There can be a number of causes but what does it mean?

A true ingrowing toenail occurs when the edge of the nail penetrates the flesh of the toe. This is more painful than you would imagine and of course the toe itself can then become infected by bacteria which seize the opportunity to hop into the wound created by the nail. The ingrowing nail can be easily cut away by a podiatrist who can also determine the cause of the problem. It may be simply due to bad nail cutting technique or an injury but then again, it could have been caused by a badly fitting shoe or even by the way the foot has been functioning within the shoe.

A recurrent ingrowing toenail may require a simple surgical procedure to correct it and this can be done at Pembridge Practice using a local anaesthetic to numb the toe beforehand. The healing period afterwards is usually 4 weeks and it is best to wear sandals during this time to prevent any pressure on the toe.