An ingrown toenail develops when the sides of the toenail grow into the surrounding skin. The big toe is often affected, either on one or both sides. The nail curls and pierces the skin, which becomes red, swollen and tender.

Other possible symptoms include:

- Pain if pressure is placed on the toe

- Inflammation of the skin at the end of the toe

- A build-up of fluid (oedema) in the area surrounding the toe

- An overgrowth of skin around the affected toe (hypertrophy)

- Bleeding

- White or yellow pus coming from the affected area

** When to see your FHP **

See your FHP (foot health professional) as soon as you notice any pain or any symptoms listed above.
If your ingrown toenail is badly inflamed, bleeding or has pus coming from it, it may be infected. Antibiotics may be needed to clear an infection. It's always best to diagnose and treat the problem early, as the longer it is left, the more painful it will become.

❗️ It's also very important to seek medical advice if you have diabetes and an ingrown toenail. Having diabetes could affect how your toenail heals and cause further health complications.

** What causes ingrown toenails? **

A number of things can cause an ingrown toenail to develop, including:

- Badly cut toenails: cutting your toenails too short, or cutting the edges, will encourage the skin to fold over your nail and the nail to grow into the skin

- Wearing tight-fitting shoes, socks or tights: this places pressure on the toes

Onycholysis is the painless separation of the nail from the nail bed. This is a common problem. It can be a sign of skin disease, an infection or the result of injury, but most cases are seen in women with long fingernails. The nail acts as a lever, prying the nail away from the skin and preventing healing of otherwise insignificant insults.

A local irritation is the most common insult. This may be from excessive filing, chemical overexposure in manicures or nail tip application, allergic contact dermatitis (a local reaction similar to the reaction to "poison Ivy") to nail hardener or adhesives used to attach the nail tips, or simply to prolonged immersion in water.

Fungal infection and psoriasis can also cause onycholysis. These often cannot be told apart by examining alone, and a test for fungus needs to be done. Certain medications can cause an onset of onycholysis. In rare cases all the nails are affected and then it can be a sign of iron deficiency or thyroid over-activity.

No matter what the cause, usually several nails are affected. Infection with bacteria and yeast starts to occur in the space under the nail. This turns the loose portion of the nail a white, yellow, or green tinge. Generally, if the infection appears to be green, it's a bacterial infection and if it appears to be white it is a yeast infection.

This has to be controlled before the nail will reattach. The nail can only take so much damage without being permanently deformed.

During winter, a host of factors combine the suck out the moisture from our skin! That includes cold weather, wind and central heating. Our skin becomes drier, and leads to sore, dry hands, chapped lips and cracked heels.

Keep a check on your heels. If the skin becomes thick and rough, treat it with a cream which contains urea. These cracks can become painful, so it's a good idea to treat them early. If you get deeper cracks in your heels, it may be better to visit your foot health professional for treatment.

​Cracked heels are also known as keratoderma. They are an extremely common skin problem and can be very painful.

In severe cases the skin can take on a thick yellow or brown crusty-looking appearance. For most people it can be more of a cosmetic issue but some, the cracks deepen into the living layer of the skin- the dermal layer. When this occurs the cracks can become painful and easily infected.

Cracked heels are caused when the skin becomes so dry and brittle that under the pressure of our weight, it simply splits apart. If you see signs of dryness or cracks, it’s best to act sooner, rather than later.

Your foot specialist will be able to help you get on top of the problem by gentle removing excess skin around the heels. This will greatly improve the appearance of the heels and help protective creams penetrate more effectively.

🧐 QUESTIONS?

Is dry skin more prone to cracking?

➡️Dry skin is less strong than healthy skin and so is more prone to cracking.

Why are the heels prone to developing cracks?

➡️When you stand the skin around the heels is under tension and pressure from the weight of our body. Skin which is dry and or thickened with callus is less able to cope with these stresses. Small tears can develop in the upper layers of the skin. Left untreated they become deeper, eventually breaking through the skin altogether.

Should I cut away any hard skin myself?

➡️Trying to cut away callus and hard skin yourself is not advisable

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Corns

When we put pressure and/or friction on our feet, the skin thickens to protect the skin surface. If this pressure or friction becomes intense a corn can be formed.

What is a Corn?

Corns are one of the most common skin problems for our feet. They are most often caused by pressure from ill-fitting shoes. They are concentrated areas of hard skin and there are three types -

➢ Hard
➢ Soft
➢ Neurovascular

➡️Hard Corn

Usually found on the tops of toes or the bottom of feet

➡️Soft Corn

Whitish and rubbery in texture, found between toes where skin is moist from sweat is present or feet have not been dried properly.

➡️Neurovascular Corn

Can be hard or soft, with the added painful element of having vascular and/or nerve tissue within the nucleus.

Treatment👩🏻‍⚕️

Treatments vary depending on where they are situated. It is not advised to use corn plasters especially if you are elderly, diabetic or have problems reaching your feet, they contain an acid that can easily burn healthy skin and surrounding tissue, which could cause you more problems and issues with healing.

👣 Verrucas 👣

Verrucae are common lesions caused by a virus which invades the skin. They are often contracted from communal areas such as swimming pools, changing rooms and terraces where the skin is exposed.

Treatments available:

Cryosurgery
Verruca Acid Treatment
Verruca Laser Treatment

🧐 Questions?

WHAT IS A WART OR VERRUCA?

➡️ A verruca and a wart are both skin lesions caused by a virus. When these lesions appear on the feet they are typically called a verruca, when they appear elsewhere on the body they are called warts.

WHY DO WARTS LOOK DIFFERENT TO VERRUCAE?

➡️ Both are caused by a virus but warts tend to appear as hard fleshy growths which grow outwards. By contrast verruca often have a more dense less protruding appearance when the appear on weight-bearing areas. The simple reason for this is that the pressure compresses the lesions preventing them from growing outwards.

CAN WARTS AND VERRUCA BE CONFUSED FOR OTHER SKIN PROBLEMS?

➡️ Yes, many skin conditions appear very similar and this can lead people to incorrectly treat lesions with home remedies or treatments from the Pharmacy. Your Foot Health Practitioner is trained to recognise a wide range of skin conditions and will be able to determine whether a lesion is a verruca or not.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEEK ADVICE?

➡️ It's a good idea to seek advice if:

• The lesion has not been professionally diagnosed.

• If the lesion changes in shape, size, character or bleeds.

Athlete's Foot is not just a summer condition. It can also be a problem in winter, especially if you layer up a couple of all cotton or all wool socks.

It's important to wear acrylic-blend socks, such as acrylic-wool or acrylic-cotton. This helps the moisture wick away from your feet. If your feet are bound up in natural fibres, your feet cannot breathe.

This can lead to sweaty feet, athlete's foot and bacterial infections.