Ingrown toenails are a common and painful condition. They occur when either the skin on the sides of the nail grows over the nail’s edges or when the nail grows into the side of the toe, damaging the skin.
Redness and pain are the first symptoms, but if you don’t treat the problem, your toe can become infected, requiring additional attention.
At Chicagoland Foot and Ankle, our board-certified foot and ankle specialists see a lot of patients with ingrown toenails at our practice locations in and around Chicago, Illinois. Many of our patients ask if the ingrown nails can heal on their own. The short answer is no. Here’s why.
Ingrown nails may develop for any number of reasons.
It’s possible that you were born with a nail that’s too large for the toe, and it keeps digging into your skin.
You can injure the nail if you stub your toe or if someone steps on your foot.
Activities like ballet, football, kickboxing, and soccer, in which you repeatedly kick an object or put pressure on your feet for long periods, can cause nail damage and increase your risk of ingrown toenails.
But most ingrown toenails are the result of trimming the nails too short, curving the nail instead of cutting straight across, and wearing shoes that are too tight or too short.
While any of your toenails can become ingrown, the problem most often affects the big toe.
When you develop an ingrown toenail, early-stage symptoms include:
You know the toe’s infected if you experience:
If left untreated, a toenail infection can also lead to foot ulcers and a loss of blood flow to the infected area. This is especially dangerous if you have diabetes, as ulcers are slow to heal, and tissue decay and death at the site of infection are possible.
Be vigilant and treat your ingrown toenail at the first sign of a problem to avoid worsening symptoms, including infection.
As we’ve said, the short answer is no; once the nail is ingrown, it needs to be treated. There are things you can do at home, though, to try to treat the problem if you catch it early enough.
Try the following for a few days:
If the toenail doesn’t respond to home treatments, if the pain increases, or if you notice signs of an infection, make an appointment to see us as soon as possible.
If the nail is infected, we may prescribe oral antibiotics and may need to remove part or all of the nail. Partial nail removal is 98% effective for preventing future ingrown toenails.
We can surgically remove:
Surgery prevents the nail edge from growing inward again and cutting into the fleshy folds as the toenail grows forward. It can take several months, or even up to a year, for the nail to completely grow back.
Healthy nail habits, like cutting straight across, can prevent the problem from recurring.
If you’re dealing with the pain or possible infection of an ingrown toenail, you need treatment, and our team at Chicagoland Foot and Ankle can help.
Call any of our locations (Mount Greenwood and Portage Park areas of Chicago, as well as Orland Park, Bartlett, Niles, and New Lenox, Illinois) to schedule a consultation, or book your appointment online today.
