The weather is warming up again and many people are looking to wear sandals out and about or bare feet at the cottage or beach. It’s also the time of year that we see people at our Oakville Foot Care Clinic who may have have neglected their feet over the winter – Out of sight out of mind!
Thickened Toenails (Onychauxis vs Onychogrophosis)
One thing that people frequently have concerns about when they see our Oakville Chiropodist in addition to corns, calluses or warts, is thickened toenails.
Thickening (or hypertrophy) of the toenail plate is also called Onychauxis. Occassionally thickening of the toenail can occur where a curved nail (or ram’s horn) happens called Onychogryphosis. The toenail will appear to be thicker as well as sometimes yellowish in colour.
How does a Chiropodist treat thick toenails?
After a thorough foot and toenail assessment our North Oakville Chiropodist (Foot Care Specialist) can use a specialized tool to reduce the thickness of your toenail. The tools that a Chiropodist uses are sterilized and cleaned thoroughly to ensure a clean procedure / treatment occurs. In the case of thickened toenails the specialized tool is a drill used by the Chiropodist.
How do you prevent thickened toenails?
- Routine Foot Care – If you have a predisposition to thickened toenails, having routine nail care is important to maintain your toenails.
- Avoid Repetitive Trauma to the Toenails – Repeated trauma to the toenail (such as kicking a ball) can cause the nail to thicken.
- Properly Fitting Footwear – It addition to routine toenail care, and avoiding trauma, wearing proper footwear is important in the prevention of thickened toenails. There should be enough room / width in the toe area of your footwear.
