Ingrown nails

Ingrown Toe Nails

ingrown-toe-nails
Ingrown toe nails are a common condition that occurs when the nail itself grows into the skin. This condition is usually very painful and can be associated with infection of the toe.

What Causes Is?

Ingrown toenails develop for many reasons these include:

  • Trauma, like stubbing a toe or having a toe stepped on, can cause a piece of the nail to be jammed into the skin.
  • Repeated trauma, such as the pounding to which runners typically subject their feet, also can cause ingrown nails.
  • Gross pronation can cause increased pressure on the inside big toenail pushing it into the skin leading to possible ingrown toenails.
  • The majority of ingrown toenails that podiatrists see are a result of poor cutting technique. Simply, nails should not be cut into the corners. If you do so you are risking the chance of leaving a spike of nail along the side of the nail which can embed itself into, or irritate the flesh next to the nail.

How Do I Know If I have An Ingrown Nail?

If the skin is red, painful or swollen on the sides of the nail this indicates you have an ingrown nail, it also indicates an infection may be present. This occurs because the ingrown nail is often in a warm, moist, and bacteria-rich environment.

How do I fix it?

  • Make an appointment with Tremayne Porter Podiatry
  • Not often a person can fix this problem themselves, if an infection is not already present you will likely cause one trying to cut the ingrown nail out.

Will it hurt?

  • Majority of the time NO, however this depends on how infected or inflamed the toe is.
  • If the toe is painful, we can give you a local anaesthetic into the toe to numb the area while we remove the ingrown nail.

Can a GP fix it?

  • It is best for a podiatrist to fix the problem as we are specialists in the feet and deal with these problems on a regular basis.
  • Sometimes GP’s will give antibiotics to combat the infection of the ingrowing toenail, however this only treats the symptoms not the cause.

Treatment

A podiatrist can trim the infected nail with a minor procedure. He or she can remove the offending portion of the nail or overgrown skin can be removed with a scalpel and the infection treated.

Do I need surgery?

If the problem persists, then surgery is always an option. The surgery is virtually painless due to local anaesthesia. In most cases surgery is always a last option and will not be performed on your first visit.

What you should do next?

If you are experiencing an ingrown nail, then it is highly recommended to book a n appointment straight away.

It is easy to book with us - fill out our online form and we schedule an appointment as soon as possible. We will discuss with you the best possible solutions for your foot pain. 

It is important to remember not to delay in sorting the foot problem out soon possible as it may worsen and cause more pain. Make sure to schedule an appointment with us today

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T & C
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