An ingrown toenail is one of the, if not the, most common toe ailments that we see in our office. In simplest terms, because the condition is indeed pretty simple, the nail will begin to grow into the nail bed or skin of the toe, on the tibial or fibular side. As the nail grows more, the pressure against the toe will increase, as will the pain and potential risk for infection. The risk of infection exists because the nail can cut in the inside of the toe, and then with an open wound, bacteria can enter in.
Some ingrown toenails do not need any work, believe it or not, however it is more likely that removal is needed. In the event that you are experiencing pain or feel there is a risk for infection you should come into our office to have it examined. If one of the podiatrists feels removal is needed, we will perform a matricetomy. The part of the nail on the affected side will be cut after some local anesthesia has been applied; then depending on the doctor’s judgement sometimes an acid is placed on the root to prevent recurrence.
Ingrown nails have a relatively quick recovery time after treatment, and the maintenance is relatively simple as well in the recovery process. Please call into one of the numbers on our contact page to make an appointment.
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Excellent post on the treatment of ingrown tonails! Thanks for sharing.