Understanding and Preventing Ingrown Toenails

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ran for 19 seasons, during which Ellen interviewed practically everyone from President Obama to Taylor Swift.

There were more than a few awkward moments over the years, including the time Ellen was forced to examine Mark Wahlberg’s big toe. Why? Because the actor was recovering from surgery to remove a painful ingrown toenail and felt the need to share it with the world!

Wahlberg isn’t the only one to experience the pain of ingrowing toenails. Estimates suggest about 2.5-5% of the population experiences an ingrown toenail. Indeed, they’re the most common nail problem encountered by podiatrists, GPs and dermatologists.

So, what causes ingrown toenails? And what can you do about it?

What is an ingrown toenail?

Toenails exist to protect your toes from injury. Your toenails grow much more slowly than your fingernails but follow a similar pattern. Toenails grow slowly from the matrix, a sterile pocket that constantly creates new cells, which forces the dead cells (the nail itself) to move upwards.

But sometimes, things go wrong. An ingrown toenail happens when the nail curls down or grows wide into the skin around it. It most commonly affects the big toe.

What causes ingrown toenails?

Ingrown toenails can affect anyone but tend to be more common if you:

  • Wear tight-fitting shoes, socks or tights – when your toes are squashed together, it puts more pressure on your nails.
  • Cut your toenails very short or curved – or have naturally curved toenails.
  • Have sweaty feet – thanks to sports or humid climates – which make your skin softer, so it’s easier for the toenail to dig in.
  • Have injured your toes – maybe by stubbing them or through high-impact sports like running.
  • Are getting older (nails thicken with age).

If you’ve got an ingrown toenail, you’re at higher risk of it becoming infected if you have diabetes or circulation problems.

What does an ingrown toenail feel like?

Imagine soft skin being relentlessly stabbed by a sharp, protruding piece of hard nail. That’s what’s happening in an ingrown toenail.

Unsurprisingly, an ingrown toenail often feels tender and inflamed. It may look red and swollen.

Sometimes, an infection develops in an ingrown toenail. Signs of an infected ingrown toenail include:

  • Swelling, pain and redness
  • A feeling of pressure under the nail
  • Throbbing or bleeding
  • Warmth around the nail
  • Oozing pus
  • An overgrowth of new inflamed tissue at the edge of your nail.

How to stop ingrown toenails

Stopping ingrown toenails involves improving foot hygiene, wearing proper fitting footwear and seeking treatment when necessary.

Ingrown toenail prevention

To prevent an ingrown toenail, try to:

  • Keep your feet clean and dry – change out of those sweaty trainers as soon as you can.
  • Wear shoes that fit properly and give your toes plenty of space.
  • Trim your nails properly – cutting straight across (not too short) without rounding the corners.

Ingrown toenail treatment

While a pedicurist at the mall can certainly give you a nice foot bath and paint your toenails, they’re not the right person to treat an ingrown toenail. For that, you need a podiatrist.

Podiatrists are qualified health professionals equipped with the right training and sterile equipment to treat ingrown toenails.

Treatment depends on the severity of your ingrown toenail. Treatment options include:

  • Conservatively removing the offending piece of toenail.  Do not try this at home – it’s almost guaranteed to make the problem worse!
  • Gently remove excess skin and place a tiny piece of rolled-up cotton wool under your nail to encourage it to grow out of your skin (your podiatrist may show you how to continue doing this at home).
  • Antibiotics to fight infection.
  • Surgically removing part of your nail (known as partial nail avulsion) to stop the edge from growing inward and cutting into your skin. This procedure can be done with chemical destruction of the nail plate to stop the offending piece of nail every growing back again and is done under local anaesthetic.
  • Total nail avulsion – in the most severe cases, the whole nail may need to be removed and is again done under local anaesthetic.

How can we help?

An ingrown toenail sounds like a small problem, but it can greatly impact your life. You may find yourself skipping soccer practice because it hurts to kick the ball, cutting back on your running or deciding to drive rather than walk. Untreated infections can also become serious.

So, please don’t ignore an ingrown toenail, especially if you have diabetes or circulatory problems. Protecting your feet protects your quality of life.

Hong Kong Foot Clinic’s podiatry team has many years of experience in treating ingrown toenails using both conservative and surgical measures. Please book an appointment today.

Disclaimer

All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice.

 

References:
Load More
Hong Kong Foot Clinic
Facebook-f Instagram
Contact us

©2024 Hong Kong Foot Clinic. All rights reserved.

Website by Splice Marketing