Does it hurt to pull out your nails?

Nails are a very important part of the human body, and their main function is to protect the limbs. The main component of nails is calcium. I believe many people know that as long as the nails are cut for a period of time, they will grow out by themselves, but some nails grow deep into the flesh of the fingers or toes due to their location. When this happens, nail plucking is often used to adjust nail growth. Does it hurt to pull out your nails?

The nail groove usually refers to the junction where the root of the nail meets the skin. Inflammation of the nail groove and its surrounding tissues is paronychia. Paronychia is mostly caused by punctures, abrasions, ingrown nails or pulling out "insect thorns" in the nail groove and its surrounding tissues. Never underestimate paronychia. Once it occurs, the pain is unbearable for ordinary people.

2 Clinical manifestations of paronychia

When paronychia first occurs, one side of the nail groove will become red, swollen and painful. It may become purulent and infected within a short period of time, and may spread to the base of the nail and the opposite nail groove, forming perionychia, or it may spread to the subungual area to form a subungual abscess. At this time, the pain intensifies and the swelling is obvious. Yellow-white pus can be seen under the nail floating up the nail. If not treated in time, it may develop into purulent dactylitis and even cause phalangeal osteomyelitis. It may also become chronic paronychia, persistent paronychia or subungual abscess. Because the infection is relatively superficial, the systemic symptoms are often not obvious.

3 Conventional treatment methods for paronychia

① Trim your nails by yourself: This is simple and convenient, and can be used in the early stages of paronychia.

② Go to a pedicure shop for trimming: After paronychia has developed for a period of time, when the pain becomes unbearable and you cannot handle it yourself, you usually go to a pedicure shop to treat it.

③ Go to the hospital for treatment: If the paronychia is severe and has become purulent and infected, the hospital's method is drainage and nail removal. Both drainage and nail extraction can cause great harm to the nails.

4 Characteristics of TCM treatment of paronychia

Traditional Chinese medicine treats paronychia through the principles of physical mechanics and changes the growth direction of the toenail. It is made of a highly flexible and elastic composite material, which can generate an upward rebound force when attached to the surface of the toenail, changing the shape of the toenail, changing the curvature of the toenail, and gradually pulling the toenail out of the flesh. The side of the toenail can grow until it covers the front edge of the toe, exposing the corners of the nail on both sides, so that the toenail no longer grows into the flesh.

Precautions

1. Most paronychia are caused by improper nail clipping methods, so the nails should be left longer. It is best to clip them into a straight line, not an arc shape. If you clip your nails into an arc shape for a long time, the nails will become shorter and shorter, and grow deeper into the flesh.

2. Do not wear shoes that squeeze your feet, especially shoes with too narrow toes, as they put excessive pressure on the nails and can easily induce paronychia.

3. Wash your feet frequently and keep your toes clean. Make sure you wash your feet enough to maintain the elasticity and toughness of your nails.

4. Patients with paronychia should choose nail removal surgery with caution. The recurrence rate of nail removal surgery is relatively high, and nail removal will damage the nail bed, causing great harm to the body.