.
Toenail nails, improper nail cutting and pedicure, excessive sweating, wearing tight or high-heeled shoes, fungal infections of the nail, pregnancy, obesity, genetic predisposition, etc. It can ingrown nails for many reasons.
Different treatment methods are applied for ingrown nails. These methods; We can list these as lifting up the ingrown part of the nail with the help of cotton, surgically removing all or part of the nail (partial matricectomy method), installing nail braces, and installing a nail tube (orthosis-prosthesis method). It is possible to choose any of these depending on the cause and severity of the sinking. However, today, complete nail removal is not recommended because it is more laborious than these methods and there is a high risk of re-ingrown nails or permanent deformations in the extracted nail.
Partial matricectomy;; Under local anesthesia, only the ingrown part of the nail is surgically cut and that area is revised with some chemicals. Recovery is better because the nail is not completely removed.
In the nail tube or orthosis-prosthesis method, local anesthesia is performed and excess skin and soft tissue in the ingrown part of the nail is surgically removed. Then, a cylindrical plastic device is placed between the nail and the flesh. After dressing for a few days, full recovery is achieved in approximately 15 days.
Insertion of nail braces; After specially prepared hook-shaped wires are placed and fixed on both edges of the nail, they are stretched with a rubber band. This prevents the nail from sinking in from the sides. It is a very easy method and treatment can usually be performed without even requiring local anesthesia. This method can be used not only in ingrown nails but also in some structural nail disorders called pincer nails.
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