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Ingrowing toenail
Ingrowing toenails can be very painful, and may cause the skin around the nail to become inflamed and infected. Although any toe can be affected, it is usually the big toe
It is often caused by cutting toenails very short and round. The best way of cutting toenails is straight across, which helps the nail to grow normally and may prevent ingrowing toenails from developing. Tight fitting shoes are a common cause of the problem in women
Treatment options
If the inflammation is not too bad you can try soaking the toe in a bowl of warm water (with salt in it) for 10 minutes every day. This will often reduce the inflammation making it more comfortable whilst the toenail grows longer and past the point where it is digging into the skin
You can try and cure an ingrowing toenail yourself by cutting away the part of the toenail that is digging into the skin. If you are doing this make sure you use proper toenail scissors, which are small and sharp. You can buy these from a pharmacy. Cutting the toenail will be easiest after you have soaked your toenail for 10 minutes first to make if softer and more flexible. Take care not to cut into any of the affected skin
Sometimes a small surgical procedure is required. A doctor, nurse, or podiatrist will anaesthetise the toe, and cut away a larger piece of nail. This gives time for the skin to heal before the nail grows back
In cases where surgery has been performed but the ingrowing toenail problem repeats, then the whole nail can be removed, and the nail bed destroyed by cutting out the cells, or by using a chemical treatment. However, as this results in permanent loss of the toenail, it would not be considered as an initial treatment
Source: LSMP
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