Ingrown Toenail Treatment
Jakupi Podiatry’s Guide To Treating Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are a very common, albeit painful condition that often requires ingrown toenail treatment to recover entirely. The team at Jakupi Podiatry know everything there is to know about ingrown toenail surgery and have the qualifications to treat the condition properly. It’s important to be aware of how ingrown toenails occur and the types of treatment available to address such concerns.
How Do Ingrown Toenails Occur?
Often toenail-related concerns can go overlooked – however, it’s not ‘normal’ for a toenail to be hard, swollen and tender, and if left long enough, it may need ingrown toenail surgery. After this, it can become red, infected and sore.
So how does an ingrown toenail occur? It happens when the skin on one or both sides of a nail grows over the edges of the nail or when the nail itself grows into the skin. They can develop for several reasons.
Congenital
At times ingrown toenails may result from genetics, and the nail is simply too large for the toenail, causing concerns on ingrown toenails.
Trauma
Trauma such as stubbing the toe or having the toe stepped on can cause ingrown toenails.
Tight Shoe Wear
A very common cause of ingrown toenails is tight shoe wear. Often people continuously wear shoes that do not fit properly, which can cause distress on the nail and toe.
Improper Grooming
Additionally, improper grooming or trimming of toenails are a very common cause of ingrown toenails. Therefore, you need to make sure you’re taking care of your toenails correctly to avoid ingrown toenails.
What Should You Do When You Get An Ingrown Toenail?
If an individual suspects they have an ingrown toenail, it’s best to visit a podiatrist as soon as possible. Depending on the level of severity with the ingrown nail will depend on what steps need to be taken. There are multiple ingrown toenail treatments to consider.
There is a non-surgical treatment often suggested for minor forms of ingrown toenails. If they are recognised early (before the infection sets in), home care may prevent the need for further treatment:
- Soak the foot in warm water 3 to 4 times daily.
- Keep the foot dry during the rest of the day.
- Wear comfortable shoes with adequate room for the toes – consider wearing sandals until the condition clears up.
- You may take pain relief medication if required.
- If there is no improvement in 2 to 3 days, however, or if the condition worsens during this time, see a doctor or podiatrist.
When Is Ingrown Toenail Surgery Necessary?
The feeling of swollen, tender and painful toes can stop people from participating in physical activities, wearing certain shoes and overall impact their everyday life. When it gets to this point, it’s important to begin ingrown toenail treatment, like surgery.
The doctor or podiatrist can surgically remove a portion of the nail, the underlying nail bed, some of the adjacent soft tissues and even a part of the growth centre.
Surgery is proven to be effective in eliminating the nail edge from growing inward and cutting into the folds as the toenail grows forward. Therefore, permanent removal of the nail may be advised for children with chronic, recurrent infected ingrown toenails.
Steps taken throughout the ingrown toenail treatment include:
- An initial consultation. At this appointment, the podiatrist will assess, diagnose and go through your medical history to determine whether ingrown toenail surgery is the best option for you.
- Anaesthetic. Local anaesthetic will be injected into the toe to ensure it’s numb.
- Phenol. This chemical is used to stop nail regrowth and is applied to the nail bed to prevent the ingrown nail from returning in the future.
- Cleaned and dressed. The toe is cleaned and dressed with a sterile dressing to encourage healing.
Ingrown toenail surgery is a ‘walk-in, walk out’ type of treatment, and the patient will be able to walk out (wearing open-toed shoes).
If You’re Looking For Ingrown Toenail Treatment, Contact Jakupi Podiatry Today
We’re the experts in all things podiatry, offering patients an extensive range of quality medical services, including paediatrics, custom orthotics, general podiatric skin and nail care, nail surgery, stretching & strengthening, sports podiatry and diabetes foot assessments. So if you’re after friendly and efficient services regarding all your foot and ankle care needs, look no further than Jakupi Podiatry, Victoria.