She was sweating profusely, both from the pain and the anticipation of more pain to come. She had been suffering from her ingrown toenails for a week before finally going to seek the help of an expert.
Sitting across from her was the beautician, sweating, too, head bent as she focused on the gargantuan task before her — to remove the huge ingrown toenails from her customer’s feet without leaving wounds, a mission that was almost impossible.
The customer pressed her eyes shut and forced to shift her thoughts to something pleasant to forget the pain as the beautician poked and pushed, dug and jabbed at the sides of her toenails, patiently “coaxing” the ingrown to yield to the various tools the beautician used.
Just when the customer felt that she was about to faint from the pain, the beautician gave a final jab and the biggest ingrown toenail ever was finally dislodged, drawing huge sighs of relief from the two. A small spurt of blood oozed from a small wound that was impossible to avoid.
If the scene is familiar, you know what I’m talking about and you can relate to the woes ingrown toe nails bring to the person unlucky enough to have them.
Try pressing the sides of your toenails. If you feel some discomfort or pain, it may be because the nail has penetrated the sides of your toes and this can become an ingrown and will be infected.
Removing ingrown toe nails is a regular task performed by beauty parlors and saloons all over the island each day.
Their customers almost always never learn, according to ASKS Saloon & Dress Shop beauticians in Garapan.
ASKS beauticians recommend a regular pedicure if you want to prevent ingrown toenails, as often as once a month. Wearing too tight shoes is another contributing factor that can lead to ingrown toenails, they said.
Causes and treatment
Poor cutting. According to the epodiatry.com Web site, poor cutting of the nail is one of the most common causes of an ingrown toe nail. But there are other causes, such as the shape of your nails. If your toe nails are curved from side to side, and not flat, you may be more prone to develop ingrown. Cut toenails straight across so that the corners will protrude instead of penetrating the skin, using clippers that are designed to cut toenails. If your nail is curved, this could be quite difficult but never dig down the sides. Visit a beauty parlor and seek the assistance of experts or professionals.
Tight footwear. When you wear tight shoes, the pressure is increased between your nail and the skin in the nail fold, hereby increasing the risk for ingrown. Avoid wearing too tights shoes and socks.
Trauma to the nail. If the shape of one of your nails has been altered due to various reasons such as accidents, there is an increased possibility of ingrown nails.
Chubby toes. If your feet are prone to swelling, ingrown can most likely happen.
If you start to feel discomfort or pain from an ingrown toenail, don’t try to fix it by yourself. There is a chance that you may only make things worse and nip your skin.
Be doubly cautious especially if you have diabetes or other health problems because the risk is greater.
