Compassionate Care to Relieve Your Toe Pain
Ingrown toenails are a common condition. They happen when a corner or side of a toenail grows into the skin. This usually affects the big toe, and it can lead to pain, swelling and an infection.
The foot care experts at St. Luke’s Orthopedics know what it takes to treat ingrown toenails effectively. Our team will help you get the relief you need, avoid complications that can come with ingrown toenails and lower your chances for your toenails to become ingrown again in the future.
How We Diagnose Ingrown Toenails
Your podiatrist will diagnose your ingrown toenail with a physical exam. We’ll look for several key signs, including:
- Skin that’s growing over your toenail
- Swelling or tenderness in your toe
- Pain in the toe
You probably won’t need any additional tests unless you have a severe infection from the ingrown toenail. If that’s the case, your podiatrist may take a sample of the pus or discharge from your toenail so we can find out whether the infection is from bacteria or a fungus.
Our Ingrown Toenail Treatment Options
At-Home Treatment
You may be able to treat the ingrown toenail yourself if it is not infected with the following steps:
- Soak the foot with the ingrown toenail in warm water mixed with Epsom salt or soap at least twice a day for two to three days. Make sure your foot stays dry the rest of the time.
- Lift the edge of your nail with a small piece of cotton or dental floss. Change the material every day. This will help reset your nail to grow above the skin.
- Wear comfortable, roomy shoes with plenty of room for your toes, such as sandals, for a few days.
- Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain relief if you need it.
If things don’t improve after a few days of home treatment, or if you have any of the following conditions, you should see a podiatrist:
- An infected nail (with pus, blood or other discharge from where the nail is growing into the skin)
- Diabetes
- Nerve damage
- Poor blood circulation
Additional Treatment Options
If you have a severely ingrown toenail, or if you have an infection from the toenail, your podiatrist may need to help. They can use prescription antibiotics to treat an infection, as well as a nail splint to help keep the nail from growing into the skin again.
If you have a severely ingrown toenail, they may need to remove part or all of the nail surgically. This is called nail avulsion. Your podiatrist will numb the toe and cut away either part or all of the ingrown nail. It can take several months for the toenail to grow back afterward.
If you keep having ingrown toenails in the same toe, your doctor may recommend permanent toenail removal. They can use a special chemical to destroy the nail root to keep it from coming back.
Ingrown Toenail Symptoms
Watch for these warning signs of an ingrown toenail:
- A feeling of heat or warmth in the toe
- Pain in your toe
- Pus or liquid coming from the toe
- Redness or swelling in the toe
Risk Factors for Ingrown Toenails
There are several factors that can increase your chances of an ingrown toenail, including:
- Cutting your toenail too short or too rounded
- Injuries such as stubbing your toe, having it stepped on or tearing the corner of your toenail off
- Wearing shoes that are too tight, especially around the toe area
- Toe and toenail shape (e.g., a toe that naturally grows into the toenail’s area or toenails that naturally curve down into the nail bed of the toe)