Ingrown Toenail

An ingrown toenail is the condition where the toenail is curved and develops into the skin mainly at the nail borders and the sides which irritates the skin and creates pain, swelling, redness and sometimes heat in the toe. If such ingrown toe causes a break in the skin, then the bacteria may enter the skin and cause infection in the area which leads to foul odor. Yet, when the toe is not painful then red, warm or swollen symptoms are felt which leads to the development of bacteria and infection in the skin.

What are the causes of Ingrown Toenails?

The main causes are:

  • Trauma
  • Hereditary
  • Improper trimming of nails
  • Wearing improper sized footwear and
  • Condition of nails

What are the treatments to treat Ingrown Toenail?

The initial treatment is performed safely at home and need to be taken proper care to be safe from risk like nerve damage, diabetes or poor circulation of blood. Avoid bathroom surgery and repeated cutting of the nails which may worsen the condition making it severe to treat at once. When the symptoms do not improve, see a surgeon who is specialists in foot and ankle care.
In case of physician care, the toe and ankle surgeon will choose the treatment which suits to the situation and if any infection is available, an oral antibiotic is prescribed to reduce it. In extreme cases, minor surgery is performed which eases the pain and reduces the chances of spreading the infection in the skin. The specialists after applying a local anesthetic, the part of the nails side border is removed by the surgeon and sometimes the nail root is required to remove to be safe in the future.

How to prevent Ingrown Toenail?

It can be prevented by:

  • Trimming the nails in a proper way
  • Wearing well fitted shoes and proper size socks
  • Avoiding repeated trimming of nails, and nail borders