Ingrown toe nail

A toe nail is ingrown when it enters the skin and causes inflammation of the surrounding tissue.

What causes an ingrown toenail?

• A bad nail cut
• The shape of the nails (can be genetic)
• Shoes that are too narrow
• A growth of bone under the nail (distal phalanx)
• Others
  

Symptoms?
Depending on the severity of the problem, symptoms may include:

• sharp pain
• swelling
• redness
• discharge of pus
  

Do you think you are suffering from an ingrown toenail? The good news is that the podiatrist is the best qualified healthcare professional to treat your ingrown toenail.

Why treat an ingrown nail?
It is important to see a podiatrist quickly to correct the problem since an ingrown toenail can lead to more serious complications such as an infection that will require oral antibiotics (which your podiatrist will prescribe) and in some cases an amputation in diabetic patients.

How to treat an ingrown toenail?
Depending on the seriousness of the problem and your state of health, your podiatrist will offer you different options ranging from a simple nail cut to minor surgery (permanent partial matricectomy under local anesthesia) which will resolve the problem permanently.

Your podiatrist may need to prescribe oral antibiotics after the procedure.

Surgery! No thanks! Does it hurt?
The surgery is not painful since your toe will be numb. You will be able to walk immediately after the procedure and in the majority of cases, discomfort will be minimal or even absent after the procedure.

Ready? Let's go! Take an appointment with Dr Gauthier or Dr Vuong-Nguyen, podiatrists.