What You Need To Know About Ingrown Toenails

Treating Your Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails can be very painful. They can interfere with your ability to wear shoes and to walk without pain. They are also a common problem, easily treated by your podiatrist. Dr. Joseph DiFranco at DiFranco Family Foot Care in Erie, PA, offers a wide range of podiatry services, including treatment of ingrown toenails.

What You Need To Know About Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails can be caused by a few factors including:

• Damage or trauma to your toe or toenail
• Cutting your toenails too short
• Rounding the corners of your toenails
• Having toenails that naturally curve under
• Wearing shoes without enough toe room

Ingrown toenails are usually obvious because you will:

• Feel throbbing, aching pain in your toe
• See swelling and bruising of your toe
• Notice blood or pus coming out from underneath your toenail

If you notice any of the signs or symptoms listed above, you can try a few home treatments to get relief from your ingrown toenail. You can:

• Soak your toe in warm water several times daily
• Place dental floss under your toenail to hold the toenail above your skin
• Apply antibiotic cream and bandages to your toenail
• Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and pain medications

If your ingrown toenail doesn’t respond to home treatments, or your ingrown toenail is growing worse, you should seek out the help and expertise of your podiatrist, who may recommend:

• Lifting and separating your toenail from your skin
• Trimming the ingrown section of your toenail
• Removing your toenail completely so a healthy toenail can grow in its place

Remember that you can do a lot to prevent ingrown toenails. You should:

• Always cut your toenails straight across with no rounded corners
• Avoid cutting your toenails too short
• Wear shoes with plenty of room, so your toes aren’t crushed together

Want To Know More?

To find out more about the prevention and treatment of ingrown toenails, call Dr. Joseph DiFranco at DiFranco Family Foot Care in Erie, PA. You can reach him in the office by calling (814) 217-0618, so call today.