But if your ingrown toenail doesn't go away quickly, it may cause discomfort when you wear shoes or walk. And if left untreated, an ingrown toenail can create an infection that can spread to your bones.
Our team wants to help you understand this common problem and when it might be worth a trip to see us. Let's first look at the causes and symptoms of ingrown toenails.
Common Causes of Ingrown Toenails
You have an ingrown toenail when the front edge or side of a nail painfully digs into the soft tissue on the outer edges of your nail bed. Healthy nails, on the other hand, grow directly from the nail grooves.
Some of the most important factors that contribute to the development of ingrown toenails include:
- Shoes that squeeze or pinch your toes together
- Cutting your nails too short
- Cut your nails with a curve instead of straight
- Nail injury (for example, from stubbing your toe or dropping something heavy on it)
- Hereditary factors that cause your nails to curl rather than grow straight
Ingrown toenails are most common on the big toe, but any toenail can grow inward. Your toenail may be ingrown on one or both sides of the nail.
Symptoms of an ingrown toenail
At first, the symptoms of an ingrown toenail are usually mild. You might feel a feeling of discomfort when you touch the affected nail, wiggle your toes, or squeeze into shoes with a tight toe box, for example.
Over time, however, the ingrown toenail may worsen, causing symptoms such as:
- Persistent pain that occurs in your toe along one or both sides of the nail
- Swelling and redness of the affected toe
- Drainage, pus and other symptoms of infection surrounding the nail
When to visit a specialist?
If you have healthy feet, you can wait to make an appointment with a specialist until the ingrown toenail causes pain or you notice redness, swelling, or other signs of problems.
Typically, you can try home care for about a week, but don't wait to seek treatment if it doesn't heal by then. Even healthy people can develop an infection that can spread quickly to the affected toe bone.
Preventing ingrown toenails
There is much you can do to reduce the risk of ingrown toenails, including:
- Cut your nails regularly
- Cut your toenails across
- Wear well-fitting shoes with a roomy toe box that does not overload your toes
- Check your feet regularly (daily if you have diabetes) for toenails growing inward
