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When To See Your Pediatrician
If the soaks and ointment don’t help, it’s time to see your child’s pediatrician. Your child’s pediatrician may need to cut the corner of the nail off or take more off of the nail than just the corner so that the irritated tissue can heal more easily.
Your pediatrician only needs to do this once in most cases. The main purpose of this is to help the nail grow over the nail cuticle rather than get stuck in it. Finally, weather permitting, of course, have your child wear sandals or go barefoot as much as possible to prevent pressure on the toenail until it heals. If your child must wear closed shoes, protect the ingrown toenail by taping a thin piece of gauze over the infected area.
Ingrown Toenail Surgery Aftercare
For the first day or two after surgery, you should rest your foot and limit activity. Keep it elevated when youre sitting.
Your doctor will give you wound care and follow-up instructions. Follow these closely. This will help prevent infection. If necessary, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers for discomfort.
You might also be prescribed oral antibiotics if your toenail was already infected. Follow your doctors instructions about how to take these.
Wear open-toed or loose-fitting shoes for about two weeks after surgery. This gives your toe room to heal. After 24 hours, your toe can be kept clean by running warm soapy water over it and patting it dry. Keep it covered until fully healed with a nonstick dressing.
Youll be able to return to normal activities after a few days, but avoid running and other strenuous activity for about two weeks.
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Counseling Patients With Ingrown Toenail
W. Steven Pray, PhD, DPhBernhardt Professor, Nonprescription Products and DevicesCollege of Pharmacy
Cordell, Oklahoma
US Pharm. 2014 39:12-15.
Pharmacists field numerous questions about foot care issues in a typical month. One of the more common is ingrown toenail, also known as onychocryptosis, a term indicating that the nail is only covered by lateral nail wall tissue.1 Another term, unguis incarnatus, refers to the view that an abnormality of the nail plate is responsible for the condition.
Prevalence of Ingrown Toenails
The prevalence of ingrown toenail is difficult to determine for two reasons. First, it is not a reportable condition. According to one estimate, however, at least 10,000 cases are logged yearly in the United Kingdom.2 Second, an unknown number of patients resort to self-care. As a patient writing a product review on Amazon.com stated, I would NEVER see a doctors for something as simple as an in-grown toenail.3
Epidemiology of Ingrown Toenails
Many factors have been implicated in increasing the risk of ingrown toenails.1They include the choice of footwear. Shoes with narrow, pointed tips have been identified as a significant risk factor, whether they are high heels or cowboy boots. Tight socks and poorly fitting shoes also contribute to the problem.1,4 Excess moisture in the footwear, as in the patient with hyperhidrosis, is another issue. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus are at greater risk.1
Categories of Ingrown Toenail
PATIENT INFORMATION
What Causes An Ingrown Toenail
There are many causes for ingrown nails, but the two most common causes are poorly fitting shoes and improperly trimmed nails. Tight shoes compress the side of the nail and alter the fit of the nail in the groove. When nails are peeled off or torn, the edge of the nail can extend down into the corner of the nail groove. A torn nail can irritate the skin next to the nail, producing inflammation and sometimes infection.
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Pack The Area With Dental Floss Or Cotton
Mayo Clinic recommends tucking small bits of cotton or waxed dental floss under the edge of an ingrown toenail to encourage proper nail growth. Not every medical group agrees.
According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, placing cotton under your nail may increase pain and allow harmful bacteria to thrive. Soaking the cotton or floss in alcohol before application may help reduce this risk.
How To Diagnose Ingrown Toenails
The diagnosis of an ingrown toenail is typically straightforward and does not require diagnostic labs or images. However, the signs and symptoms of ingrown toenails can vary quite dramatically, particularly if an infection develops. There may simply be some tenderness at the nail border when pressure is applied. There is typically an incurvation of the nail or a spike of the nail pressing into the skin of the nail border. Associated redness and swelling localized to the nail also suggest the diagnosis of an ingrown toenail. When an infection is involved, there may be severe redness and swelling, drainage, pus, and malodor.
Making the proper diagnosis requires taking into account the medical history and all possible causative factors. If one is unsure, seek professional help. Some conditions such as tumors, foreign bodies, trauma, and fungal infection may appear to be an ingrown toenail to the untrained eye.
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Who Gets Ingrown Toenails
Anyone can get them, but teenagers and older people get them more often. Teenagers get them because their feet sweat more, which can cause the skin and nails to become soft. Soft nails split easier. Pieces that split can easily puncture the skin. Older people get them because they have trouble caring for their feet.
Ingrown toenails also can happen to people who try to round off the corners of their toenails with a nail file. Trauma can also cause them. Ingrown toenails sometimes run in families.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment For Children
Ingrown toenail symptoms can occur at any age, and can become serious enough to affect daily activities like school, play and sports. Studies have shown that different ingrown toenail treatments have varying efficacies depending on several factors:
- The severity of ingrown toenail
- The duration of the issue
- How quickly the problem needs to be resolved
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When Does An Ingrown Toenail Require Medical Treatment
An ingrown toenail can cause pain, redness, and swelling. Sometimes, these symptoms can be relieved by soaking your feet or cutting your toenails differently. Other times, an ingrown toenail needs medical attention to prevent an infection that could cause serious foot problems.
At Family Foot and Ankle Center of South Jersey, our team of podiatrists can treat your ingrown toenail and provide tips for preventing future ingrowns.
When To See A Doctor
Although you can do many things to treat an infected toe at home, its important to understand when you need to seek medical care. Call your doctor or a podiatrist if:
- You are noticing redness, swelling, and/or drainage coming from your toe
- You think you may have a fungal infection and over-the-counter creams havent worked
- You have an infected or ingrown toenail and youre diabetic
- Your toenail infection symptoms dont go away, they worsen, or they keep coming back
You should seek immediate medical attention if you have a fever and notice red streaks on your skin that lead away from the infected area on your toe, as these symptoms indicate a more severe infection.
An infected toenail can impact your daily life, but it doesnt have to. Learning how to treat an infected toe and knowing when to call your doctor can get you back to doing all the activities you love. If youre concerned about an infection in your toe, you should schedule an appointment with a podiatrist before attempting to treat painful symptoms at home.
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Ingrown Toenails Can Cause Pain & Discomfort & May Require Surgery If Not Managed Early On Read Our Guide To The Causes Symptoms & Treatment Options
An ingrown toenail is when the nail grows into the skin on one, or both, sides of the toe. It usually affects the big toe but can affect any toe.
What do ingrown toenails look & feel like?
You may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
It hurts when pressures applied to the toe
The skin surrounding the toe may be red and puffy
Theres bleeding from around the nail
White or yellow discharge is coming from the affected area
What causes ingrown toenails?
Cutting nails too short, or trimming edges. This encourages the nail to grow into the skin
Badly fitting footwear, sock or tights. These press toenails into the surrounding skin
Hot and sweaty feet. This softens the skin of your feet, making it easier for toenails to cut into skin
A toe injury. Stubbing, or crushing, your toe can lead to an ingrown toenail
Fungal nail infections. These can thicken or widen toenails
How can I treat my ingrown toenail?
Ingrown toenails can be managed by:
Soaking your foot in warm water three or four times a day for a few days, to help soften the skin around the toe
Keeping your feet clean by washing them daily
Changing socks and tights regularly
Only wearing comfortable footwear and hosiery
Taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to help relieve any painSpeak to your pharmacist about treatment options they can also advise you if there appears to be an infection.
How to prevent ingrown toenails
Cut your toenails straight across the top, and not too short
Ingrown Toenail Medical Treatment
Your doctor will look at your toe to see if itâs ingrown. They may:
- Lift the nail. The doctor might lift the ingrown nail and put a splint under it to relieve some pressure. When you get home, youâll remove the splint, soak the nail, and put the splint back.
- Cut away part of the nail. If the doctor has to do this, theyâll numb your toe with a shot first.
- Remove the whole nail and some tissue. If your ingrown nail keeps coming back, this might be an option. The doctor will numb your toe first with a shot. They might remove the section thatâs ingrown or your whole toenail. They may have to destroy the nail bed underneath the area so the nail doesnât regrow or grows back thinner.
Your doctor might also suggest:
- Antibiotics. You might need to take antibiotics in the form of a pill or as an ointment to put on your toe.
- More comfortable shoes. If your shoes put too much pressure on your toes, you could get an ingrown toenail. Make sure you wear wide shoes that fit you and give your toes lots of space to move around.
- A toe brace. This is a plastic or metal brace that goes over your toenail to relieve pain and pressure.
Sometimes an ingrown nail is caused by a fungus. A doctor can find out if you have a fungus and then offer treatment options.
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Treatment For Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are a common but painful condition. When a toenail becomes ingrown, the sides of the nail grow down into the skin of the toe, which can cause the area to become red, swollen, and inflamed. The medical term for this condition is onychocryptosis.
If you develop an ingrown toenail, you may be tempted to try to dig the nail out of the skin yourself in order to relieve the pressure and pain that you are experiencing. Dont do it! You can end up with an infection, and it can be quite a painful process. Instead, follow these steps below for treating an ingrown toenail.
First, check to see whether the toenail appears to be infected. If there is discharge coming from the ingrown toenail, you should see a doctor right away, as this is a sign that an infection has developed.
Soak the affected foot in warm water. Soak the foot for about 15-20 minutes at a time, and repeat this three to four times per day. This will clean the skin, draw out infection, and soften the nail bed.
Wet cotton. Use a wet cotton swab to press the edge of the skin away from the ingrown toenail. Proceed gently this will probably be uncomfortable, but it will help with the healing process.
Dental floss. Try to separate the toenail from the inflamed skin by running a piece of dental floss between the nail and the skin. Do this immediately after soaking the foot, as the skin and nail will be more pliable at this time.
To Prevent Infection Treat Ingrown Toenails As They Occurmild Cases May Require Minor Treatment With Home Remedies Serious Cases May Need Surgical Intervention
WHEN SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR FOR Ingrown Toenails?
Minor foot problems like ingrown toenails may cause serious complications in some people. See your doctor if you have an ingrown toenail and you have diabetes or another condition that causes poor circulation, or you have a compromised immune system.You should also see a doctor if:
-
Pain and swelling are severe.
-
If youve injured your foot on a hike, run, or bike ride, the first question youll probably ask is: Do I need to see a doctor?
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Home remedies dont improve the condition.
-
You have an allergic skin reaction to a home remedy.
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You have questions about how to care for an ingrown toenail.
Suffering from the painful ingrowing of toenails.Give Pioneer Podiatry a call at 49425016.Let us help you get back on your feet and back in the game.Trust your Podiatristwhen it comes to preventing, diagnosing, and treating acute or chronic ingrown toenails.
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Infections Caused By An Ingrown Toenail
ParonychiaDepending on the spread of microorganisms in the human body there are several forms of infection which can be caused by an ingrown toenail. Local infection of the soft tissue of the side of the toe is called paronychia. The mechanism of paronychia infection caused by the ingrown toenail is described above in the text. Shortly, microorganisms enter the soft tissue on the side of the toe through a wound which was created by an ingrown toenail. There they will multiply and fight with the immune cells which will lead to infection and pus formation. There are also other causes of paronychia: nail biting, sucking thumbs by infants and manicures/pedicures.In the acute form of paronychia, ingrown toenail infection will spread in a few hours and it will lead to abscess formation. If the infected ingrown toenail is more severe it can cause fever and enlargement of lymph nodes. The most common causes are Staphylococcus. In the chronic form, the process will go more slowly. It will eventually lead to inflammation of the toe and may eventually lead to the destruction of the nail plate. In this case, fungal infection is more common.
Paronychia, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, 2010, available from http://hardinmd.lib.uiowa.edu/dermnet/paronychia2.html
Cellulitis, available from http://www.redefiningthefaceofbeauty.com/2013/05/skin-disorders-cellulitis.html
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Can I Prevent Ingrown Toenails If I Already Have One What Do I Do
Before we dive into specific products, heres some advice if you find youre regularly developing ingrown toenails:
And that pretty much covers the basics. Now, check out a few products below that can help you get rid of ingrown toenails. We based our picks on reviews, our own experiences and advice from Cunha, so you can trust theyll work well for you.
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What Is An Ingrown Toenail
An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of the nail curls down and grows into the skin around the nail.
Any toe can be affected but it commonly occurs in the big toe.
An ingrown toenail can become painful and inflamed .
Sometimes, it can become infected, which, if left untreated, can spread and infect the underlying bone.
When To See Your Doctor
Make an appointment with your primary care doctor or a podiatrist if you have diabetes and if the redness, swelling, and other symptoms dont go away with home treatment. See your doctor right away if:
- You have a fever or chills
- You notice red streaks on the skin leading away from the infected area
- Your joints or muscles hurt
Your doctor will examine your toe. You might need tests to find out what type of bacteria or fungus caused the infection.
Get regular checkups from your podiatrist if you have diabetes, so you can find infections and other problems early. See the doctor more often if you have any known foot problems, like an ingrown toenail.
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Care Advice For Ingrown Toenail
