Arlington Foot & Ankle Center

Ben Pearl, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S.

N.I.H. Consultant

INGROWN NAILS

A nail is ingrown when one or both sides of the nail grow into the skin of the toe. Ingrown nails can be caused by improper trimming of the nail, high heeled shoes or too narrow shoes, or toe deformities such as a bunion or overlapping toes that cause increased pressure on neighboring toes.

Irritation, redness, an uncomfortable sensation of warmth, swelling, pain and infection are some of the symptoms you may experience if you have an ingrown nail. Ingrown nails usually occur on the big toes, but not always.

Treatment
If you are prone to ingrown nails, cut nails rounded and keep them short. This will prevent them from growing into the tip of the nail.

If the nail does become red and inflamed, you can soak the toe in warm water with Epsom salts.  If this does not alleviate your symptoms, we would recommend making an appointment with our office.

Visiting your physician
If the condition is mild, Dr. Pearl may be able to simply cut the nail properly to alleviate your symptoms. If the area is infected, you may need a course of antibiotics as well Dr. Pearl may have to numb the toe and then remove the small section of the nail that is causing the infection.

If the condition tends to recur, there is a permanent solution. Dr. Pearl can numb your toe, remove the offending nail section and put a chemical in the area to sterilize the cells that make the nail so that the ingrown section of nail never grows back. This procedure has proven to be 95% effective with a high degree of patient satisfaction.

Copyright 2001, Dr. Pearl. All rights reserved.