Foot and Toenail Problems

The older people get they tend to be a great deal more troubled with toenail problems, nevertheless; on that point are certain results that could affect almost anyone. Once you experience any kind of a foot problem, it could affect the way you walk, if you’re able to get sufficient exercise and might even affect or interrupt your sleep. It’s important to properly care for your feet to avoid these problems.

Your toenails have several parts:

• The “matrix” is the live part of the nail. It is directly behind and underneath the nail fold and produces keratin which grows the nail “plate”. If the matrix sustains damage, the nail plate’s growth will be directly affected.
• The “Lunula” is the small half moon shaped white area at the base of your nail and is the only part of the matrix that is visible.
• The Eponychium is the dead skin that forms around the cuticle. This dead skin can be removed and/or trimmed and tends to build up more with males than females.
• The Paronychium is the live skin around the cuticle that protects the matrix.
• The Hyponychium is the area where the nail plate and nail bed are attached and is located at the end of the nail. The nail plate is the actual “nail” that is made up of layers of keratin. The nail bed is the tissue located under your nail, and when the nail bed is normal and healthy, it makes your nails appear pink.
• The “nail fold” is the skin that surrounds the nail. The “free edge” is the end of the nail that extends past the finger and is the part that you trim. You should take care not trim the “free edge” too short in order to prevent toenail problems.

Ingrown toenails can be especially painful and may lead to serious infection if not treated within a reasonable period of time. Ingrown toenails are caused by a variety of things. Trimming your toenails at an incorrect angle and rounding off the edges is the number one cause of this condition. Some other common causes are stubbing your toe (trauma), nails that naturally grow curving down towards the skin (eventually digging into the skin) and wearing tight shoes, causing your toes to rub directly on the front of your shoes.

Inflamed skin beside your toenails that was caused by infection from bacteria will cause pain, redness and swelling. Eventually this will  lead to toenail problems such as toenail fungus and infection, therefore it has to be addressed sooner instead of later.

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