Are you experiencing the pain of an ingrown toe nail? Ingrown nails occur when the sides or corners of the nail cut into the skin. These cuts allow bacteria to enter through the break in the skin, causing redness, pain and infection.
Ingrown nails can be caused by the shape of your nail, trauma to your foot (stubbing your toe or dropping something heavy on your foot), wearing shoes or socks that are too tight or trimming your nails too short.
If the ingrown nail is caused by the shape of your nail, you have probably put up with this problem for many years. If the nail pain has been a recurrent problem, you may want to consider surgical relief from a Chiropodist or Podiatrist.
If your ingrown nail is a new problem, here are a few things to consider.
- Ingrown nails can be caused by improper trimming of the nail, a nail that was trimmed too short or was trimmed improperly with a sharp point left on the side, can cause the pain of an ingrown nail.
- Shoes or socks that are too tight can cause the nails to press into your skin and result in an ingrown nail. Sometimes wearing pointy toe shoes or shoes or socks that are a bit too tight can pinch your toes, causing an ingrown situation.
- An injury from stubbing your toe or dropping something on your foot can damage the nail, causing the sharp edge of the nail to cut onto the flesh of your toe.
If your ingrown nail does not settle down on its own you may want to have the offending sharp edge trimmed out by a Foot Care Nurse. Using specialized foot care tools, she can trim out the offending edge, usually resulting in immediate relief. At home care after the procedure may include application of an antibiotic ointment for a few days. You will need to keep an eye on the future growth of the nail to be sure the ingrown does not reoccur. Some people choose to return for a follow up appointment in 4-6 weeks to keep the nail properly trimmed.
Identifying the cause of the ingrown nail is important in preventing it from happening again.
If you have questions about ingrown nails or would like to book an appointment, call 705 739-4333 or email [email protected]