Nail and Skin Conditions
Having healthy skin and toenails is not just about keeping your feet looking great. It’s also about keeping your feet comfortable and well protected.
The skin and nails are the first lines of defense the body has against outside invaders. When problems such as ingrown toenails, plantar warts, and fungal infections arise, they can weaken that protection. And that’s on top of causing painful, irritating, and embarrassing situations!
The sooner you address skin and nail conditions on your feet, the better the opportunity you have to resolve them faster and more effectively. Even if you suspect a condition is starting, never hesitate to contact us about it. Catching a fungal infection or other problem in its earliest stages is always worth the effort.
Common Skin and Nail Conditions
A life on the “front lines,” consistently stuffed into shoes and boots can lead to plenty of skin and nail problems for feet. Here are a few of the most common that we see and treat.
Ingrown Toenails
When a toenail begins to grow into the adjacent flesh of the toe, it can cause pain, swelling, and redness.
While a mild ingrown toenail can typically be treated at home, never hesitate to contact us for professional treatment, especially if:
- Your ingrown toenail appears to be infected (pain, red streaks, bleeding, and/or discharge of pus).
- The pain and tenderness interferes with your everyday lifestyle or activities.
- Your ingrown toenails keep coming back.
- You have diabetes, poor circulation, or another condition that places you at higher risk for infection or other complications.
We can effectively treat ingrown toenails with little to no pain. In some situations, we may recommend a minor, in-office procedure to remove part or all of the nail. Whatever form of treatment we recommend, it often leads to a vast and near-immediate improvement in comfort.
Fungal Toenails
Certain types of fungi known as dermatophytes feed on the keratin in our nails to thrive. When they invade the nails, it can lead to them becoming thick, discolored, brittle, and misshapen over time. There is also a small but significant potential that the fungus can spread to other nails and other people.
The sooner that toenail fungus is identified and treated, the faster and more effective the results. Topical and oral antifungal treatments are available, and our recommendations for you will be based on the extent of the infection and your medical history.
Athlete’s Foot
The same type of fungus that infects toenails can also infect the skin. The result is often athlete’s foot, a condition that can cause a red, scaly, stinging, itchy rash along the foot and between the toes.
If you have athlete’s foot, it’s important to treat it promptly and properly. Just like fungal toenails, the condition can spread if left unaddressed. It is even possible for fungal toenails to lead to athlete’s foot and vice versa!
Plantar Warts
The term “plantar warts” simply means warts upon the feet. These are hard, rough growths that develop due to an infection of the human papillomavirus within the outer layers of the skin.
Most plantar warts are harmless, but can grow in areas of the foot that might cause pain when pressure is placed upon them. But even if they are not causing you harm, you may still simply want them gone!
While warts can eventually disappear on their own, it can often take a year or longer for that to happen. We can treat your warts professionally to not only get rid of them sooner and reduce the chances of them spreading over more of your feet.
Help for All Skin and Nail Problems
There are plenty of other misfortunes that can befall your feet when it comes to your skin and nails, and we are happy to help you get effective treatment for any of them! Those problems might include:
- Eczema
- Contact Dermatitis
- Blisters
- Psoriasis
- Black Toenails
- Suspicious Lesions or Rashes
- Dry, Cracked Skin
- Excessive Sweating
The list goes on, but so does our attention to your foot and ankle needs
Schedule an appointment at our Gilbert, Queen Creek, or Casa Grande offices by calling (480) 962-4281 or by filling out our online contact form.