INGROWN TOENAIL

What is an ingrown toenail?

An ingrown toenail is when the side of the nail embeds into the adjacent skin. They are associated with redness, swelling, drainage, and/or pus. They can be one of the most painful conditions in the foot.  If left untreated, it also can become infected. With infection comes even more pain.  The sooner you seek treatment, the better. If you have diabetes, circulation problems or are on chemotherapy and get an ingrown toenail, call our office right away.

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Causes of Ingrown Toenails

• Improper Nail Cutting

• Wide Toenails

• Curved Toenails

• Aggressive Pedicures

• Trauma to the Toe

• Improper Foot Mechanics

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How are Ingrown Nails Treated?

Because of that intense pain, we get patients with ingrown toenails in for an appointment right away. When you come in, we’ll first numb your toe before we do anything. We even numb your toe with a cooling spray before we use any needles for the anesthetic, so you won’t feel a thing. Then we gently trim the nail so it stops cutting into your toe. Recovery is normally very quick.   

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In some cases, when a patient suffers from recurrent ingrown toenail,  there are more permanent techniques that can be performed to prevent the "problematic" portion of nail from regrowing.

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How do I Prevent Ingrown Nails?

To avoid getting another ingrown toenail down the road, it’s important to avoid wearing tight shoes that push the toes together, trimming your toenails on a curve, and keeping toenails too short. Recently, newer techniques, such as OnyFix, have been developed.  We would be happy to discuss option during your appointment.