Ingrown Toenails
What is it?
An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of toenail is embedded in the skin around the nail. An ingrown toenail is characterized by pain, swelling, redness and a feeling of warmth in the affected toe. Once a cut appears in the skin by the nail, it is prone to infection. Ingrown toenails can occur on just one, or both, sides of your toe and are fairly common, particularly in teenagers and young adults.
Causes:
-
Wearing ill fitting shoes. If your shoes are too tight they can force the skin surrounding your toenail against the nail.
- Cutting your nails too short and into a curved shape can make them more likely to grow into your skin.
- An injury can leave your toenail distorted, making it more likely to grow into your skin.
- Some nail shapes are more prone to this condition.
How can we help?
An assessment is performed to see if nail surgery is right for you, or if alternative management of the problem is preferred. Our Podiatrist can surgically remove all or part of an in-grown toenail under local anaesthesia: the nail bed can be treated so that it will not grow back. In most cases, a partial nail removal is sufficient. Also see our podiatry page.