Get Over Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails cause pain and infections. Doesn’t sound like a fun time, does it? It surely does not feel good when your toenail digs deep under the skin of your toe! Toenails generally are not supposed to dig into the surrounding skin, because when they do, it becomes infected.

The skin actually becomes inflamed as the toenail grows in a bent shape and pushes down into the skin. Infections ensue when the nail breaks the skin and allows for pathogens to enter the open wound. When appropriate treatment is not sought after in a timely manner, an infection may get out of control.

Causes of ingrown toenails:

• Cutting them at home incorrectly (always trim toenails straight across)

• Hereditary ailments

• Shoes with a narrow toe box that place too much pressure on your toenails

How to avoid and treat ingrown toenails:

• Cut your toenails uniformly.

• Wear shoes that have open toes or wide toe boxes to cut down on the amount of pressure placed on your toenails.

• Wear shoes that are comfortable and which have soft interiors. 

• Use the appropriate medications to control infections resulting from ingrown toenails.

• Surgical procedures may be useful when the ingrown toenail cannot be corrected or treated through non-invasive methods. This will involve removing the toenail and treating the nailbed with antibiotics to kill off the infection. Additionally, the nail bed can be treated with a chemical that will prevent a new nail from growing in. This may be required when a new nail that grows in continues to curve and dig into the skin.

Here at Performance Foot & Ankle Specialists, LLC, our podiatrist, Joel S. Segalman, DPM, can treat your ingrown toenails with precision and care so that your toes can rest comfortably. Please contact us to make an appointment as we have two offices conveniently located in Waterbury & Newtown, CT. We want to make sure your feet have the best possible chance of staying healthy and we are confident we can make that happen!