Ingrown toenails are nails that dig abnormally into the skin surrounding one or more of your toes. In most cases, your big toes are affected. Under certain circumstances, an ingrown toenail can rupture your skin and provide access for harmful bacteria. When this occurs, you may develop a toe infection.
Understanding Ingrown Toenails
Typically, ingrown toenails occur at the sides of an affected toe, according to Foot Health Facts, the website of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Potential causes of an ingrown nail include cutting your nails too short, wearing shoes or socks that are too small for your feet and sources of physical trauma such as dropping something on your toe, stubbing your toe or involvement in activities that require kicking or running. Some individuals have a genetic predisposition for ingrown toenails. You may also develop an ingrown nail if you lose a nail through injury or have a fungal infection.
Infection Symptoms
If you develop an ingrown toenail, you may experience symptoms that include swelling, redness and pain, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS. In some cases, these symptoms are followed by infection, with an accompanying foul odor and draining of a fluid called pus. Even if you do not develop obvious preliminary signs, infection can occur if your nail curves downward into your skin, Foot Health Facts reports.
Consulting Your Doctor
When you develop an uninfected ingrown toenail, you can often treat your symptoms at home, Foot Health Facts explains. However, if you show any signs of an infection, do not attempt any home treatments. Instead, consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and discussion of appropriate treatment options. If you don't have an infection, you will also need to see a doctor if you have poor circulation, diabetes, nerve damage in your foot or other high-risk medical conditions.
Treatment
If you have an infected ingrown toenail, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to fight your infection, the AAOS reports. In some cases, he may also need to remove part or all of your affected nail, part of your underlying nail bed or part of the tissue that allows your nail to grow out over your nail bed. Potential causes of toenail removal include recurrent infection and the presence of serious toenail-related pain. If you undergo a complete toenail removal, it may take as long as three or four months for you to grow a replacement nail. When your toenail regrows, there is a good chance it will be significantly deformed.
Prevention
You can help prevent the formation of ingrown toenails -- and any subsequent danger of infection -- if you cut your nails with very little curve, according to Foot Health Facts. You can also help prevent their formation by wearing shoes and socks that fit properly. In addition to tight-fitting shoes, avoid shoes that fit too loosely, since they can place undue pressure on your toes during common everyday activities.
Member Comments