Ingrown Toenail Treatment

An ingrown toenail develops when one or both of the curved side edges of the nail are pushed into the surrounding skin. 

As the pressure increases, the nail pierces through the skin causing pain, inflammation, tenderness and redness.  If bacteria enter through the cut in the skin, it may become infected. 

A true onychocryptosis or unguis incarnatus is when the nail has actually cut into the skin, rather than just placing pressure on it. 

• Tight Footwear: Wearing tight fitting shoes, especially with a narrow toebox or shoes that are too short, exerts more pressure on your toes making them more prone to onychocryptosis
  
  
• Genetics: Some people have more naturally curved toenails making them more prone ingrown toenails
  
  
• Injury: One-off injuries, such as stubbing or dropping something heavy on your foot, or activities placing repetitive pressure on the toe such as repeated kicking or running can often lead to an unguis incarnatus
  
  
• Poor Nail Cutting:  Cutting your nails too short, or rounding them at the side rather than cutting them straight across results in the surrounding skin starting to fold over the nail. The nail then grows into that skin resulting in an ingrown toenail
  
  
• Nail Infections: Fungal infections can cause thickening of the nail making it easier for it to pierce the skin
  
  
• Excessive Sweating: This can cause softening of the surrounding skin making it easier for the nail to cut in

Ingrown toenails can affect anyone but are most common in teenagers, as their feet sweat more and in the elderly, as nails get more brittle with age.

• Pain: around the toe, especially when pressure is placed on it
  
  
• Redness: around the edge of the nail, particularly if there is an infection
  
  
• Inflammation: swelling in the surrounding areas gradually increases.  Initially there tends to be inflammation of the skin but you may end up with a build-up of fluid around the toe
  
  
• Pus: if bacteria causes an infected ingrown toenail, there may be yellow or white pus oozing from the area
  
  
• Bleeding: in severe cases, the nail may cut through the skin enough to cause bleeding
  
  
• Excessive Skin Growth: Extra skin can start to grow over the nail known as hypertrophy

A common question we are asked is "Can I treat an ingrown toenail myself?" In most cases the answer is yes! Ingrown toenail treatment can often be carried out easily and effectively at home using a combination of:

• Nail Correction Tools: There are various ingrown toenail correction tools on the market that work really well to reposition, reshape and file the nail. They are designed for home use and receive excellent reviews making them a popular ingrown toenail treatment tool. Available on Amazon >
  
  
• Trim Nails: A very simple yet important ingrown toenail treatment is to ensure you are cutting your nails properly. You want to cut straight across instead of tapering or rounding the edges, and not cut too short. In some cases, you may need to use specially designed ingrown toenail clippers
  
  
• Change Footwear: Wear comfortable shoes that are wide enough not to put pressure through the toes, or when possible go barefoot
  
  
• Foot Soaks: Soaking your feet daily in warm water for 15-20 minutes ensures good hygiene and helps reduce pain and inflammation. You can use a bowl or home foot spa and you may want to add salts/oils to help really clean the feet. One of the most relaxing ingrown toenail home remedies!
  
  
• Massage: Gently roll away any excess skin away from the top of the nail with a cotton bud. It can help to use a small amount of olive oil to soften the skin
  
  
• Painkillers: Over the counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication can help to reduce the discomfort and swelling as part of your ingrown toenail treatment. Always consult your doctor before taking medication

If these ingrown toenail home remedies fail to resolve the problem within a week, you will need to see your doctor or a podiatrist as you may have developed in an infected ingrown toenail. It may be that you require minor surgery as part of your ingrown toenail treatment. 

Partial Nail Avulsion

Partial nail avulsion ingrown toenail surgery is where part of the nail is removed, known as a wedge resection. The area is numbed with local anaesthetic and then one or both edges of the nail are trimmed. This makes the toenail narrower and gives it a straight edge, making it less likely to pierce the surrounding skin. 

Any pus is also drained away from the ingrown toenail.  A chemical such as phenol is used to prevent the nail re-growing. A wedge resection is a successful ingrown toenail treatment in approximately 98% of cases and takes approximately thirty minutes.

• Wear Comfortable Shoes: When you are wearing shoes, make sure the fit properly with adequate width and length. If you work somewhere where there is a high risk of an injury to your foot, it is advisable to wear steel toe boots/shoes
  
  
• Trim Nails Carefully: Keep nails short but not too short (no shorter than the surrounding skin), and but straight across rather than rounding them at the sides. Gentle tapering at the edges is fine
  
  
• Go Barefoot: People who habitually go barefoot don’t get ingrown toenails, so whenever possible, ditch your shoes in favour of going barefoot. That way, there is no pressure on the nail and therefore no risk of developing onychocryptosis
  
  
• Good Foot Hygiene: Keep feel clean and dry. Change socks daily