Ingrowing Toenails

Ingrowing toenails are one of the most common foot complaints treated by a podiatrist. The condition can be very painful and patients may often be very reluctant to have the condition treated.

An ingrowing toenail is caused by a splinter of nail or the whole nail causing pressure into the skin. Some ingrowing toenails are acute – meaning that they have occurred due to a toe injury. Others are chronic, which means the problem has lasted a long time usually due to a misshaped or thickened nail. Usually, the big toe is affected, however it can also affect other toes.

Initially the area around your affected toenail edge becomes, hard, slightly swollen and tender. When the nail starts to ingrow into the surrounding skin the toe may become red, swollen and inflamed, although some people find that the toe is not inflamed but they cannot tolerate the feeling when the toe is pressed against a shoe. Ultimately the toe can become infected and unpleasant.

Often people try to treat their own ingrowing toenail. There are many different forms of advice that friends and family may offer such as cutting a ‘V’ into the top of the nail! There is no evidence that this helps but it has been shown to cause a whole new problem with the nail!

Seeking professional advice is strongly advised. A consultation with a podiatrist will result in them discussing treatment options with you. In some cases treatment can be provided straight away which can relieve the symptoms and make you more comfortable, however there are occasions where it is necessary to have a corrective surgical procedure, which is conducted under a local anaesthetic in the clinic. Your podiatrist will give you the best advice to help try and prevent this.