Taking Care of Your Toenails Health

By: Joaquin Costa

Nails should be cut straight across with a clean, sharp nail trimmer without tapering or rounding the corners. Trim the nails no shorter than the edge of the toe. Nails should be trimmed straight across. The corners of the nails should not be trimmed back. Nails grow from the base to the tip, as anyone who has used nail varnish knows. Because it can take 18 months for a nail to be replaced completely by a new one, it may be a long time before you see a result.

Nails are composed of a substance called keratin, similar to that in skin and hair, only harder because of less water content within the nail. They are a hard, resilient structure whose main function is to protect the blood vessels, nerves and bones underneath [1]. Nail fungi affect toenails four times more often than fingernails. Once fungi take hold, it may spread from nail to nail, foot to foot, and rarely to the hands and fingernails. Nails should be cut flat across the top, and the corners should not be cut out. If you feel the need to cut the corners, it should be done only by a podiatrist.

Nail fungi affect toenails four times more often than fingernails. Once fungi take hold, it may spread from nail to nail, foot to foot, and rarely to the hands and fingernails. Nail fungus is an embarrassing dilemma which causes humiliating experiences and restriction of wearing open-toed sandals. It is not easy to treat when the fungus is quite hard to reach.

Ingrown toenails can develop for various reasons. In many people, the tendency to have this common disorder is inherited. Ingrown toenails can be the result of improper trimming, wearing tight or poor fitting shoes and trauma. To prevent ingrown toenails, it is advisable to trim your toenails straight across instead of cutting them in a rounded shape and always stick to shoes that are well fitting, allowing enough space to your toenails to breathe instead of pressing them hard. Ingrown toenails are one the more common foot problems treated by the Podiatrist. They can be very painful, with people limiting their activity to keep off their sore feet.

Ingrown toenail removal can be performed without a tourniquet, but it is easier with a bloodless surgical field. If a tourniquet is used, it should be removed as soon as possible. Ingrown nails can be avoided by cutting nails straight across; nails should not be cut along a curve, nor should they be cut too short. In both cases, the important thing to avoid is cutting the nail shorter than the flesh around it. Ingrown toenails are likely to recur, so preventative measures are important.

Pain can be present without infection, and occasionally infection is present without pain. The usual signs of infection include; redness ( erythema ), swelling ( edema ), increased warmth ( calor ), and pain ( dolor ).

Pain is the main symptom of an ingrown toe nail - usually just starting as some minor discomfort. This may be just the pressure from the side of the nail or it may be because the nail has actually penetrated the skin down the side of the nail.

Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

Taking care of your toenails is very important, read more and learn why.

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