Ingrown Toenail

What Is an Ingrown Toenail?

An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of the nail curls down and grows into the skin around the nail. Any toe can be affected but it commonly occurs in the big toe.

Who Is at Risk of Ingrown Toenail?

While anyone can suffer from Ingrown Toenails, people at elevated risk include patients with:

An abnormal gait and poor foot mechanics such as pronation
Foot or toe deformities, such as bunions, hammertoes, and flat foot
Arthritic, Obese or Diabetic diseases
Athletics, particularly stop and start sports such as tennis, soccer, and basketball

What Is the Impact of Ingrown Toenail?

An Ingrown Toenail can impact you by:

Causing pain and discomfort
Becoming inflamed (tender, red and swollen)
Becoming infected

Causes of Ingrown Toenail

The causes of Ingrowing Toenails can vary, but typically they are related to:

Tight-fitting shoes, socks, or tights that crowd your toes, putting pressure on your toenails
Poor toenail clipping, such as cutting your toenails too short or not straight across
Toe injuries such as a stubbed toe
Poor Foot Hygiene
Picking or tearing the corners of your toenails
Fungus infection of the nails (onychomycosis)
Sweaty feet, making your skin soft and easier for toenails to dig in
Toenails with naturally curved edges or that are fan-shaped

Symptoms of Ingrown Toenail

The most common symptoms of Ingrown Toenail include:

Pain and tenderness in your toe along one or both sides of the nail
Redness around your toenail
Swelling of your toe around the nail
Infection of the tissue around your toenail

Stages of Ingrown Toenail

Ingrown toenails can have three stages.

Early Stage Ingrown Toenail

There is erythema, trace edema, and pain at the lateral nail fold. The skin next to the nail becomes tender, swollen, or hard. Pain is felt when pressure is applied to the toe and fluid building up around the toe.

Infection Stage Ingrown Toenail

There is increased pain, along with discharge from the edge of the nail. The nail appears red, bleeding or oozing pus, and shows signs of bacterial infection.

Chronic Stage Ingrown Toenail

The skin around the nail is chronically inflamed and oozing pus. The new tissue continues to grow over the nail or hypertrophic granulation tissue forms as the body attempts to grow corrective tissue.

How Is Ingrown Toenail Diagnosed?

The podiatrist can diagnose an ingrown toenail by examining your toes and asking questions about how it feels when walking.

Regular feet inspection of any signs of an ingrown toenail including redness and swelling of the skin near the edge of the nail is useful.

How Is Ingrown Toenail Treated?

When to See a Podiatrist

You can often take care of an Ingrown Toenail yourself but you may need to see a podiatrist – especially if you have diabetes or have other foot problems.

Home Treatment

Where the Ingrown Toenail’s cause is understood and is at an early stage, home treatment may be adequate. This can include:

Soaking your feet in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, three or four times a day
Using a cotton bud to gently push away the skin from the nail
Repeating this therapy daily for a few weeks, allowing the nail to grow

As the end of the nail grows forward, push a tiny piece of cotton wool or dental floss under it to help the nail grow over the skin and not grow into it. Change the cotton wool or dental floss each time you soak your foot.

If that doesn’t work and your ingrown toenail persists, make a booking.

Preventing Ingrown Toenails

To help prevent an ingrown toenail:

Wear shoes that fit properly
Keep your feet clean and dry
Trim your nails properly – briefly soak your foot in warm water before trimming, and make sure you cut straight across, without tapering or rounding the corners or cutting them too short
Wear steel-toe boots if you work in hazardous conditions

People with diabetes or persistent foot problems should see a podiatrist regularly for routine foot checks and nail care.

What if Ingrown Toenail Is Untreated?

If an Ingrown Toenail becomes infected and is left untreated, the infection can spread.

In turn, this can lead to cellulitis, a type of skin infection. In extremely rare cases, it can lead to osteomyelitis an infection of the bone or other parts of the body.