Painful, thickened and ingrown toenails
Broadly speaking, there are two types of “ingrown nails”:
- Involuted nails have rounded curved edges and irritate the sulcus (gutter) of the nail. As the nail grows, the curved edge presses into the sulcus and can cause callus or a cut to the skin. Involuted nails are usually caused by a combination of your genetics, pressure from footwear and the circulation to your toes.
- Spikes of nail or onychocryptosis result from trauma or “bathroom surgery”. A shard or spike of nail is protruding into the flesh at the side of the nail and needs removing. Unfortunately without removing the offending part of the nail, antibiotics alone won’t fix the problem. Removal can be done often without anaesthetic however if there is infection or acute pain, our podiatrists can administer a local anaesthetic to numb the affected toe.
Ongoing issues with involuted nails or nail spikes may require a partial or total nail avulsion surgery, which permanently narrows the nail and to reduce the curved edge. Our podiatrists have plenty of experience with these procedures. They are usually permanent, done under local anaesthetic and once healed result in long term resolution of pain.