Ingrowing Nails
Ingrown toenails occur when the edges or corners of your nails grow into the skin next to the nail. Your big toe is most likely to get an ingrown toenail.
Causes
Symptoms
Symptoms
- Ingrown toenails occur in both men and women.
- Ingrown toenails may be more common in people with sweaty feet, such as teenagers.
- Older people may also be at higher risk because toenails thicken with age.
- Cutting toenails incorrectly (cut straight across, since angling the sides of the nail can encourage the nail to grow into the skin.)
- Irregular, curved toenails
- Footwear that places a lot of pressure on the big toes, such as socks and stockings that are too tight or shoes that are too tight, narrow, or flat for your feet
- Toenail injury, including stubbing your toe, dropping something heavy on your foot, or activities which puts repeated pressure onto the nail, such as ballet, football, kickboxing, and rugby.
- Improper foot hygiene, such as not keeping your feet clean or dry
- Genetic predisposition.
Symptoms
Symptoms
Symptoms
Ingrown toenails can be painful, and they usually worsen in stages.
Early-stage symptoms include:
- skin next to the nail becoming tender, swollen, or hard
- pain when pressure is placed on the toe
- fluid building up around the toe
If your toe becomes infected, symptoms may include:
- red, swollen skin
- pain
- bleeding
- oozing pus
- overgrowth of skin around the toe
Treat your ingrown toenail as soon as possible to avoid worsening symptoms.
Conservative Treatment
Conservative Treatment
Conservative Treatment
- At home you can soak your feet in warm salty water for about 5 to 10 minutes. A handful of table salt in a bowl of warm water.
- Using over-the-counter medicines, like paracetamol, for the pain
- Trim your toenails straight across and make sure that the edges do not curve in.
- Advice on wearing proper fitting shoes, socks, and tights.
- Wear steel-toe-cap boots if you work in hazardous conditions.
- If your toenails are abnormally curved or thick, surgery may be necessary to prevent ingrown nails.
Surgical Treatment
Conservative Treatment
Conservative Treatment
There are different types of surgical treatments for ingrown toenails.
- Partial nail removal only involves removing the piece of nail that is digging into your skin. According to the NHS, partial nail removal is 98% effective for preventing future ingrown toenails.
- Total nail removal may be used if your ingrown nail is caused by thickening.