MD Podiatrist Discusses Ingrown Toenails

Is your toe sore to the touch? Is the skin around the nail puffy or red? An ingrown toenail may be to blame. Dan Michaels, DPM says it’s an issue he sees frequently, but it’s one that’s easily preventable. Dr. Michaels says an ingrown toenail happens when the nail grows into the skin on the nail’s side. Some people get ingrown toenails due to a family history of the problem. They may just have wide toenails. For others, it’s a product of how they take care of their feet.
 
Dr. Michaels says some ingrown toenails will resolve on their own. But if a person has to come to a podiatrist’s office, it usually means the site is infected. “We might trim out the side of the nail. That’s the easiest way to treat it,” Dr. Michaels says. “In other situations, we have to numb the toe and take out the side of the nail.” If the toe is really inflamed and irritated, he says, a doctor will remove a larger portion of the nail, plus some excess skin and tissue. The patient may also be sent home with antibiotic medication to keep an infection down.