Rigopoulos D, Larios G, Gregoriou S, et al. Acute and chronic paronychia. Am Fam Physician. 2008;77(3):339-346. You should see a podiatrist urgently if you have symptoms of infection, and also have diabetes, poor circulation or a reduced immune system. You should also visit a podiatrist if you experience any persistent pain in your toe from the ingrowing nail or have a condition that affects the nerves and/or feeling in your foot. Lalonde D, Bell M, Benoit P, et al. A multicenter prospective study of 3,110 consecutive cases of elective epinephrine use in the fingers and hand. J Hand Surg Am. 2005;30(5):1061-1067. Nazari S. A simple and practical method in treatment of ingrown nails: splinting by flexible tube. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2006;20(10):1302-1306.

If you have diabetes, are taking steroids or are on anti-coagulants, don’t attempt to cut your nails or remove an ingrowing spikes of nail yourself. When should I see a podiatrist? Now that we’ve entered sandal season and are getting reacquainted with our bare feet, the issue of unsightly and painful ingrown toenails feels especially pertinent. Ingrowns occur when the corner of the nail (usually on the big toe) begins to grow into the skin, causing inflammation, pain, and potentially infection. As podiatrist Dr. Ernest L. Isaacson says, “If you think you have an ingrown nail, you’re probably right.” Siegle RJ, Stewart R. Recalcitrant ingrowing nails. Surgical approaches. J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 1992;18(8):744-752. Di Chiacchio N, Di Chiacchio NG. Best way to treat an ingrown toenail. Dermatol Clin. 2015;33(2):277-282. An ingrowing toenail is where a piece of nail pierces the flesh of the toe. It can feel as if you have a splinter, and be extremely painful and inflamed or infected. In more severe cases, it can cause pus and bleeding. Ingrowing toenails most commonly affect the big toenail, but can affect the other toes too. A nail that is curling (involuted or convoluted) into the flesh, but isn’t actually piercing the skin, isn't an ingrowing toenail but can feel very painful and can also appear red and inflamed. What causes it?

Frequently Asked Questions

Nishioka K, Katayama I, Kobayashi Y, et al. Taping for embedded toenails. Br J Dermatol. 1985;113(2):246-247.

Andreassi A, Grimaldi L, D'Aniello C, et al. Segmental phenolization for the treatment of ingrowing toenails. J Dermatolog Treat. 2004;15(3):179-181. Ingrowing toenails are not usually serious, however in some cases without treatment, an ingrown toenail could become infected. The following steps can help avoid developing an ingrowing toenail: Cutting toenails incorrectly, too short, especially around the edges which can encourage the nail to grow into the skin. Eekhof JA, Van Wijk B, Knuistingh Neven A, et al. Interventions for ingrowing toenails. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012(4):CD001541.This is not a diagnostic tool. this healthcare professional does not endorse Scholl products and were paid by the makers of Scholl for their time in producing this video What is ingrowing toenail? For toes too painful to touch, a local anaesthetic will be injected before removing the offending portion of nail Korkmaz M, Cölgeçen E, Erdoğan Y, et al. Teenage patients with ingrown toenails. Indian J Dermatol. 2013;58(4):327. Collins SC, Cordova K, Jellinek NJ. Alternatives to complete nail plate avulsion. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;59(4):619-626. With an estimated 10,000 new cases* in the UK each year, ingrown toenail is very common. It develops when the sides of the toenail grow into the surrounding skin – causing redness, inflammation and in severe cases can sometimes leading to a localised infection.

For the most basic painful and irritable ingrowing toenail, the offending spike of nail will be removed and the toe covered with an antiseptic dressing Sweaty feet can lead to softer skin around the nail, and a softer nail, so it becomes easier to bend the nail into the skin. However, not everyone identifies an ingrowing toenail correctly. Sometimes, they have a curly nail which has a lot of debris (dirt or fluff) underneath it or a corn or callus down the side of the nail, which can be just as painful. However, if it’s a corn, you tend to experience a throbbing pain as opposed to the sharp pain you get with an ingrowing toenail. If this is the case, your podiatrist will remove the debris, and, if necessary, thin the nail. Is it serious? Placing a gutter splint under the nail. With this method, your health care provider numbs the toe and slips a tiny slit tube underneath the embedded nail. This splint stays in place until the nail has grown above the skin edge. This method helps ease the pain of an ingrown nail as well. Ensure the lateral horn of the matrix is ablated by moving the electrode laterally beneath the proximal nail fold; a properly treated nail bed appears white after thermal ablation.Mayeaux EJ. Nail avulsion and matrixectomy. In: Mayeaux EJ, ed. The Essential Guide to Primary Care Procedures. 2nd ed. Wolters Kluwer; 2015:534–556.