Ingrown Toenail
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TRU Foot and Ankle
Jason Khadavi, DPM
Clinical Medicine and Podiatry Surgery & Podiatric Foot and Ankle Surgeon located in Encino, CA & Beverly Hills, CA
About 5% of Americans have one or more ingrown toenails every year. Whether your ingrown toenail pain just started or you’ve lived with it for a while, you don’t have to suffer from pain. At TRU Foot and Ankle, dedicated podiatrist Jason Khadavi, DPM, offers the latest medical solutions for ingrown toenails, including advanced outpatient surgical solutions with no downtime. There are two Los Angeles area locations in Beverly Hills and Encino, California, so contact either office by phone or through online booking today.
Ingrown Toenail Q & A
What is an ingrown toenail?
An ingrown toenail is a nail, usually on the big toe, that pierces the skin next to the nail plate so the nail grows into the skin. In many cases, ingrown toenails create a small opening in your skin, allowing harmful bacteria to enter and cause an infection.
What are the signs of an ingrown toenail?
Ingrown toenails usually cause discomfort, soreness, or pain. You may notice some changes in the skin around the toe, such as swelling or hardening. If you develop an infection, additional common ingrown toenail symptoms include:
- Red skin on one side of your toe
- Puffy or swollen skin at your nail edge
- Fluid or pus leakage
- Foul odor
- New skin growth over the embedded nail corner
It's best to address an ingrown toenail when you first notice discomfort in your toe, as this can help you avoid infection and its potential complications.
In the most serious ingrown toenails, an infection could reach the tissue and bones deep within your foot to cause tissue death and, eventually, toe or foot amputation.
This is especially important if you have a medical condition that inhibits healing, such as diabetes. If you have diabetes, schedule diabetic foot care at TRU Foot and Ankle as-recommended by Dr. Khadavi for help with ingrown toenails and other foot issues.
How do ingrown toenails happen?
Many factors can contribute to ingrown toenails, including genetic predisposition, trimming nails in a curved fashion, wearing tight shoes, and repetitive foot trauma.
Fortunately, you can control most of these variables to prevent recurrence after your ingrown toenail treatment at TRU Foot and Ankle.
What is the best treatment for an ingrown toenail?
Conservative treatment, such as soaking the nail in a saltwater bath, can sometimes offer temporary symptom relief.
But, you should never try to cut a notch in the nail or remove the embedded nail at home. It’s all-too-easy to cut just a bit too deep and create a whole new set of problems, including uncontrolled bleeding and additional infection risk.
Dr. Khadavi is a surgically trained podiatrist with extensive experience in treating ingrown toenails and all their complications, so he can skillfully remove the embedded section of the nail without putting your health at risk.
If you have a chronic ingrown toenail, Dr. Khadavi can treat that section of nail matrix (root) to permanently prevent its regrowth. This does narrow your nail plate a little bit, but it’s not obvious and your toenail still looks normal afterward.
At TRU Foot and Ankle, Dr. Khadavi can perform in-office ingrown toenail treatment to stop your pain instantly. Call the office nearest you or book your visit online today.