One of the many issues that has been raised about how the post Covid 19 world will look is how long it is going to take the NHS to get back to “normal”. With that I mind I decided to write a short piece on a issue that is one of the biggest reason people come see us INGROWING TOES NAILS.
Ingrowing toes nails are the bane of many peoples lives. As the name would suggest and ingrowing toenail happens when a portion of the nail grows into the skin, this is often as a result of a nail spike. Nails spikes are normally as a result of poor nail cutting technique leaving rough edges to the nail but can also be the result of other factors such as including but not limited to trauma or tightly fitted footwear.
Ingrown toenails typically effect the big toe and can cause pain, inflammation or even serious infection (likely requiring antibiotics) if left untreated. Many people report that even the lightest of pressure on the affected toe cause extreme discomfort.
We don’t typically recommend that you try and self manage an ingrowing toe nail at home and advised that you see a podiatrist sooner rather than later as typically the early we see you the easier it is to treat the problem.
There are a number of ways in which we can manage an ingrowing toenail for you:
- In most cases that we see, we should be able to non-surgically trim and cut away the troublesome piece of nail without too much hassle.
- Sometimes this may require a local anesthetic to remove the offending piece of nail – the procedure is very safe, you walk in and walk out and get back to normal life.
- In more severe cases, normally those are more long-standing part or all of the nail may need to be removed surgically. This sounds more drastic that it actual is. Here is a video explaining more about and follow the link for more information about having treatment with us at Cambridge House. https://houseofpodiatry.co.uk/home/our-services/nail-surgery/
Now with all that being said my first point about the time it will take for the NHS to get back to normal is very relevant to the problem with ingrowing toenails. As stated, the longer you leave and ingrowing toe nail the worse it is likely to be. Now with the NHS have to play catch up owing to the many clinics that have had to be cancel the chances are that the waiting times to be seen are going to much longer than they already were. Thus, meaning the issue will be fair worse by time you are seen and will potentially need greater intervention.
Therefore, should you start to see the beginning of an ingrowing toe nail, please call us today, so we can sort the problem out before it gets to bad.