Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails often are the result of trimming your toenails too short, particularly on the sides of your big toes. This can also occur from the toes rubbing against the other toes or can be genetic.
While they are common, ingrown toenails can be painful. When trimming your nails, avoid tapering the corners so that the nail curves with the shape of your toe. The sides of the nail will curl down and dig into your skin. Shoes that are too tight or short also may cause ingrown toenails.
Ingrown toenails start out hard, swollen and tender, and later, may become sore, red and infected. Your skin may start to grow over the ingrown toenail.
Soaking your foot in warm, salty water several times each day is usually a good way to treat an ingrown nail. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed if an infection is present. It is important to treat the cause of the infection by removing the offending part of the nail that is causing the infection and pain. If this is a recurring problem then the partial or total nail can be removed permanently in a simple 10 minute in office procedure using a chemical to kill the root of the nail and prevent regrowth of the painful nail. This has a 97% success rate and you can return to work the next day. There is little if any discomfort. It is important to treat these before they lead to serious infections.
You can prevent ingrown toenails by:
- Trimming your toenails straight across with no rounded corners.
- Ensuring that your shoes and socks are not too tight.
- Keeping your feet clean at all times.
