Ingrown toenails are often a painful and frustrating ordeal, as your nail edge grows into and penetrates the surrounding skin. Painful symptoms can begin even before the nail has pierced the surface, as it starts to push down on the surrounding skin.
Ingrown toenails have many causes. This includes:
Don’t worry - regardless of the cause there are solutions to both alleviate ingrown toenails and to stop them from coming back once and for all!
The biggest symptom is pain on touch, pressure and movement. The toe may often appear red and swollen. As with anything that breaks the skin, ingrown toenails pose a serious risk of infection so must be treated with caution.
Those with diabetes, nerve damage or poor circulation should never attempt to treat their ingrown toenails at home. Have your toe examined by your Podiatry team who will determine the best course of treatment. This will involve managing the infection if present and clearing the offending nail edge.
Because ingrown toenails can reoccur, you can discuss with your Podiatrist if a more permanent way of stopping ingrown toenails is appropriate for you. We do this by using a solution to stop the nail cells at the edge of the nail from growing as part of a minor surgical procedure. This leaves you with a natural and straight looking nail edge. We also provide you with education and advice for managing and caring for your toes.