Ingrown Toenail in Adults and Children
Symptoms of ingrown toenail
Your big toe is most likely to have an ingrown toenail but any toe can be affected.
Symptoms can include:
- Ingrown toenail can be painful. They can start with the skin next to your nail becoming tender.
- They can be painful on pressure, with fluid building up around the toe.
- If the toe becomes infected, the skin can become warm, painful, red and swollen or hard.
- Your toe can bleed and ooze pus.
You need to treat your toe before the symptoms become progressively worse.
Causes of ingrown toenail
Ingrown toenails can occur at any age but are more often found in teenagers and older people.
Ingrown nails can have several causes including:
- shoes/socks or tights that are too narrow or tight
- toenail injury
- cutting toenails incorrectly
- irregular curved toenails; an inherited trait
- some rigorous athletic activities
- nail infections
- some medical conditions
Treatment of ingrown toenail
An experienced podiatrist can provide treatment and guidance on effectively managing an ingrown nail.
Treatment can include:
- cutting back the corner of the nail in mild cases of ingrown toenails
- advice on shoes appropriate for your nail type and foot shape
- nail cutting techniques
- medication
- self-care methods, soaking the foot
In recurrent, longstanding or repeated infections, routine podiatry is unlikely to offer a permanent solution for an ingrown nail. If the toenail does not respond to self-care treatments, you should see an experienced podiatrist straight away and you may need nail surgery. See the Nail surgery page for more information. For other nail problems, see the Toenails page for more information.
If you are diabetic, have any pain and inflammation in your toes, you should see an experienced podiatrist or your doctor immediately.
Rachel is a highly experienced podiatrist who treats many adults and children for ingrowing toenails.
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