Ingrown Toenails

As some of you may know, I have been battling with ingrown toe nails ever since I was pregnant last year. It has been a long journey for me, including two medical procedures and infections. Along the way, I have realized that this is a much more common issue than most people think. So, instead of pretending that it doesn't exist, and instead of being embarrassed by it, I thought I would do a post about it and provide you all with information should you ever need it, although I hope this is something you never have to deal with because it isn't fun at all.

What are ingrown toenails?

Ingrown toenails are a very common problem affecting primarily the great toenail. They are caused by sideways growth of the nail edge into the skin of the toe. The abnormal extension of the toenail pushes into the surrounding skin causing discomfort. Normal toenail growth should be vertical or outward toward the tip of the toe.

Symptoms of ingrown toenails are sore, often painful, nail folds with various degrees of redness, swelling, and sometimes clear or yellow drainage. Frequently, ingrown toenails resolve without medical treatment. Complicated cases may require treatment by a physician.

What causes ingrown toenails?

The sideways growing portion of nail acts like a foreign body and pokes into or pinches off a small piece of skin at the outer edge of the toe. This may cause a break in the skin, causing inflammation and possibly infection. The inflammation often causes more thickening of the nail skin fold, further exacerbating the problem. The protruding piece of nail keeps pushing into the skin, causing further injury and pain.

You may be more prone to ingrown toenails if you have any of the following:

athletic adolescents and children,
tight or narrow shoes (poorly fitted shoes),
repeat injury or trauma to feet,
poor foot hygiene,
poor posture and gait,
congenital foot deformity,
congenital toenail malformation,
very long toes,
naturally short nails,
obesity,
diabetes,
toenail infections,
fungal nail disease,
prior nail surgery,
abnormal nail growths,
arthritis, and
excessive foot sweating.

Should you have a more serious issue that involves medical intervention, don't fret. While its not a pleasant experience to go through,by any means, its fairly a straight forward procedure (unless you develop an infection, which will require a serious dose of antibiotics). I'm glad to report that my toes are finally starting to heal, and I am SO looking forward to wearing open toed shoes and getting manicures. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions, or stories you'd like to share about your experiences with this problem.

Xoxo

Tiki