Have you ever ever wondered, “Why does the corner of my toenail hurt?”
In the event you’re experiencing pain or swelling around your toenail, you might have an ingrown toenail. The excellent news is that ingrown toenails could be treated at home. Nonetheless, it is important to know that if it’s just left alone, it’s possible for the toenail to develop into infected and require medical treatment.
Below, we’ll let you know more about ingrown toenails – symptoms to search for, what causes them, home remedies and when to check with a physician.
What’s an ingrown toenail?
Ingrown toenails occur when the toenail starts to grow into the skin next to it. It’s almost definitely to occur in your big toe, but it may well occur on any of them. Ingrown toenails could be very painful and uncomfortable, as they make it difficult to face, walk and comfortably perform normal every day routines.
Ingrown toenails are a typical foot condition – in reality, 20% of people that complain to their doctor about foot problems have an ingrown toenail.
Ingrown toenail symptoms to look at for
Ingrown toenails can initially feel hard and achy, and symptoms can worsen over time. The skin surrounding the toe can develop into swollen, tender, warm and red. One in every of the primary symptoms chances are you’ll notice is toenail pain and tenderness, especially if you place pressure on the toe.
What does an ingrown toenail appear like?
You’ll likely have the ability to inform if you have got an ingrown toenail just by taking a look at your foot. The toenail itself shall be curved down into the skin, and chances are you’ll not have the ability to see the sides of the nail. You might also notice swelling, redness or pus around your toenail.
Signs of an ingrown toenail infection
If an ingrown toenail goes untreated, pain and inflammation are more likely to increase, and may even result in bleeding and an open wound. When the skin beside the toenail breaks, bacteria could enter and cause an infection.
There are a number of signs that indicate you might have an ingrown toenail infection. It’s idea to see a primary care doctor or a foot specialist (resembling a podiatrist) in case you notice the next:
- Your toe is inflamed, swollen or bleeding.
- There’s white or yellow pus around your nail.
- Your toe is painful or feels warm if you touch it.
- You have got a fever.
Pay extra attention if poor circulation is a priority
Poor circulation, which is common in individuals with diabetes, could cause poor blood flow to your feet and minimize feeling should an ingrown toenail occur. The dearth of circulation can even increase the probabilities of infection since white blood cells is not going to be sent to the realm.
Stages of ingrown toenails
Ingrown toenails can start as a gentle irritation and evolve into more serious conditions. Catching the issue early can prevent an ingrown toenail from getting worse – and also prevent the necessity for medical treatments.
Identifying the stage of an ingrown nail can make it easier to know which treatment option may go, and how you can keep the ingrown nail from getting worse.
Stage 1 ingrown toenail
On this stage, the toenail has began to grow into the skin, leading to a gentle ingrown toenail. You might notice that your skin is barely inflamed and a bit painful to the touch. Ingrown toenails at this stage can often be successfully treated at home.
Stage 2 ingrown toenail
During this stage, latest inflamed tissue grows over the sides of your toenail. If the tissue across the ingrown toenail has develop into very inflamed or is producing pus, it’s time to see a primary care doctor or foot specialist. They’ll recommend medical treatments or antibiotics depending on the cause and severity of your symptoms.
Stage 3 ingrown toenail
At this stage, the inflamed skin has began to grow over the remaining of the toenail, and pus is constant to ooze out of the wound. You’ll have the desire to make an appointment with a foot specialist as soon as possible in case you notice these symptoms. For stage 3 symptoms, a physician will likely recommend surgery. You might also need an oral or topical antibiotic.
Ingrown toenail causes
Ingrown toenails could be brought on by aspects that range from wearing footwear that is simply too tight to foot injuries.
Tight footwear
One of the common causes of ingrown toenails is wearing footwear that is simply too tight or doesn’t fit properly. Tight footwear can crowd the toenails. Stockings, shoes or socks which can be too small or narrow can constrict the toes, causing ingrown toenails to form over time.
Tight footwear can even make you sweat more, softening the skin around your toenail and making it easier on your nail to pierce and grow into it.
Improperly cut toenails
Grooming your toenails improperly is a typical reason behind ingrown nails. Why is that? There are a number of reasons:
- Cutting the toenails too short leaves room for the nail to grow into your nail bed.
- Cutting your toenails in an arch to match the form of the toe could cause your toenail to grow into your skin. You must be sure you cut your toenails straight across.
- Ripping your nails as an alternative of cutting them can lead to jagged corners, leaving room for a latest corner to grow under the skin.
Large curved toenails
If you have got naturally large toenails or in the event that they are naturally curved, you possibly can be more more likely to get ingrown toenails.
Thick toenails
Thicker toenails increase your possibilities of getting an ingrown toenail. The causes of toenail thickness include:
- Aging
- Poor circulation
- Fungal nail infections
- Nail psoriasis
Injury to a toenail
Minor injuries to your toe may lead to ingrown toenails. Stubbing your toe, having your toe stepped on, dropping something heavy in your foot or kicking a ball repeatedly can increase the danger for ingrown toenails.
Ways to stop ingrown toenails
There are several things you’ll be able to do to stop ingrown toenails:
- Monitor your feet – Often check the realm around your toenails for redness, swelling or pus. This is very essential if you have got limited feeling in your feet due to diabetes or one other condition.
- Practice proper nail care – When trimming your toenails, cut the nail straight across slightly than at a curve or angle. To avoid them growing back into the nail bed, don’t cut your toenails too short.
- Select proper footwear – Select footwear that matches properly and doesn’t put an excessive amount of pressure in your toes. Ensure to wear protective footwear if you take part in activities that might cause a foot injury.
What happens when ingrown toenails aren’t treated?
When left untreated, ingrown toenails can result in infections that range from moderate – like pus and swelling on the infection site – to severe, like a bone infection, ulcers and tissue decay.
In the event you begin to see symptoms like redness or inflammation, take steps to stop them from getting worse.
At minimum, an ingrown toenail could make it uncomfortable to walk, and at worst, it may well cause serious infections.
In cases where an ingrown toenail infection is combined with a preexisting illness that causes poor circulation, like diabetes, the infected wound could be dangerous and even life threatening.
Learn how to treat an ingrown toenail: Home remedies
It’s quite possible that you just’ll have the ability to take care of mild ingrown toenails on your personal. Since ingrown nails often worsen without treatment, you’ll want to provide your feet some extra care if you have got tenderness and redness near your toenails.
The next are treatments you’ll be able to try at home. But see a physician immediately if you have got signs of an infection, resembling a fever or a toe that’s warm or leaking pus.
- Soak your toe – Soak your foot in warm water for about 20 minutes two or 3 times a day until the soreness improves. In case your toe is red or swollen, adding castile soap or Epsom salt to the water may help reduce inflammation.
- Push the skin back – You possibly can push skin away from the toenail edge with a cotton swab or cotton ball soaked in olive oil. This could be helpful even when the ingrown toenail could be very minor.
- Try lifting the nail – If the sting of your nail has began to grow into the encircling skin, you’ll wish to fastidiously separate it. Gently lift the ingrown fringe of your toenail from the encircling skin and place cotton, dental floss or a splint under it. This separates the nail from the encircling skin and helps the nail grow above the skin edge. Your doctor can also recommend you employ a corticosteroid cream. You might must soak your toe and replace the splint every day for 2-12 weeks before seeing results.
Other home remedies to try
In the event you’re still feeling discomfort but don’t see any signs of infection, these home remedies might help.
Wear shoes and socks that aren’t too tight
Select comfortable footwear that does not press down on or squeeze your toes. You’ll want to wear socks or stockings with room on your toenails to grow properly. Open-toed shoes or sandals are a fantastic option while your toe heals.
Use over-the-counter medications to scale back pain and inflammation
Over-the-counter medications could be used to minimize the discomfort chances are you’ll experience while waiting on your toe to heal. Pain relievers, like acetaminophen, may help ease your toe pain. Anti-inflammatories, like naproxen and ibuprofen, may help to scale back inflammation. Steroid creams or topical antibiotics, resembling polymyxin and neomycin (each present in Neosporin), could be used to stop infection. It is best to at all times seek the advice of along with your doctor before starting a latest over-the-counter medication.
“Home remedies” you shouldn’t try
Avoid the next remedies to stop the ingrown toenail from getting worse.
- Don’t pick at your toe or toenail.
- Don’t use a pointy object, like manicure scissors or needle to dig under your nail, as this may cause infection.
- If you have got an infection, don’t attempt to drain pus out of your toes on your personal.
If you have got an infection or your toe pain is severely uncomfortable, make an appointment with a foot specialist – they’ll have the ability to soundly treat an ingrown toenail.
Medical treatment for ingrown toenails
If home remedies have not helped the ingrown toenail or whether it is at a more advanced stage, your doctor can recommend additional treatments.
When to see a physician
There are a number of the reason why you wish to see a physician for an ingrown toenail, especially after you’ve attempted home remedies:
- Your toe isn’t recuperating from home treatments after 2-3 days, or it gets worse.
- You experience severe discomfort, pus or inflammation which may be spreading.
- You have got a fever.
- You have got diabetes or one other disease that causes poor circulation.
Antibiotics
If the ingrown toenail is infected, you’ll probably need antibiotics – and the earlier the higher. Infections can spread to other areas of the body, causing more issues than an ingrown toenail.
In the event you think you have got an infection, make an appointment with a primary care doctor or foot specialist immediately. The doctor will treat the infection first. Once the infection is gone, chances are you’ll need one other treatment to assist fix the ingrown toenail.
Surgical nail removal
Your doctor may recommend surgery to remove part or your whole toenail if an ingrown toenail is severely inflamed or infected.
The sort of surgery that your doctor recommends will rely on several aspects, including the severity of the ingrown toenail and if the ingrown nail is more likely to come back.
Get help treating ingrown toenail symptoms
Our foot specialists can make it easier to discover and treat a variety of foot problems, including ingrown toenails and toe infections – and you don’t need a referral before making an appointment.
In the event you prefer, you’ll be able to check with your primary care doctor about an ingrown toenail. They’re often capable of treat ingrown toenails, especially ones which can be within the early stages. If needed, they’ll refer you to a foot specialist for more advanced treatment.