An ingrown toenail develops so slowly that you might not realize anything’s wrong until the nail firmly embeds itself in your skin. Jason Cohen, DPM, and Sandeep Garcha, DPM, of Cohen & Garcha Podiatry, LLP, offer prompt assessment and treatment of ingrown toenails. The practice has six offices in New York City’s Bronx borough, one in Jamaica, Queens, and another in Nanuet, New York. Call the office nearest you today to schedule a consultation or book an appointment online.
An ingrown toenail pushes painfully into the skin next to your nail as it grows. Ingrown toenails are common, although many people have them and don’t suffer more than minor discomfort for years.
Eventually, the growth into your toe can become more troublesome, causing pain, swelling, and tenderness. Ingrown toenails are also more likely to get infected. If you have an infection in your toe, it can spread to the bones in your foot, causing a severe problem.
Your big toes are the ones most likely to have ingrown toenails, although you can develop this problem on any of your nails.
An ingrown toenail usually develops when you cut your toenails incorrectly and/or wear tight-fitting shoes.
Cutting your toenails so that they’re below the level of your toe or shaping them at the sides as you might your fingernails are the most common causes. Short or shaped nails are more likely to grow off course and into your skin.
Wearing tight shoes increases the pressure on your toes and encourages the toenail to grow into your skin. By avoiding tight shoes and cutting your nails correctly, you can prevent ingrown toenails.
If you have an ingrown toenail, don’t be tempted to cut the ingrown part out yourself. Doing so is likely to make the problem worse by encouraging deeper penetration into the toe. Cohen & Garcha Podiatry, LLP, offers fast and effective treatment for ingrown toenails.
To treat your ingrown toenail, your provider at Cohen & Garcha Podiatry, LLP, might need to lift and separate the affected nail. They then guide the nail back in the right direction to prevent the new growth from going into your skin.
If your ingrown toenail is more severe, your provider might need to remove the ingrown part of the nail. They can use special chemicals or cut the nail out under local anesthetic.
If your ingrown toenail has an infection, you might need to take antibiotics or use an antibiotic cream. This is especially important if you have diabetes, which increases your risk of developing serious foot problems.
Plantar Fasciitis | Ingrown Toenail | Toenail Fungus | Bunion | Heel Pain | Neuroma | Diabetic Foot Care | Flat Feet | Warts| Trauma | Fracture | Achilles Tendonitis | Arthritis | Foot Fungus | Hammer Toe | Tendinitis
