Ingrown nails are nails whose corners or sides dig painfully into the soft tissue of nail grooves, often leading to irritation, redness, and swelling. Usually, toenails grow straight out. Sometimes, however, one or both corners or sides curve and grow into the flesh. The big toe is the most common location for this condition, but other toes can also become affected. Ingrown toenails may be caused by improperly trimmed nails, heredity, shoe pressure with the crowding of toes and repeated trauma to the feet from normal activities
The following symptoms may be present with ingrown toenails:
- Pain
- Redness and swelling
- Drainage
- Odor
- Prominent skin tissue
Come in and see our podiatrist immediately if any drainage or excessive redness is present around the toenail. If you have diabetes or poor circulation, you should seek immediate treatment at the first signs of an ingrown toenail, as it can lead to more severe complications. Our podiatrist will remove the ingrown portion of the nail and may prescribe a topical or oral medication to treat the infection. If ingrown nails are a chronic problem, our podiatrist can perform a procedure to permanently prevent ingrown nails. The corner of the nail that in grows, along with the matrix or root of that piece of nail, is removed by use of a chemical, a laser, or other methods.
Prevention
- Using toenail clippers, trim properly by cutting them straight across, not longer than the tip of the toes. Do not dig into corners and only gently round off
- Avoid shoes with pointy or narrow toe boxes.
- Never rip or tear edges of nails.