Mum's horror over daughter's toenail discovery: 'Cannot get over the image in my mind'
A mother has had quite the shock after realising the "little white grains" on her daughter's ingrown toenail were actually fly eggs.
Posting to Mumsnet, the woman explained the 18-year-old has been struggling with ingrown toenails for quite a while, but has been resistant to do anything about them.
"[She] has refused to have the toenails dealt with properly," the mum wrote on the forum.
"They have been persistent for a couple of years on her big toes – both sides. Frequently they bled and we have been on and on at her, as they usually look foul."
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The woman says her 18-year-old has "refused" to do anything about her toenails, saying they often look quite "foul". Getty
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The mum then reveals the unsavoury discovery came after her daughter mentioned she'd noticed "little white grains" on her nails that morning.
"After taking a pic to blow the image up, we could see they were fly's eggs!! I cannot get over the image in my mind," she wrote.
The mum also shared the photo, which has left people online quite speechless.
"I would absolutely freak out big time if I had maggots on my toe. They can burrow under skin too, so I would be worried about having a pocket of maggots," one worried viewer wrote. "Soak it in hot salty water. I feel queasy at the sight of it."
The mum shared the photo of her daughter's toenail, revealing the shocking larvae now living on the nail. Mumsnet / @loveatthefiveanddime
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The mother wrote in her post that she immediately scraped the eggs off and washed her daughter's feet with disinfectant. Her daughter is now booked to see a doctor but the mum says she's "worried she didn't get them all out."
One perplexed person commented: "Wowzer that's grim! That looks so sore too, how has she not sought help, it must be painful even before the flies joined the party!"
Some even observed the skin around the toenail looks like it's "rotting", while others said they felt queasy just looking at the photo.
According to a 2020 study by the Professor of Surgery at the Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences, Arshad Malik, an infestation of fly eggs is not uncommon in the case of ingrown toenails.
Fun fact: Woman are reportedly more prone to getting an ingrown toenail since they are more likely to be trying to squeeze their feet into tight shoes. Getty Images/iStockphoto
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As Malik explains, the complication arises when flies, who feed on living tissue, lay eggs in an open wound on the body. Fly eggs, if not cleared, can unfortunately develop into maggots, which then need to be surgically cleaned and removed from the wound.
The issue of ingrown toenails is a phenomenon that often affects children and younger people.
The most common causes, according to Malik, are inappropriate clipping of the toenail, tight shoes, unhygienic conditions (such as not washing) and ignorance.
As for the best cure for an ingrown toenail? If the nail is quite bad, surgery may be required, though it is best to consult your doctor who can then decide the best option for you.
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