Ingrown toenails are one of the most common complaints we see as podiatrists. Pain from ingrown toenails interferes with your everyday life and makes it hard to walk or wear shoes comfortably. When you have one, you likely just want the pain to go away and will wonder – should you dig out an ingrown nail?
What causes an ingrown nail?
Ingrown nails are most commonly caused by poor nail cutting techniques such as cutting the nail too short at the sides or not cutting wide enough and leaving a nail spicule behind. The nail breaks the skin and your body reacts with swelling and pain. It is very common to have an infection occur as well.
How does a podiatrist fix an ingrown nail?
Podiatrists have access to all the tools needed to fix an ingrown nail. Our podiatrist will use sterile dual-spring nail clippers, specialised scalpel blades, small files and sterile absorbent dressings to remove the ingrown nail edge and protect your toe from further infection.
For more severe ingrown nails podiatrists give a local anaesthetic injection to allow for pain-free clearing of the nail. They may discuss a partial nail avulsion with you. A partial nail avulsion is a minor surgical procedure done in the podiatry room under local anaesthesia to permanently remove and prevent regrowing of the ingrown nail edge.
Find out more about ingrown nail treatment here: https://afootc.com.au/conditions/ingrown-toenails/
Should you dig out an ingrown nail before seeing a podiatrist?
More often than not, this tends to make the problem worse. Attempting to dig it out yourself leads to an introduction of germs from non-sterile instruments and the lack of appropriate tools and visualisation makes removing the correct portion and shape of nail both difficult and more painful. Even a trained podiatrist would not attempt it on themselves without the right tools!
Our podiatrists are here to help you. We can help patients with ingrown nails ranging from very mild to severe. If you think you have an ingrown nail or need any help with your feet, book now with one of our friendly podiatrists!