Ingrown nail cases affect approximately 5 percent of the population every year. However, the number of people who have had an ingrown toenail at some point in their life is approximately 20 percent. Unfortunately, those with ingrown toenails first seek advice from non-physicians or apply their own treatment methods. The two age groups where ingrown toenails are most commonly seen are children who have just entered puberty and older and middle-aged people.
Naturally, the reasons for these two groups are not the same.
In young people entering puberty, the nails have a normal bend, but the nail edges are usually plump and the feet sweat a lot. Here the nail is generally innocent unless its edge is torn off. What happens is that when the sweaty foot remains closed for a long time, the skin around the nail swells and puts pressure on the nail. Therefore, in such an ingrown toenail, shortening the nail or tearing off its edge is useless and may even make the situation worse. In fact, relieving the swelling around the nail without touching the nail too much also eliminates the pain. Creams used for this purpose can sometimes accumulate on the edge of the nail and cause maceration and swelling.
In cases of ingrown toenails in older and middle ages, the nail generally curves inwards. Patients generally cannot understand this fold and often ask us why. In this case, the most common reason we see is the thickening of the nail starting from a point. The smoothly curved nail gradually thickens in the middle or from one of the edges and begins to sag towards that side. This situation becomes evident over months and years and the fold gradually increases. At this point, although it is known how much I support and apply nail braces, wearing nail braces alone cannot give a permanent result. At the same time, it is necessary to thin the nail, clean the nail bed and allow it to return to its previous state.
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