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Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails occur when a part of the side of the nail spikes off and starts to dig into the skin surrounding the nail. This often occurs mostly in the big toe. When this happens an ingrown toenail often results causing inflammation and may result in an infection if left untreated.
Some of the causes of ingrown toenails are:
- Cutting the toenails incorrectly
- Genetics - having irregular and curved toenails
- Tight or narrow footwear
- Trauma to the toe
- Certains sports such as football or soccer
- Picking of nails
Some of the symptoms of an ingrown toenail are:
- Painful or tenderness to the nail edge area
- Red
- Swelling
- Discharge from the area, which may indicate an infection
- Extra skin developing around the area that is highly vascularised, known as hypergranulation
Treatment options for ingrown toenails
- Book in with one of our podiatrists at your earliest convenience in order for us to remove the cause of the ingrown toenail, to allow for healing and a reduction in pain symptoms
Some of the ways to prevent the reocurrence of ingrown toenail can be conducted by:
- Wearing shoes that aren't tight on the toes
- Trimming the nails properly - straight across and smoothing the edges with a nail file if required
- Refrain from picking your toenails
Book in today with one of our podiatrists to help you manage your ingrown toenails.
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