$Unique_ID{BRK00415}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Is a Toenail Horn the Result of a Devil's Curse?}
$Subject{nails hooked surgery Skin onychogryphosis ram's horn nail cut back
surgical operation surgeries operations}
$Volume{L-20}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Is a Toenail Horn the Result of a Devil's Curse?


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QUESTION:  Although it started slowly, I guess I have left it go too long, and
now I have a terrible looking horn where my big toe nail used to be.  Could it
be the result of a devil's curse?  What could a doctor do if I was to visit
with him?

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ANSWER:  If you have the condition I think you do, it wasn't a curse that
caused it, but your own neglect.  You must have realized that toenails don't
normally grow this way, and should be trimmed on a regular basis.  The
condition has a fancy medical name, onychogryphosis, which comes from two
"onyx" meaning "nail" and "gryposis" meaning "hooked or curved".  Some times
the horn grows so large that it looks just like a ram's horn, and can be
called "ram's horn nail".  At any rate, it has got to go.  There are two
possible choices of treatment that your physician may offer you, and the
choice will depend upon the size of the growth and the condition of your feet.
It may be possible to cut it back to size, using the appropriate surgical
instruments.  This would cause no pain, but you would have to promise to keep
your nails trimmed.  If the nail is really deformed, the physician will have
to remove the nail completely and destroy the tissue from which your toe nail
grows.  Just cutting the nail away won't help as a new nail will grow back,
probably more disfigured than before, in four to ten months.  The operation
can be performed with an injection of local anesthetic to prevent pain.  See
your doctor soon, things won't get better by themselves.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.