An ingrown toenail is a nail edge that grows into the skin beside it, causing pain, redness, and sometimes infection, most often on the big toe. Dr. Tine treats ingrown toenails in Fort Lauderdale with soaks and trimming for mild cases and a quick in-office nail procedure when the edge keeps growing in.
Stephanie Tine diagnoses and treats ingrown toenail in Fort Lauderdale, from the first visit through recovery.
What is an ingrown toenail?
An ingrown toenail happens when the corner or side of a toenail grows into the soft skin next to it.
The big toe is affected most often. The skin becomes red, swollen, and tender, and if bacteria get in, the area can become infected and drain.
The usual causes are trimming the nail too short or rounding the corners, shoes that press the toe, an injury to the nail, and a nail that is naturally curved. Some people simply have nails that tend to grow inward, and for them the problem returns.
A mild ingrown nail is sore at the edge. An infected one is red, swollen, warm, and may have pus. For someone with diabetes or poor circulation, even a mild ingrown nail deserves a professional look, since a small break in the skin can become a larger problem.
How is an ingrown toenail evaluated?
An ingrown toenail is diagnosed by looking at it.
Dr. Tine checks how deep the nail edge sits, whether the skin is infected, and whether the nail shape means the problem is likely to return. Circulation and sensation in the foot are checked, because they change how the toe is treated. X-rays are rarely needed unless there is a concern about the bone under a long-standing infection.
What can you expect from ingrown toenail treatment?
A simple ingrown nail usually settles within days once the edge is freed.
When the edge is removed in the office, the toe is numbed with an injection, the ingrown strip is lifted out, and the nail root on that side is often treated so the strip does not regrow. Most people walk out in an open-toed shoe and return to normal shoes within a few days, with the nail bed healing over a couple of weeks. According to general guidance from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, treating the nail root makes recurrence on that side uncommon. These are ranges, not promises.
What are the treatment options?
- 01Warm soaks two or three times a day and roomy, open-toed footwear for a mild caseWarm soaks two or three times a day and roomy, open-toed footwear for a mild case
- 02Lifting the nail edge with a small piece of cotton or dental floss after soakingLifting the nail edge with a small piece of cotton or dental floss after soaking
- 03Antibiotic ointment for an irritated edgeAntibiotic ointment for an irritated edge
- 04Oral antibiotics when the toe is clearly infectedOral antibiotics when the toe is clearly infected
- 05Partial nail removal in the office, numbing the toe and removing the ingrown edgePartial nail removal in the office, numbing the toe and removing the ingrown edge
- 06Partial nail removal with a chemical or laser treatment of the nail root so that edge doesPartial nail removal with a chemical or laser treatment of the nail root so that edge does not grow back
- 07Removal of the whole nail, rarely, for a badly deformed nailRemoval of the whole nail, rarely, for a badly deformed nail
What do patients ask most?
Can I fix an ingrown toenail myself?+
Does removing the nail edge hurt?+
Will the nail look normal afterward?+
Why does my ingrown toenail keep coming back?+
Trained at Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles (three-year foot and ankle surgical residency, Chief Resident). Sees patients in Fort Lauderdale.
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