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Very strange toenails?

12 replies

MrsHelenBee · 15/08/2012 22:45

My DS has just turned 1 and has always ha issues with his toenails. In the days after he was born, I spent ages looking at his fingers and toes - as you do when you've just become a mum! - and I notice his big toe nails appeared depressed within the toe and I couldn't get my head around how the nails would ever be able to grow properly without turning upwards to go over the end of his toe unobstructed. The edges of both big toe nails also curl and grow back on themselves. As a result he's always had angry and sore-looking toes, and has had several infections and courses of antibiotics as a result, which seemed inevitable given how they were only ever going to grow into the skin on the edges. I spoke to my GP very early on, who said they would just grow out given time, and I shoud leave them, cutting only when absolutely necessary. A health visitor tol me to massage them with antisptic cream and tape the skin away from the edge of the nail with micropore every bedtime. I'm no specialist, but how will they just 'grow out', and doesn't taping them risk deforming his little toes?!! My poor DS hates having his nails cut, and I do it very carefully when it really has to be done - it's nt related to how they are cut, they've not been overcut and become ingrown, they've been like it since day 1. Hs anyone else come across this? Does anyone know why it's happened and what, if anything, can be done about it? I honestly don't see how they can possibly fix themselves and, after a year of being like it, I don't think anything's likely to change without some sort of inervention, but my GP, who's also the baby and child specialist in the surgery, seems to think I'm unnecessarily worried. Surely it's not right.

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kellestar · 16/08/2012 21:34

I've booked an appointment with a private chiropodist for DD 1.8 as I too am worried about her toenails. GP and HV both said it's fine, she's also had a couple of infections that really smelled nasty, was advised to rub in antifungal cream to keep it under control. I just hope that the chiropodist can give me some advice or help.

MrsHelenBee · 17/08/2012 14:56

Hi kellestar,
I was told to use tifungal cream for a while too, which totally confused me - the nails aren't growing right, so how on earth will an antifungal cream help. What are your DD's nails like, are they like my DS's? I'd be really interested to know how you get on with the chiropodist, as I may have to go down that route too. Thanks so much for the comment.

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kellestar · 17/08/2012 21:52

The toenail itself is all rippled going towards the outside edge and grows into the side of her toe, creating a pus filled pocket, like my DH's ingrown toenails. They also curl up and are super sharp, can't seem to trim them or file them blunt.

Traceymac2 · 17/08/2012 21:59

My 15 wk old has the same problem. Her big toe nails appeared depressed into the skin from birth and in a kind of v shape with the point being at the top. The v shape is now gone but the skn on the sides of the nails is red and inflamed. There was some oozing from one yesterday but not today. She is currently on amoxicillin for a chest infection which is probably what she would be given so I thought I would wait until Monday and bring her to the gp then if worse. We are also using germolene. Any other tips would be great.

MrsHelenBee · 17/08/2012 22:35

Kellestar: oh, your poor little girl, that sounds painful. And fancy being told not to worry when they're infected?!! When my DS was still very little and his toes were smaller, it was hard to see exactly what the problem was, and I blamed myself for poor cutting and giving him ingrown toenails, which can't fail to be painful even though he wasn't walking or wearing shoes. Now it's very clear that they curl back over themselves a the edges, which means the corners of both big toes are permanently an angry red, and I'm amazed there haven't been more infections in the last year. And, like your DD's nails, they curl up, which makes them near impossible to trim, and he wriggles and frets so much that it has to be very quick, which terrifies me every time as I'm worried I could do more damage, but it also means the awful sharp edges like you're describing. The HV suggested I file them if I was getting anxious using scissors, but there's no way he'll sit still long enough for that. It can't be right and, as he gets better on his feet, it must feel awful.

Traceymac2: sorry to hear you're in the same boat too. your description sounds exactly like my DS's toes. They were a very od, triangular shape, which settled down as he grew, but the nails are still tiny - almost like they're too small for the toe, or not growing at the same speed as his toes. The edges of a few little ones were red on and off, but that now seems to have improved, and he's just got the issue with the big toes. He has had types of penicillin for infections, so yes, being treated for her chest infection would probably help clear up any infection in her toes too. I have to admit that I gave up on the antiseptic cream, unless they were oozing. He has plenty of baths, to help keep the nails soft, and hopefully reduce some of the inflamation, but I can't really offer any advice as, at nearly 13m, the issue has never been resolved. We give him plenty of time without any socks on to prevent unnecessary pressure, and I'm very quick to buy the next up size up in socks and sleep suits when it looks as if he's close to the end. It's the same with pram shoes - only when he really has to have them on, and we check the fit very frequently. It's alll common sense really as I've despaired at not knowing that I could do to help when no one seemed to listen to me. Certainly massaging won't help, and taping (I'm still horrified by that) is NOT the thing to do.

I'm sorry to be selfish but it's such a relief to know I'm not the only one, and that I'm not overreactional and paranoid as my GP suggested. We can't all three of us be OTT!!!

OP posts:
MrsHelenBee · 17/08/2012 22:44

I've also soaked his feet in salt water at times as saline is really good for speeding up the healing process.

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MrsHelenBee · 17/08/2012 22:54

I know it sounds very odd, but were either of you anaemic while you were pregnant?

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Jellykat · 17/08/2012 23:12

I would ask for a referral to see a podiatrist, to get advice from a specialist foot person.

Tea tree oil is good, an antifungal and the oil element keeps the nail soft, this i know as i have an ingrowing toenail and have managed to keep away from having it operated on for years..

Wonder if your DS has a fungal infection in the nail beds and its stopping them from growing properly? Certainly lots of ABs would exacerbate that situation.

No harm in asking for a referral

Internetaddictgirl · 17/04/2018 11:43

Hi all, I realise this is many years after your post, but I was wondering if you managed to solve the problem. My newborn has V shaped fingernails, which curl over at the ends and which look angry and ingrown. HV and midwife say it will grow out but they’ve never seen it before and it doesn’t look like it will.

Lightsong · 17/04/2018 12:38

My DS was born with V shaped big toe nails that seemed to be angled down into his nail bed, had topical antibiotics when one became infected at six weeks but hes just turned one now and they have both grown out fine.

applesandpears56 · 18/04/2018 19:43

I was going to say isn’t depressed nails a symptom of anemia? Has he had his iron tested?

Internetaddictgirl · 19/04/2018 02:05

I didn’t know that, I will ask the doctor as have an appointment tomorrow- thanks for your suggestion

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