INGROWN TOENAILS

Ingrown toenails, also known as onychocryptosis, are a painful condition where the nail grows into the skin. Usually the worse an ingrown toenail is, the more painful it can be. Ingrown toenails can limit exercise, change your work ethic, and prevent you from using enclosed shoes.

An ingrown toenail can be the result of trauma, involuted (curved) nails, ill-fitting footwear, poor nail care, nail picking or age. The condition is most often caused by a piece of nail protruding into the side of the nail skin-fold or nail bed. This may allow a portal of entry for bacteria which can cause an infection. The problem is often recurrent and patients generally report multiple episodes of inflammation.

Treatment involves a minor procedure to remove the offending nail particle. This will provide instant relief, however sometimes ingrowing nails becomes a chronic problem and minor nail surgery called a Partial Nail Avulsion (PNA) using a local anaesthetic and chemical cauterisation of part of the nail bed. This provides a permanent solution in 85% of cases.

If you have an ingrowing nail or know someone who is suffering from an ingrown nail, podiatrists are the most qualified health professional to treat this condition. Don't wait until the pain gets worse. Unless you address the ingrowing nail itself, the infections and pain will most likely keep returning.