Ingrown Toenails, what you need to know.

What is an Ingrown Toe?

An ingrown toenail is a toenail that has grown into the skin. Ingrown toenails can be painful and can cause infection. They often form when the nail grows into the side of the toe, but they can also form when the toe is too long, or when the skin is too thin.

How to prevent Ingrown Toes.

The best way to prevent ingrown toenails from an infection is to soak the toe in salt water.  You should also make sure you keep your feet clean and dry. This will help to prevent the nails from getting caught in the skin- which causes this problem to begin. It is also important to keep your feet out of tight shoes. These are both common causes of ingrown toenails.

Treatment.

If you are having trouble with ingrown toenails, see your podiatrist for treatment as soon as possible. 

Doctors often prescribe antibiotics to treat infected ingrown toenails, but if the cause (an ingrown toenail) persists, just treating the infection won’t resolve the issue. By removing the nail and then prescribing antibiotics, we aim to clear the infection and stop it coming back again!

Our experienced Podiatrist can remove nail horns and nail tips which have penetrated the skin with ease- and with little to no discomfort. A local anaesthetic may be needed if the ingrown toenail is very painful. If the part of the nail causing the ingrowing toenail is not removed, the infection may remain.

Surgical treatment.

Minor surgery is done when:

-The ingrown toenail is severe.

-Conservative treatment is difficult.

-The ingrown toenail does not respond well to conservative treatment. 

Nail surgery is a relatively simple procedure and a permanent solution to the problem. There are several different minor surgeries a podiatrist can perform to treat an ingrown toenail. All of this can be done in clinic and under local anesthesia.

Nail surgery has a 95% success rate, but a 5% chance of regrowth. This may require another step to resolve the issue.