What You Need to Know About Ingrown Toenails

Last updated 1 year ago

Ingrown toenails are a common condition that can cause severe foot pain. This condition is easy to treat, but it is even easier to avoid. For an in-depth look at the ingrown toenail condition, keep reading.

What is an Ingrown Toenail?

An ingrown toenail occurs when the corner of a toenail grows down into the skin of the toe. This condition typically affects the big toe, causing a pain, inflammation, and often an infection. You’ll know you’re suffering from an ingrown toenail when it hurts to wear closed-toe shoes, when you notice throbbing pain coming from the corner of your toe, or when you notice puss oozing from underneath your toenail. Wearing tight shoes, cutting your toenails too short, diabetes, and hypertension can increase your risk for developing an ingrown toenail.

What Causes Ingrown Toenails?

Wearing shoes that squeeze the toes prohibits the toenails from growing straight. If you can feel your toe hitting up against the tip of the shoe, you could be at risk for developing an ingrown toenail. Other factors that can cause an ingrown toenail include cutting the toenail too short, cutting the corners of the toenail so that the nail grows in a curve, and trauma to the toenail that disrupts the growth pattern.

What are the Treatments for Ingrown Toenail?

You may be able to treat an ingrown toenail with several at-home remedies such as soaking your foot, using an antibiotic cream to fight infection, andwearing larger shoes. Soaking the toe in warm water can help soften the nail so that you can cut the corner that is growing into the skin. Soaking can also help relieve soreness. If your ingrown toenail becomes infected, you’ll need to contact your podiatrist. He or she may create a splint to keep the nail from contacting the skin. If you have a severe ingrown toenail, your podiatrist may remove a portion of the nail or remove the nail entirely.

If you need relief from your severely infected ingrown toenail, call All South Bay Footcare at (310) 986-2925. We are foot care specialists who provide non-surgical and surgical foot treatments so as to relieve hammertoe, bunions, corns, flat feet, and more.