Getting Help With My Toes

What To Know About Ingrown Toenails

20 January 2016

Arianna Nguyen

An ingrown toenail is a condition in which the side of your toenail grows into the side of the skin. Most of the time, this may be slightly painful but will subside and go away on it's own. However, ingrown toenails are prone to infection and you may need to see a podiatrist in order to get it treated and removed. Here's what to know about ingrown toenails:

Symptoms:

First off, you will want to know what the symptoms of an ingrown toenail would be in order to determine whether or not you do have an ingrown toenail that may need to be treated. The symptoms include pain and redness around the toenail. You should be concerned if the pain is extremely severe, there is puss, which indicates an infection, or you have diabetes. Those with diabetes should visit their podiatrist at the first sign of an ingrown toenail because diabetes causes poor circulation, which can prevent you from feeling pain in the toe. It can be difficult to determine whether or not you are dealing with an infection because of this. 

Home Treatments:

If you have an ingrown toenail, but it isn't quite severe enough to require a trip to the podiatrist, there are a few things you can do on your own, which can treat it and prevent infection. For example, soaking your foot in warm water and using an antibiotic cream is a great way to prevent infection. You can even call a spa to see a specialist for a pedicure that will help treat an ingrown toenail as well. However, be sure that they have specialists specifically for this reason.

Doctor Treatments:

Once you have an infection, you will need to go to your doctor for treatment. Your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics for the infection. Your doctor may also need to remove some of your toenail in order to help it heal and grow back correctly. This is the best way to get rid of infection quickly and prevent it from spreading. 

By knowing these things about ingrown toenails, you can better understand what you need to do right away and when you should seek medical help. Ingrown toenails can be a very minor health problem, but you definitely don't want it to develop into anything that can cause infections that can spread quickly through your body. So even if it's only slightly uncomfortable, still take precautions and treat at home. 

For treatment of an ingrown toenail, contact a facility such as Camden County Foot & Ankle Center.

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