In addition to looking pretty after a manicure or pedicure, nails are functional parts of your body, used for protecting your hands and feet from infection, helping with fine motor movement, aiding in the sense of touch, and helping in performing routine tasks like gripping objects.
Nails are also prone to injury, and in toes, a common problem is dealing with ingrown toenails, which leads to pain and other unpleasant symptoms. If you’ve ever had one, trying to prevent it means understanding why it happens.
If you struggle with ingrown toenails or other foot problems and you live in the Tarzana or Inglewood, California, area, Drs. Ashkan Soleymani, Michael Salih, Arash Jalil, Saman Tabari, and their team at Cedars Foot and Ankle Center can help.
An ingrown toenail often affects the big toe, where the nail grows into the skin on the side or the corner. Telltale signs include swelling, sensitivity to touch, warmth, redness, pus, and pain. In rare cases, the infection can spread further into the toe tissue and bone.
It’s common enough that 2 out of every 10 people getting treatment for foot problems have it. While it can frequently be managed at home, if the symptoms worsen, you should get medical help.
You can get an ingrown toenail for several reasons:
There are many ways to care for the infected toenail to reduce symptoms, expedite healing, and keep it from coming back:
Placing your foot in water for 15-20 minutes up to four times daily can reduce tenderness and swelling.
After your foot has soaked, you can coax the softened toenail to begin growing above the skin by placing dental floss or a cotton swab underneath the nail.
Using this cream will help heal the infection, and keep it from spreading.
When your symptoms have improved after soaking and using the antibiotic cream, be sure to trim your nails in a straight line and avoid cutting too close to the corner or creating too round an edge.
Too much pressure from ill-fitting shoes can push your nails into positions that may cause an ingrown toenail. Change to footwear that has plenty of toe space (like zero-drop shoes), and whenever possible use open-toed sandals or flip-flops to give your feet some breathing room.
We offer many options to manage ingrown toenails when other methods fail, and the solutions mentioned above can be effective at keeping the problem from coming back.
If you’re struggling with the pain of ingrown toenails and need immediate relief, make an appointment with Drs. Soleymani, Salih, Jalil, Tabari, and the team at Cedars Foot and Ankle Center today.
