Skin & Nail Care
Skin and nail problems of the feet and toes can be a major source of embarrassment and, in some cases, pain and discomfort.
Whether your concerns are about cosmetic appearance or more related to health and comfort, it’s always worth giving our office a call. Dr. Yull provides effective treatments for all kinds of skin and nail concerns, which can restore your feet to a healthy state.
Conditions we treat include, but are not limited to:
- Athlete’s foot
- Black toenails
- Calluses
- Corns
- Cracked heels
- Fungal toenail infections
- Ingrown toenails
- Warts
Read on to learn more about some of these conditions and how we care for them at Cheyenne Foot & Ankle.
Fungal Toenails
Fungal infections under the toenail can lead to thickening and brownish discoloration of the nail. It may take on a ragged appearance and become brittle and crumbly as well.
The first step is determining whether the toenail damage really is caused by a fungal infection or not, by taking a small sample and sending it for testing. If it isn’t fungi, then obviously antifungal treatment isn’t going to work!
Fungal toenails usually aren’t painful or medically dangerous, so simply living with them is an option if they aren’t embarrassing you too much. However, the infection will not go away on its own, and may eventually spread to other toes. Most people like to simply have them treated.
The main treatment is taking oral antifungal medications for a period of time, in addition to regular debridement of the nail. This combination has a high success rate and is typically what we recommend. Topical medications and soaks can be used (especially if you are not a good candidate for the oral pills), but success rates are lower.
Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails can be extremely painful, especially if they get to the point where they become swollen and infected. And unfortunately, they tend to be a frequently recurring problem for a certain percentage of the population.
This condition occurs when, instead of growing out like normal, the edge or corner of a toenail snags and digs into the surrounding skin. It’s as painful as it sounds and can make it difficult to even wear normal shoes without constant discomfort.
We provide a couple of very straightforward, single-appointment solutions that can help you get rid of your ingrown toenail quickly, easily, and above all permanently. You can read more about them on our main ingrown toenails service page.
Plantar Warts
Foot warts are viral growths that develop in the top layers of skin, due to an infection of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus tends to live in dark and humid environments (like, say, your shoes) and can enter the body through tiny cuts or breaks in the skin.
Warts are usually harmless, and typically go away on their own—although it can take months or years for them to do so. Most people don’t really want to wait that long, especially if the wart is embarrassing or located in a position that causes discomfort. (Plus, warts can multiply, too.)
There are two main treatment options. The most straightforward solution is to simply have your wart surgically excised. The other is to use salicylic acid on the wart, which slowly (and painlessly) destroys the dead and deformed skin cells and allows them to be peeled away.
We can talk you through the pros and cons of each choice in order to determine which is the best option for your specific situation.
Let Us Help You Restore Healthy Skin and Nails
For all these and other painful, unsightly, and/or uncomfortable skin and nail problems, you can always give our office a call.
We’ll make sure you completely understand your condition and treatment options, give you sound advice on what we recommend, and then help you take the next steps toward fixing your problem.
To schedule an appointment at our office in Colorado Springs, give us a call today at (719) 576-2080. If making phone calls isn’t really your thing, you can also request an appointment online and we’ll reach out to you to schedule. Convenient!