Everyday foot care
Ingrown toenails.
A painful nail edge can make everyday shoes uncomfortable. Understand what’s happening, explore treatment, and get help for a problem that keeps coming back.
Understanding the problem
A small edge.
A painful problem.
An ingrown toenail happens when a nail edge presses or grows into nearby skin, most often on the big toe. Nail shape, shoe pressure, an injury, or cutting the corners too short can contribute.
Your office visit
Understand the cause.
Choose your next step.
Tell us how long the toe has hurt and whether it has happened before. Bring your medication list and mention allergies, previous nail treatment, diabetes, poor circulation, or reduced feeling in your feet.
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Examine the nail
Look at the painful edge and check for infection.
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Consider healing
Review health conditions that may affect treatment and recovery.
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Discuss your options
Decide whether conservative care or an office procedure fits your situation.
Treatment options
Relieve the pressure.
Address the cause.
Care depends on the nail, symptom severity, infection, and whether the problem keeps returning. Select a topic to read more.
Mild symptoms
Roomier footwear and gentle cleaning may help reduce irritation when symptoms are mild. A clinician can advise whether home care is appropriate.
Avoid digging under the nail, cutting out a painful corner, or cutting a V into the nail. These approaches can injure the skin or worsen the problem.
Treating the painful nail border
An office procedure may remove the affected strip of nail after local anesthetic numbs the toe. This is called a partial nail avulsion. The entire nail does not always need to be removed.
Reducing repeat problems
For a recurring ingrown edge, treatment may also address the part of the nail’s growth area responsible for that border. Called a matrixectomy, this aims to prevent that edge from growing back and reduce recurrence. The nail may be narrower afterward.
Your clinician will discuss suitability, risks, and alternatives.
Common questions
Know what
to expect.
Will the procedure hurt?
Local anesthetic is used to numb the toe before nail removal. The injection may briefly sting. Tell your clinician if you still feel pain before the procedure begins.
Will I need antibiotics?
Not automatically. Your clinician will assess whether there is infection spreading into surrounding skin and whether antibiotics are needed. Relieving the nail’s pressure is also part of treatment.
Can an ingrown toenail return?
Yes. An edge can regrow after nail removal. Treating the corresponding growth area can lower the chance of another ingrown edge, though recurrence is still possible.
How can I help prevent another one?
For routine nail care, trim straight across without cutting too short or rounding the corners, and wear shoes with enough toe room. Avoid cutting into an actively painful nail edge. If safe trimming is difficult, ask for help.
Your next step
Get help for
the painful edge.
Schedule a visit online, or contact our team for help arranging an appointment.
Online scheduling is provided through athenahealth. To change an existing appointment, please contact our team.