dear asking for a friend,
i get a lot of ingrown toenails. not only are they very painful, they look, well, a little gross. any ideas why my toes seem so unhappy?
signed, painful ugly foot
dear painful ugly foot,
ouch! an
ingrown toenail
, usually on the big toe, happens when the nail plate grows into the soft skin surrounding the nail, known as the nail folds. most people know when they have one because it can be sore when they bump their toe or slide their foot into a shoe, and it often comes with swelling and redness from inflammation.
the real trouble starts if you just ignore it and the nail penetrates the skin, offering an entryway for bacteria — the result can be a bad infection, complete with yellow pus and stinky feet.
worse, the
infection can spread to the bone beneath the nail
. then you could be facing problems with blood circulation within the bone and possible surgery to remove areas where the bone has died so that antibiotics can be effective.
any infection can also lead to
sepsis
, which is blood poisoning by bacteria when your immune system goes into overdrive in response. it causes reduced blood flow to limbs and organs, and can lead to organ failure and even death.
‘an ingrown toenail is a wake-up call to take care of your feet’
consider your ingrown toenail a wake-up call to take care of your feet, says
peter ferguson, vice president of the
college of chiropodists of ontario
and a
chiropodist in private practice for more than 30 years in peterborough, ont.