An ingrowing toenail is a nail that penetrates the skin, the skin turns red and shiny, and the toe appears swollen. You may experience throbbing pain and tenderness to the slightest touch.
You may get a nail that digs in and presses uncomfortably on your skin all the time when wearing shoes. This can cause constant pain like a toothache, just as problematic as having an infected nail.
The most common factors causing ingrowing nails are trauma or damage to the toe, incorrect nail cutting, excessive sweating, and tight footwear. Infection is often a problem as an ingrowing toenail can have an open wound.
Does cutting a ‘V’ in the centre stop my toenail ingrowing?
Unfortunately, this is an old wives’ tale. Sometimes patients self-treat their ingrowing toenail by cutting it back down the sides. For a time, this might feel better but cutting down the side of the nail often leaves a spike, and as the nail regrows the ingrowing toenail recurs.
The good news is there is something that can be done about it.
A Podiatrist can treat the nail conservatively removing the spike and getting the wound to heal but in some cases, may need to perform nail surgery to remove the spike and stop the problem from recurring.
Nail surgery is a procedure used by Podiatrists to remove a small portion or occasionally in some cases the entire toenail.
It is a simple procedure in which the penetrating splinter and a small portion of the nail is removed and treated with a chemical to prevent regrowth. We do the procedure under a local anaesthetic so that you don’t feel any pain.
Here are some tips to help prevent you getting an ingrowing toenail: