It seems like almost everyone has experienced an ingrown toenail at some point in their lives. Common symptoms include pain to the side of the nail, redness, and sometimes even in pus. While some people are more susceptible to ingrowns than others because of the shape of their nail, there are some things we can do to try to help prevent them.
For Kids: Make sure that children are in properly fitting shoes. Children grow out of shoes quickly and shoes that are too small or tight fitting shoes, like cleats, can exacerbate an ingrown toenail
For Adults: Trim your nail straight across or ask your pedicurist to do the same. Rounding the corner of the nail can create a spike that is often the cause of ingrown nails.
If you notice an ingrown nail starting to cause pain, please call or come see us before it gets worse. Oftentimes, a mild soreness on Friday, will become a raging infection before you can come into the office on Monday. If it hurts, don't wait! There may be a simple solution that will completely relieve your pain. Sometimes we can just trim the nail corner, sometimes we may need to remove the corner of the nail.