Salt Lake Telegram | 1939-08-08 | Page 4 | Advice on Your Health

Advice on Your j By Morris S s Editor d r Journal ou American c n M Medical c Occasionally an anonymous letter from one of our readers brings up a question which has g general interest For instance a correspondent from Pittsburgh says What causes the nails nalls on thet the toes t es to become so hard that I can cut them They seem to lap one layer over another and then turn almost around and get like Ilke a corn I have tried everything everything every every- thing including sheep suet olive oil oU and all to no avail An overgrowth of the finger or toenails is called When the nail gets bent or curved the condition is called Such a condi oni tion can be brought about through a variety of causes including Including in including in- in not only chronic diseases diseases diseases dis dis- dis- dis eases affecting the body as a whole but also irritation tion from wearing the wrong kind of shoes or socks In these conditions t the e nail is usually ly thickened at the free end be becomes omes dark in color may grow down or turn upward or to one side Moreover the nail substance is hard and is cut with difficulty Usually the toenail of the big toe is the one first affected Doctors do not usually advise complete removal of the toenail in order to take care of this con con- Indeed the use of frequent frequent fre Ire quent hot bathing with the addition addition addition ad ad- of plenty of soap and Water water water wa wa- ter will soften the nail so that it may be easily cut or filed down Simple removal of the nail nan plate will merely result In the growth of another hard nail from the nail nan plate Complete removal of ot a toenail Is a serious performance and sometimes is worse than the condition of which the writer complains People who have eczema or psoriasis or any of the common skin diseases frequently have trouble with the nails la In i 0 of is elation dation with such uch conditions condition to Al' Al actual inflammation or Ined around the nails is more teizi than a slight hardening or out Oe growth When such an is combined with of the first steps should It I. tie the there there- removal re i moval of the excess 0 ot M c naIl Sib jab stance S SIt It is possible for dan n familiar with such ou prescribe a solution or which will soften the tIne tad eJ aJ remove the excess However of these ointments are the twi selves capable of destroying sue and should not be w U used under the doctors doctor's t tion n In cutting the nails a oilS diw Is preferable to either a c cor cog or straight scissors because became n U the clipper it is possible tot 14 h move exactly the amount amounts oJ sue that is required and noti roughened edges