Podiatry Myth Busting!

Podiatry Myth Busting! Helping sort the fact from the fiction.

Myth 1 – cutting a ‘V’ shape into an ingrown nail will cure it.

This is one that has been doing the rounds for years! An ingrowing toenail is caused when the edge or corner of the nail pierces the skin and causes inflammation. There are  two ways to cure this... Management can be conservative, by rounding off the nail and removing any sharp corners caused by incorrect cutting. Or surgical, a quick procedure carried out under local anaesthetic to permanently remove a small portion of the edge of a nail to prevent it causing irritation to the skin. Cutting a ‘V’ shape into the centre of the nail will not cause the nail shape to change or the nail to stop piercing the skin. If you have an ingrown nail, see a Podiatrist!

Myth 2 – treatments that claim to be a quick “miracle” cure for podiatrist nail fungus.

There is no quick fix for fungal nails. Fact. Some products claim that can they can effectively “treat” or “cure” fungal nails in a matter of weeks. We always say, if a treatment worked so well and so quickly, then your GP would be prescribing it! Treatment for fungal nails takes time. And effort. Any treatments that Podiatrists recommend or supply contain medicines and are evidence-based treatments. Don’t be fooled by anything that claims to be a “miracle cure”! There's a great blog here on fungal nails...

Myth 3 – Podiatrists only cut toenails.

Wrong! Correct and effective toenail cutting is indeed part of what we do, but it is only a very small part! Podiatrists can treat a whole host of foot and lower-limb related conditions, including – skin problems, foot pain, ingrowing toenails, and infections amongst many others. You should think of a Podiatrist for foot problems like you would think of a Dentist for tooth and mouth problems, or an Optometrist for eye problems.

Myth 4 – Old wives’ tales for getting rid of verrucas

There are so many of these flying about! Rubbing a steak onto a wart or verruca then burying it in the garden is one. Applying vinegar to get rid of verrucas. There are almost too many to mention! Among these, one of the more popular myth is banana skin verruca treatment as the skin releases some chemicals as it starts to brown. But does banana skin get rid of verruca effectively? Verrucae and warts are caused by types of HPV virus. The only way to get rid of these is for the body’s own immune system to eradicate the virus. And the best way for this to happen is by creating inflammation in the affected tissue. This can be achieved in several ways – using heat (Microwaves being our preferred method), cold, or topical acid treatments being the most effective ways. Concerned about a verruca? See a Podiatrist.

For more information about the conditions we treat, take a look at the rest of our blog here.

Don't forget, Foot Problem = See A Podiatrist. Book to see us here