Ingrown Toenails

What is an ingrown toenail?

Most commonly occurring on the big toe, it is a nail that has grown into the skin. Ingrown toenails causes redness, pain and can even cause infections. It can be caused by improperly fitting shoes (too narrow or too short), improper nail cutting or simply the structure of the nail.

How is an ingrown toenail treated?

In mild cases, a minor in-office procedure solves the problem and provides relief. In more severe cases, toenail surgery, toenail removal, called a Partial Nail Avulsion may be performed on the ingrown side(s) only. If ingrown toenail surgery is performed, it is completely pain free because it is performed under local anesthetic, under strict sterile conditions. In this case, the offending piece of the toenail is permanently removed and the nail bed and matrix (root of the toenail) are destroyed, which provides a permanent cure. As a rule there is no post-surgery pain or downtime at all and all aftercare is pretty simple and can be performed at home. After any ingrown toenail surgery, a follow up appointment is always scheduled to ensure that the site is healing properly.

To avoid ingrown toenails, make sure that you do not trim your toenails too short and make sure that the shoes you wear are wide and long enough.