An ingrown toenail is one where there’s skin growing over the corner of the nail. While they might seem of little concern at first, ingrown toenails can cause pain and inflammation and may become infected without expert treatment.

An infection from an ingrown toenail typically results in a white or yellowish discharge coming from the wound. Some patients also have a fever or other symptoms.

An ingrown toenail can develop if you wear shoes with narrow toes or tight or socks. Another common cause is trimming your toenails, so they have rounded edges. 

You can avoid these problems if you cut your toenails straight across and not too short, and wear shoes that allow your toes plenty of room to move.

Other reasons for ingrown toenails include toe injuries and medical conditions like fungal infections and arthritis.

If the ingrown toenail isn’t infected, you can try soaking your toes in warm water several times a day and bandaging the toe afterward with a foam toecap or gauze wrap. 

Over-the-counter medications can help reduce swelling and pain. Don’t attempt to cut the ingrown section of the nail out, as you’ll make the problem worse.

The skilled podiatrists at Innovation Medical Group can treat your ingrown toenail and stop it from getting more painful or infected. If you have diabetes, you need to see your podiatrist before an infection sets in, or you could develop complications like diabetic ulcers.

There are several ways Innovation Medical Group can help with your ingrown toenails. These include:

• Prescribing antibiotics to prevent or treat infection
• Removing excess skin around the toenail
• Bandaging the toe to avoid infection and injury
• Laser treatment to accelerate natural healing

Your podiatrist might carefully raise the edge of the ingrown toenail and put something underneath, like cotton or a splint; this separates it from your skin. 

If your ingrown toenail is deep in the toe or has become infected, your podiatrist can remove the ingrown part of the nail after numbing your toe with a local anesthetic.

If your ingrown toenail is particularly severe, or you’re repeatedly having problems with the same toe, you may require nail removal surgery.

Prompt treatment is always best for an ingrown toenail.